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Exchange report
National University of Ireland, Galway
-Spring 2016-2017
Ko Wing Man
Finance & Operations management
Year 3
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Table of content
Monthly Activity Log P.3-5
General Exchange Information P.6-8
Items to bring P.9
Useful links P.9
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Monthly Activity Log
January I stayed in Liverpool and London for a week before heading to Ireland on 4th
January. I strongly recommend flying to Europe earlier and going on short trips
before school starts as you might need some time to get used to the European
lifestyle and culture. Orientation started on 5th January and I spent two nights
in a hostel near the coach station until I found a right accommodation near
the city center. January was not tough at all and it was the time for me to
settle down and familiar myself with the courses, NUIG, and the city. I also
explored around Ireland during the month by joining local tours to the famous
Cliffs of Mohre, Connemara & Cong and Ring of Kerry, as well as having short
trips to Limerick and Dublin.
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February We were so excited to have met a group of Hong Kong people who studied as
full-time students there. We gathered for a couple of times and celebrated
Chinese New Year together. I also made friends with exchange students from
US and France during classes and formed groups with them for group projects.
We had meetings during the month to come up with the outline and direction
of our projects. I travelled to Copenhagen in Denmark, Malmo and Stockholm
in Sweden during the month.
March March was a very busy month packed
with all the meetings, deadlines
presentations and midterms. I regretted
so much for not going on more trips
during February. However, I could still
manage to visit Edinburgh and Glasgow in
Scotland with my friends. St. Patrick’s
Day on 17th March is a big festival in
Ireland. There were merry-go-round and
tiny markets in Eyre Square. I went there
to watch the parade and there were so
many people dressed up with green hats,
masks and wigs.
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April Lectures finished in late March, followed by a long holiday for students to
celebrate Easter and get prepared for final exams in late April. I started
revising in March so that I could go on travel for three weeks during April. I
travelled to Amsterdam, Paris, Brussels and Bruges in Belgium, Prague,
Budapest, Vienna and Bratislava during the month. There were lots of Easter
markets with great food and festive atmosphere. I would say Budapest is a
beautiful and amazing city that you could not miss! Despite the long trip I
could still manage to handle the examinations as the questions/essays were
direct and easy if you have done the past papers beforehand.
May I left Galway and started my last trip right after I finished my
last examination on 8th May. I went to Lisbon, Barcelona
(couldn’t miss!), Italy, Ljubljana, Zagreb, Salzburg and
Hallstatt in Austria, Munich and Berlin in Germany, and put an
end to my unforgettable exchange journey.
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General Exchange Information
Visa Procedures HKSAR passport holders do not require visa to enter Ireland. However non-EU
students are required to register for our presence within 30 days after arrival.
NUIG would send an email notifying you your timeslot to go to the Garda
National Immigration Bureau (GNIB). I was not available on the assigned date
and I made a call to the GNIB office and the staff just told me to go there
anytime I like. Things you need to bring include: Passport, NUIG student card,
NUIG offer letter, address proof (eg. Rental contract), proof of insurance
(remember to get one from HKUST before you leave!), 300 euro (paid by debit
card). You will receive your immigration ID card after weeks. Remember to
bring it along with you when you go on travelling, that could make the
immigration process a lot easier and save you some time when you go back to
Ireland.
Orientation Activities Orientation was held days before the start of the semester. You would receive
your student ID card and registration pack. There would be academic advisory
sessions and staffs from the Bank of Ireland as well as GNIB would come as
well to brief students how to register classes, documents required to open
bank account and register for immigration etc. You could also sign up for
campus tour.
Accommodations I went to the Student Accommodation Office on the orientation day to seek
for an apartment with two other exchange students from HKUST. The staff
gave us an address right away after hearing our price range and number of
beds required. However we did not find that attractive after visiting the house.
The opening hour of the office had passed already when we finished the visit.
Therefore we searched for accommodation online and found a 2-storey
apartment in Bohermore. Though the rent was a bit expensive, the location
was perfect and it provided great convenience to us as it was so close to the
city center and the coach station as well, while only 20 minutes walking
distance away from NUIG.
