![\"\"](\"http:\/\/i958.photobucket.com\/albums\/ae69\/JuicyPuffin\/Living%20in%20Iceland\/IMG_0752.jpg\")
<\/a>\nSide of the old\/main University building, at night. Only now did I realize just how few photos I have of my school, sorry!<\/p>\n
Most of the buildings have a small caf\u00e9\/snack shop on the bottom floor, and at least one building has a coffee machine (but it’s more expensive, tastes worse, and you get less compared to buying at the little shops). When in class, usually you’ll have a ten or fifteen minute break in the middle of class so everyone can go buy coffee. Even though you’re technically not allowed to eat or drink in any of the classrooms, just watch the other students and the teacher to see if it’s actually allowed.<\/p>\n On the main floor of H\u00e1sk\u00f3latorg is the cafeteria, bookstore, and registration center. You go to the registration center to receive and turn in “sick exam” forms (a form you have to fill out saying which final exam you were sick for) and to get any sort of grade transcripts. Transcripts cost about $3 right now, and they can print anything you need in either English or Icelandic (sometimes writing it on the spot).<\/p>\n The floor above has the student housing help center, where you go when you need to first sign your student housing contract (only if you’re living in the school-provided apartments!) or when you want to break the contract. You have to notify them a month in advance before you want to move out, by putting your notice online. You only have to give back your key by the move-out date. They’ll do a small inspection of your room and give you back your deposit (only foreign students need to pay a deposit at the beginning of the rental period). H\u00e1sk\u00f3latorg closes sometime around seven or eight at night, but if you’re already inside the building you can stay as long as you want (I’ve seen people inside working at three in the morning on a Friday). I’m not sure, but you might be able to use your student card as a doorkey to get inside when it’s after hours. I think you can only do this with H\u00e1sk\u00f3latorg though, not any of the other buildings.<\/p>\n On the same floor is the student service center. If you want counseling on what programs to take, having trouble with classes or worried about exams, even if you need to figure out something for your student living permit, they’re always really friendly and do what they can to help you. Going there is free and there are walk-in counseling hours from something like one to four, otherwise you can just make an appointment with the secretary.<\/p>\n When in class, at least if you’re taking Icelandic for Foreigners, you probably won’t get many assignments and even if you do, they probably won’t count towards your final grade. For example, one of my classes this semester had one midterm assignment due that was worth 5% of my final grade, and then that was it for anything other than the final exams. Most classes will only have one final exam, but sometimes you might get something like “listening comprehension exam worth 15% of your final grade” and “grammar exam worth the remaining part of your final grade”, which will be exams hosted on different days. The teacher will usually put up past exams for the course online so you will have some idea of what might be on the exam.<\/p>\n If you miss a final exam because you’re sick, you have to go to the registration office and get a “sick exam” form. This asks when you were sick, how long you were sick, what class’ exam you missed, et cetera. As of this year you need an actual doctor’s note to accompany this form, saying you were actually sick. This form and the doctor’s note has to be turned in to the registration office within three days of your missed exam (excluding weekends).<\/p>\n If you can’t make it to the exam and you’re not actually sick, first you should contact your teacher asking (as far in advance as you possibly can, I can’t stress this enough) if you can take it at any other time. If they say no, you are literally out of luck. You will automatically fail the exam because you didn’t show up, then you’ll have a chance to take the same exam a year later (or in the next semester if you’re lucky).<\/p>\n If you’re going to be in another country during the exam day, there is one thing you can do. You have to get your exam proctored by a teacher at a University in the country you’re going to be in. This means that you have to find a random teacher to stand over you and watch you to make sure you’re not cheating or something during the exam, while you take the same exam as the students in Iceland (and at the same time as the students in Iceland). You have to find a teacher willing to do this by yourself, the school will not help you. After you find one and get their contact info, you fill out the online form here and submit it<\/a> at least two weeks before your exam date.<\/p>\n Here’s my story: About a month passed, with me sending repeated Emails to her, and I had no response. When I had another exam I saw her in person with another teacher of mine. I explained this problem to my other teacher and she said that the only person who could do anything about the exam would be the teacher holding the exam. We asked my exam teacher about it, she replied with the one word “later”. Then the next day I finally got a reply to my Emails, which was again simply “you have to take the sick exam”. When I replied yet again with “How do I do that when I’m not going to be sick?” she said “there’s no other option, talk to the head of examinations and maybe he can do something”.<\/p>\n<\/a>
\nSometimes for events like Gay Pride day and such, they put colors over the lights so you can see main building lit up in pink or green at night.<\/p>\n<\/a>
\nH\u00e1sk\u00f3latorg (old photo).<\/p>\n<\/a>
\nThe Nordic House, a building next to the science building (but a bit further away from all the other school buildings). I’ll do a post on this place sometime in the future, it’s basically a library and cultural center for all the Nordic countries and languages.<\/p>\n<\/a>
\nI forget which buildings these are.<\/p>\n<\/a>
\nHas a coffee machine and a coffee shop on the bottom floor. Most of my classes have been either in this building or in the main building.<\/p>\n<\/a>
\nIf you use a regular mug instead of a disposable one when buying coffee, you return the mug to this cart after finishing your drink.<\/p>\n<\/a>
\nThe coffee shop is to the right, through those double-doors.<\/p>\n<\/a>
\nThe bad, expensive coffee machine is immediately to the right of the doors for the coffee shop.<\/p>\n<\/a>
\nAnyone can put things on the bulletin boards.<\/p>\n<\/a>
\nThis green table usually has flyers you can take and piles of books, I’m not sure if the books are things people have forgotten in the building or if they’re books people are giving away.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>
\nInside one of the classrooms.<\/p>\n
\nI bought plane tickets to Sweden before the dates of the final exams were set. Then I found out that my flight was on the same day as my last exam. I contacted the teacher asking if I could take the exam at any other time, she said that the sick exam was my only option. I replied, how can I sign up for the sick exam if I’m not sick? Could she sign me up?<\/p>\n