So you noticed I’ve changed the header for this site, eh? Well, time to shift focus regarding what I spend my day with. Because from January 16th I’ll be flying across the Atlantic Ocean (also called the Norwegian Sea) to New England (should have been called New Norway, considering Leif Eriksson and all) and get ready for a semester at one of the worlds top business schools. And the preparation to get there?? Read on…

So what did I have to do before I actually could go to MIT Sloan? Here’s the short version:

  1. Get admitted to the MTM program at NTNU / NHH
  2. Go through one year of study at the MTM program with passing grades (or above average grade if you want to be certain to make it to MIT)
  3. Apply to MIT where you need to provide an application with personal information, two letters of recommendation, fincancial guarantee that you can support yourself while there, and a personal essay stating your purpose and desire to go to MIT (in other words, give some good vibes about yourself and MIT, and how the two goes together like a glove). Oh, and do add a resume for them evaluate you on.
  4. If needed, seek financial support (for instance, Lånekassen), which takes forever for them to process anything (said bitterly).
  5. Once the admittance papers are received, schedule a VISA appointment with the US embassy. This becomes a bit heavy for one who lives across the country from the embassy.
  6. Fill out ALL forms for the VISA application. Yes, three forms where I state my name and address several times. In addition to my whole family situation, two reference people who knows who I am, where I’ve studied, ensuring that I’m not part of any terrorist organization nor was I a nazi cooperate during the 2nd world war (hmm…. my age subtracted from todays date… nope, I did not do anything wrong during 2nd world war!). I’ve ensured that my intentions are honorable, solely in the name of academics. Oh, my favorite form was the one I had to fill out because I was a man between 15-45 years of age. There I had to state all my trips abroad the last ten years (every single one), all the organizations I’ve supported or been member of during my lifetime (every single one. I’m sure the US embassy had trouble tracking down “Skjold Vikings Innebandy Club” which existed for one year and consisted of 6 friends and myself) and so forth. don’t forget, you need to pay the SEVIS fee ($100), and $100 / 600 kr in cash with an exact amount.
  7. Travel to the embassy and stand in line before being called upon. After more time in a line, it’s time to hand in all forms and papers that you’ve completed. The 600 kr in cash is paid and then you have to wait some more before you can give away your fingerstamps and have a little chat with the nice people at the embassy.
  8. Time to find a place to live in Boston /Cambridge. Not the easiest thing to do with 6 hrs time difference. There are agents all over the place and usually they take a fee worth one months rent if you find a place to stay. But the hardest part was to find a place reasonably close to school that did indeed accept a 4,5 month lease. Lot’s of energy for this part. Find a good agent and you should be ok (we did).
  9. Do an international wire transfer for 1) school tuition, 2) resident agent fee and 3) housing rent and deposit. International payments are insecure and codes must be exact in order to work. This is a pain…
  10. Book a trip to the US. This is the easiest part. Only hazzle is to decide when to go and when to come home.
  11. Get insurance papers in order. Your travel insurance is only valid maximum 3 month duration time. If you go for anything longer you need to have a special arrangement. Costs money.
  12. Take your shots: MIT demands that you’re protected from a number of nasty viral infections. So you actually have to go to a doctor and get proof that you’re immune or you need to schedule vaccines.
  13. Fill out the medical papers stating that you’re alive and fairly well functioning. I also note their interest to know whether you have tendencies to loneliness, are mentally unstable and like to play with guns. In other words, if you’re a nut case in possession of a gun, please tell us now.
  14. Register online with MIT: wow, if every school had the same quality on their intranet for students. You get everything here: your schedule is automatically updated with the classes you register for, other events are added, links to the program you decide to join or simply your “myspace/facebook” version of your profile. Nice!
  15. Register for classes: MIT has a pretty good online class booking system. It works as a bidding process, which means everybody gets an equal amount of points to spend. Classes you really want you add more points to. That way everybody gets the classes they really want. Nice!
  16. Pack your stuff and make sure you make your flight! Don’t forget to kiss your special someone goodbye ;)