Courses Registration There were three weeks of add-drop period which students could attend
different lectures to see if you are interested in the courses. Students could
then enter the course codes online through the registration system to enroll
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into classes. Unlike HKUST, there are no quotas for the number of students in
a class thus you would be enrolled into a class right away when you register
on the system. Check the courses opened to visiting students and send emails
to the professors to obtain the syllabus for assessment of credit transfer as
early as possible.
Teaching & Assessment Methods 1) AY314 Business Finance II: One mid-term (15%) and final exam (85%)
2) EC362 Economics of Financial Markets: One equity report (40%) and
final exam (60%)
3) LW374 Banking Law: Two essays (40% & 60%)
4) MS217 Information and Operations Management: Final exam (100%)
5) IE319 Operations Strategy: Final exam (100%)
6) IE345 Logistics and Transportation: One group project (30%) and final
exam (70%)
Unlike other European countries, the teachings of the finance courses that I
took were quite one-directional. Students were so concentrated in class and
were busily jotting notes (yes, they seldom bring laptops to class). It was more
interactive for the OM classes. There were group discussions every lesson,
allowing you to talk and make new friends. Sometimes the ideas from
different students could surprise and inspire you. One common thing among
all the classes was that the teachers always make use of readings, videos and
external links to elaborate or show you examples and they tend to spend a lot
of time on those teaching materials.
For assessments, in most cases they require students to create a whole new
idea, choose your own topics and customize your own report or presentation,
which the assessments often do not have a model answer. Thus you might be
more devoted and interested in the project and be more motivated to finish
it.
Costs & Expenses One-off expenses HKD 9000
- Flight ticket HKD 6500
- Immigration registration HKD 2500
Daily expenses HKD 22500
- Food HKD 3000
- Accommodation HKD 18500
- Phone plan HKD 1000
Travel expenses HKD 30000
Total HKD 61500
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I opened a bank account from the Bank of Ireland, there is also a branch of
BOI in NUIG too. You could then receive and activate the debit card, which
allows you to finish payments without carrying a huge amount of cash around.
Safety I would consider Galway as a very safe place compare with other European
countries. I walked to the coach station in midnight or early morning several
times and did not meet any strange people. However, be careful and keep an
eye on your belongings when travelling in countries like Italy and Spain,
especially be aware of nice people as you don’t know what they are up to.
Food Dining out in Galway costs you around 10 euro per meal. Food in NUIG canteen
costs about 6 euro. I usually cook my own food and it costs 1-2 euro only per
meal. You could find supermarkets like Aidl, Lidl, Tesco which always have
discounts on food. There are also two Asian/Chinese markets in the city center
if you miss Chinese food.
Transportation Galway is reachable on foot. It costs you 1-2 euro to take a single trip bus, so
it is advisable to live near the city center. Do not underestimate the
inconvenience brought by the fact that you have to take 3 hours’ bus to go to
Dublin in order to take a flight. It costs 26 euro for a round trip if you make a
reservation online. The time and bus fare could be one of the concerns when
you plan your trips.
Climate Galway has a very moody weather. There might be dark clouds above your
head but bright sunlight not far away. The only benefit is that you could
always see rainbows in Galway. It is always windy so no one carries an
umbrella on the street. The temperature was around -1 to 5 degree in January
and 10-18 degree in April/May, which is not too cold in winter time and not
too hot during summer.
Communication English is the common language used in Ireland. You would have no difficulties
in communication. Some local Irish people might have strong accents thus you
might have to pay more attention while chatting with them.
For phone plan, I purchased a 3 Ireland sim card and topped up 20 euro
monthly for unlimited data usage. You could also have access to unlimited
data in several countries including Denmark and Sweden.
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Items to bring
Passport
NUIG student card
NUIG offer letter
Proof of insurance
Water-proof jacket / Raincoat
Lock (for hostels)
Converter (for travelling in Europe)
Vacuum Bags (extremely useful in saving spaces!)
Useful links
Deft.ie : https://www.daft.ie/
Rent.ie : http://www.rent.ie/
GoBus : http://www.gobus.ie/
CityLink : http://www.citylink.ie/
NUIG Past Exam Paper :
https://www.mis.nuigalway.ie/regexam/paper_index_search_main_m
enu.asp