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Aaron Cheung
BBA in Information Systems and in Finance
Fall Semester 2015
Exchange Report
European Business School, Germany
1
Part 1 – Monthly activity log
AUGUST
I went to Dubai for a day trip during my transit. I arrived in mid-August, around two
days before the orientation and the intensive German class. There was a guided tour
around the campus on 18th, followed by 7 days of intensive German course concluded
on 26th. There was an official compulsory orientation session on 27th and 28th. Class
started on 31st.
The first impression of Oestrich Winkel was that it is quite a small town but a quiet and
close community. There were plenty of vineyards near the River Rhein so the view was
great especially at sunset. Neighbors were nice. EBS was also quite a small university
with only three buildings on main campus Schloss, mainly classrooms. There was a
sportsground nearby and gym facility in Winkel.
SEPTEMBER
I had my first exam, the German A1.1
exam in early September. EBS
Symposium took place mid-
September. Although I didn’t join this
event. Instead, I made use of the
holidays and went to some cities in
Germany. I went to Heidelberg and
Stuttgart myself and joined some
other friends in Munich for
Oktoberfest.
Oktoberfest is traditional event held
across Germany, but Munich is the
most renowned city holding it. There
are beer tents offer large glasses of
beer and some traditional German
food. There are also performances
and the atmosphere is very good.
Contradict to its name, the festival is
held in September till early October
only. We had a mid-autumn festival
2
party in my house with a lot of international students. The students prepared a lot of
food from their own countries and we had a great time.
You should be aware that your passport may be taken by the school to apply the
residential permit this month. So you cannot leave the Germany boarder before you
take back your passport.
OCTOBER
I visited Paris in early October. It was one of the most rewarding place to visit. Most of
the attractions were free for students. In mid-October, I took a long trip to Italy. I visited
cities including Venice, Florence, Pisa, Rome and Milan. Italy was also a worth visiting
country, especially Rome and Venice. There was a World EXPO organizing in Milan and
we spent two days in the EXPO. It was
also a great experience and we saw
some top-notched technology from all
around the world. However, you may
consider skipping Milan if you don’t
have enough time as Milan itself is not
very attractive for students.
NOVEMBER
I took a trip by plane to Copenhagen in
early November and took a short trip to
Sweden IKEA. During my stay I found out
there were a lot of Hong Kong students
studying in Copenhagen Business
School. You may consider living in their
dormitory to save the travelling cost.
The module ‘Managing People’ had an
exam in mid-November. After the exam
I travelled to Berlin and Hamburg. Berlin
should be quite enjoyable if you like
history, while Hamburg has nothing
really special there.
3
DECEMBER
This was the final examination month. I took a two full-days consulting workshop
which was quite a rewarding learning experience. After that, there were four
examinations. I travelled to Barcelona after the examinations. The weather was
significantly warmer than northern part. Besides FC Barcelona that everyone is similar
of, you can also admire the
architecture throughout the city.
After that, I had a long trip to
Eastern European countries and
cities including Austria (Salzburg,
Hallstatt and Vienna), Slovakia
(Bratislava), Hungary (Budapest).
JANUARY
My trip continued to Czech (Prague, CK and KC towns). Most people are not quite
familiar with Eastern European countries. I found it quite different from other
European countries, for example the food was saltier, the living price was lower and
the living style was different as well.
I went to Brussel and Bruges in Belgium and Amsterdam in Netherlands for the Eastern
European countries trip. I went back to Oestrich Winkel to take my luggage and back
to Hong Kong in mid-January.
4
Part 2 General Exchange Information
VISA PROCEDURES
It takes about a month for the visa application. You will receive a guide from EBS
exchange office regarding the details. Alternately, you may want to have a look of the
checklist provided by the embassy. You do not need to make appointment beforehand.
Except filling in the form, you also have to prepare a medical insurance proof and
financial proof. The medical insurance I have used is CareMed as recommended by EBS.
For the financial proof, you can either set up a blocked account in Germany (which you
can only take out certain amount of cash per month) or request a letter from the
embassy stating your parents will support your financial need. Bring your parents
along with birth certificate and the bank statement of your parents will be the easiest
way to fulfill this requirement.
For my application and other Hong Kong students travelling with me, we have all got a
3-months visa which require a visa extension upon arrival called ‘residential permit’
which requires another 50 euro. Make sure you try to state to the embassy in Hong
Kong you are requesting a visa for the whole semester to see if you can get one. If you
are planning to travel within the area after the semester, your documents (such as visa)
should also support you up to the point you leave that area otherwise they may not
approve so. Bring your documents for the visa application with you as they may be
useful when you are in Germany.
ORIENTATION ACTIVITY
If you are joining the free German language course, you will meet some other
exchange students a week earlier. The official orientation commenced after the
language course and lasts two days. It mainly contained talks about German culture,
examination procedure, career and international students service, etc. There was a
free buffet dinner outside the school, serving as Orientation Dinner. The International
Students’ Relation team (ISR) of their Students’ Union organized some activities such
as Shopping Day, Semester Opening Party and some gatherings in local bar.
ACCOMMODATIONS
EBS did not offer dormitory. Instead, their Housing Office had cooperated with some
landlords in the area which offer apartments for students. Ranging from single room
to 10 people shared house, you can participate the so-called ‘Flat Hunt’ yourself or
with other students. I lived in a 10 people shared house and I think it brought a
fantastic experience for international exposure.
5
EBS has three campuses named ‘Schloss Campus’, ‘Burg Campus’ and ‘Atrium Campus’.
Schloss and Burg are located in Oestrich while Atrium is in Wiesbaden, a nearby town.
Nearly all of the business students will have their classes in Schloss Campus, while only
the intensive German class will take place in burg (which only lasted a few days). Try
your best to ‘hunt’ a flat in Oestrich, which is closest to the school with two
supermarkets Rewi and Aldi. Winkel is located around 45 minutes walk from Schloss.
Hallgarten is on a hill which cannot be reached by public transport after 8pm.
COURSES
a) ECTS System and Modules
EBS has a different course registration system. Modules have two lectures covering
two topics. Most of the courses are bundled in modules which you have to take
the whole thing, but some are in separate lectures. They have a credit system
called ECTS, which you should divide it by 2 to count the HKUST credits if it is not
linked to an equivalent course. Make sure you start the course mapping with
HKUST courses a few months before since it takes time for HKUST to process the
data. The course codes change nearly every semester.
The maximum ECTS you can take is 30, plus a language course (3 ECTS). The
intensive course is counted separately. Which means you can take a maximum of
36 ECTS.
b) Course registration
The course registration is simple. You can choose whatever you like as long as you
are within the credit limit. If there are more students registering than available
seats, a lottery will take place. There are actually more than enough seats per class
for most classes so don’t worry. You can also add/drop before certain deadlines.
c) Timetable
The timetable for the courses, unlike UST, is very irregular. Most lecturers are guest
lecturers so the schedule will fit their stay in the area. For example, there may be
an intensive class which last three whole Saturdays, but a month in between each
session. It may disrupt the travelling plan sometimes but still manageable.
d) Grading
The grading matrix is very clear as it is listed in a system called Campusnet similar
to HKUST Canvas. This university uses absolute grading so your grade is not
affected by other students. The grading scale is from A, B, C, D to F with no plus or
minus. The grading average is C. The grading is generally released a month after
the final examination.
6
e) Courses I have taken in Fall Semester 2015
Courses Remarks
Study Skills in German This is the intensive German course which starts in mid-August. It lasts
only 3 days from 8:30am to 2:30pm. It contains a listening and written
exam for A1.1 level. I would recommend if you have never studied
German before. Other levels are also offered.
Business German A1.2 This is a continuation of A1.1. It contains a presentation and a written
exam. Although it states ‘Business German’, the context is not
confined to business. I took this course twice a week from 6:30pm to
8pm. It is recommended if you want to learn more about German, but
the timing and difficulty should be concerned. This course can be
transferred along with A1.1 to HKUST language subject.
Asset Management I As stated in the syllabus, this is not a beginner finance course. The
lecturer is an experienced active equity manager. The content is a bit
hard to understand for me as I have only studied FINA2303. However,
the examination is still manageable. It covers portfolio management
and derivatives valuation. This course is mapped to be FINA3104.
Real Estate Principles This course mainly focuses on the real estate of Germany. There was
a visit to a developing new landmark of Frankfurt. It taught about how
to valuate a real estate based on location and other factors. As well as
introducing the development of city planning and architecture style as
well as some basic laws in real estate. This course may be challenging
if you are not interested in this subject. Many terminologies are also
in German. This course is mapped as a finance elective.
Innovation Management The course content is similar to ISOM2010 about how to manage
some new innovations. This course is divided into lecture (which is
followed by an exam) and case studies (which has no lecture at all and
only presentations by students). If you would like to investigate some
cases and learn more about how to handle new innovations, this
course may suit you. This course is mapped as ISOM4020.
7
Courses Remarks
Strategy Consulting This was the only course that require lottery to get in because of huge
demand. However, the school opened up more quotas at last. It
introduces some strategies for a firm to take during different
situations. This is my favourite class. There was a two-day workshop
which an external consultant provided a topic for case study. This
course is mapped as MGMT4250.
Managing People The two lectures are on separate topics, namely human resources
management and leadership. It is a core course for the bachelor
degree there so you may have to work with the local German students
in group projects. It requires a group project for the HRM course and
a reflective essay for the leadership course. Both have an examination.
This should be mapped in HKUST as HRM or managerial leadership
course.
COST/EXPENSE
In general, living cost in Germany is lower than that of Hong Kong. Dietary products
are especially selling at low cost. Choosing a less expensive accommodation and
keeping an eye on cheap tickets to travel are keys to have a low cost by enjoyable
exchange.
Taking 1 EUR = 8.5 HKD
Items EUR HKD
Air ticket (through Dubai by Emirates) 941 8000
Semester train ticket 120 1020
Pickup service from airport 25 212.5
Textbook 80 680
Accommodation 1775 15087.5
Mobile phone plan (Aldi talk)(standard rate 7 euro per month) 50 425
Food and daily necessities 600 5100
Travelling 3000 25500
Insurance (CaredMed) 165 1400
Insurance (Private travelling insurance) 247 2100
Visa application and residential permit 100 850
Total 7103 60375
8
SOCIAL AND NETWORKING
EBS is quite renowned for the networking events. The students organize several
conferences each year. In the fall semester, they have organized EBS Symposium and
EBS Entrepreneurship Forum, which they have a theme each year and invite some
alumni or famous leaders in renowned international companies to join. The after-
parties, as told by my friends, were also quite enjoyable. The school usually doesn’t
have classes that few days, so I have chosen to travel instead of joining these
conferences.
The International Students’ Relation team will be responsible for other informal social
events like Semester Opening Party, Visit to Star Club Night, Halloween Party, Semester
Closing Party, etc. There are plenty of social gatherings if you wish to join.
HEALTH AND SAFETY
I have visited a doctor once during my exchange. The school has provided a list of
doctors. However, I was not able to visit the doctor in Oestrich Winkel because the
doctor was on leave. Instead I went to a doctor in Eltville which was 10 minutes by
train. Most of the doctors know enough English so don’t worry. You have to buy the
medicine in Apotheke which are everywhere in Oestrich. The insurance I have bought
covered the charge. I showed the copy of the insurance receipt to the doctor.
Oestrich Winkel is relatively a small village so safety is not a problem. Comparing with
other countries, Germany, and Frankfurt is quite safe.
FOOD
There is a canteen called Mensa which opens on weekdays from 12pm to 2pm. A lunch
without drink is around 4 euros. As I rode bike to school and the school was close to
the supermarkets, I usually cooked my lunch and dinner in my house. Dining out is
quite expensive in the area. There are a few good restaurants nearby but you need to
pay at least 15 euros. Be prepared to cook!
TRANSPORTATION
EBS Schloss campus is located near the train station Hattenheim. Most students will
live in Oestrich or Winkel which is near the station Oestrich Winkel. For students in
Hallgarten you need to take bus 181 (once every hour) to school. For Oestrich and
Winkel bus 171 (once every half an hour) and 181 will reach the school. It takes around
10 minutes. Going to Wiesbaden by train will take 20 minutes by train. For
international travel you need to go to Frankfurt Main Train Station (Hauptbahnhof) or
Frankfurt International Airport (Flughafen), which takes about an hour. There is one or
two trains per hour. So the location is quite convenient.
9
ITEMS TO BRING
I would highlight some important things to bring and not to bring here.
To bring
- Documents: You really need the copies of the insurance for validation and all the
documents for residential permit
- Adaptor: Check that you are bring the right one
- Credit card: You need it for your booking of travelling tickets online
- Cash that can last at least a month and debit card: Opening a bank account for
wiring money may be time consuming
- Medicine: These are expensive in Germany!
- Formal wear: You may need it for conferences or presentations
Not to bring
- Cooking utensils: Most of the flats here already has a lot of cooking utensils left
over by previous students. You can always buy them in IKEA in Wiesbaden as well
- Rice bowl: I rarely ate rice during my exchange and usually you will find one in your
flat as well
EPILOGUE
Exchange is a unique experience that is once in a lifetime. EBS is not like studying in
UST. You don’t have a large library, many grand lecture theatres, swimming pools, gym
room nor a large LG7. However, you can really enjoy the feel of living in rural yet
convenient life in Oestrich Winkel, as well as interacting with students from all around
the world. EBS is proud to have a high percentage of exchange students form different
countries. Learning how to cook, planning my travels, attending full day workshops
with renowned consulting firms are some rewards I have gained in the exchange.
Germany is located in central Europe and EBS is surely a convenient place to start.
February 2016