EBS Universität für Wirtschaft und Recht Exchange Report | Fall 2018
Lo Hon Lam
Economics & Finance, Year 3
Page PART I Monthly Activity Log 3-6 PART II General Exchange Information 7-9 PART III Items to bring 10 PART IV Useful Links and Contacts 11
TABLE OF CONTENTS
August
I arrived 2 weeks before the school starts for the German Intensive Language Course. There was
a guided tour on that day, I met some of the exchange students who turned out to be my travel
buddies. Oestrich-Winkel is a beautiful small town surrounded by vineyards. I like this town
because the relaxing atmosphere here is a contrast as it is in Hong Kong.
After the intensive course finishes, I travelled to the southern part of Germany, including
Heidelberg, Füssen. I also took a 10-minute train to a local vacation spot named Rüdesheim,
where I took the cable car to overlook the entire view of the town and the River Rhine.
ALERT: Three things that needs to be processed as soon as possible (in ascending order):
Address Registration, student ID, and bank account. I went to the Address Registration Office to
register my address, which is a prerequisite to open a German bank account. I would suggest
registering before the intensive course starts because the opening hours clashed with the
lesson.
September
Having a bike is crucial if you don’t live next to Campus Schloss. Luckily my landlord lend me a
bike (free of charge) so I only need 10 minutes to bike to school (20 minutes walking distance
otherwise). The German Intensive Language Course exam took place in the first week of
September. I managed to successfully register for a few courses. I had to update my timetable
frequently as it might change according to the professors’ availability (some courses are taught
by visiting professors). Unexpectedly, I developed an interest in cooking and learnt quite a lot of
recipes from Youtube including pancakes, broccoli with cheese, carbonara, risotto. Cooking
makes my exchange experience more fruitful.
PART I
Wine Festival Exchange friends German class
Baden Baden -
Germany
Black Forest –
Germany
London
I had some free time for travel, so I went to Prague - Czech Republic and Amsterdam,
Rotterdam – Netherlands. I realized the culture difference between the Czech and the Dutch.
The Dutch are more welcoming while the Czechs are the opposite.
October
Germany is famous for its Oktoberfest, which is held in Munich. I took a
6 hour Flixbus to Munich and spend a day there. It is similar to AIA in Hong Kong, but much
bigger. Germans would dress up in costumes and dance. The entire atmosphere was
unforgettable. After that day, I went to the Black Forest (Schwarzwald). The Black Forest is a
region famous for it’s trees, lakes and waterfall. I spent 3 days exploring Titisee, Triberg
Wasserfall and Fussen. I never regretted as this trip costed me the least among all my travels
and never had I been closer with Mother Nature.
My second trip of this month is Milan. As a person who loves icecream very much, I’d
recommend this place as the gelato is the best.
My third trip in October is London. London is quite a surprise for me because unlike other
European countries, London has the most variety of cuisines to choose from. I missed Asian
food a lot and I realized it was hard to find Asian cuisines except for London. I stayed at my
friends’ university who were studying in the UK. I spend a lot during this trip as the cost of living
is relatively higher in the UK.
Prague
Amsterdam
Prague
Study Abroad Fair
Berlin Hamburg
November
The weather drastically turned cold in November, a very memorable month as this is the first
time I went for solo travel. I went to Hamburg and Berlin with 3 hours ride in between. Besides
meet a German photographer in Hamburg, Hamburg fascinates me in a sense that the city is
very modern and innovative. Berlin on the other hand, is very historical and the night life is the
best among all cities in Germany.
A study abroad fair was held to promote HKUST to students in EBS. Mark and I set up the booth
and bought local snacks like egg rolls and brewed bubble tea for the Germans to have a taste of
Asian food.
December
I stayed in my dorm to revise most of the time. I had 5 final exams and 2 presentations. German
professors tend to provide exam tips, for example what will be the focus of the exams. Make
sure that you are enrolled in every exam because I encountered a technical mistake where I
almost missed my exam because the exam somehow did not appear on my schedule.
Christmas in Germany is quite different from other countries. They focus on family and children
a lot. They showcase products like handmade chocolate (Schokolade), socks and gloves. Before
leaving Germany, I still cannot resist trying their sausage with bread (Wurst mit Brot) and their
hot wine (Glühwein). I loved the Christmas market in Mainz the best because Mainz is a
younger town after all.
After I finished all my exams, I travelled to Zurich (Switerland), Salzburg, Vienna (Austria),
Brussels, Bruges (Belgium), Paris (France). The weather was extremely freezing in late
December, especially when it was snowing. I closed my bank account and withdraw all the cash
First day of snow
Paris
Christmas market in Germany
Delicious waffles in Brussels
from my account before leaving Germany. I was very cautious when I was travelling, luckily I did
not encounter any unpleasant experience.
Visa Procedures
• My visa took approximately 1.5 month to proceed. I advise applying the visa once you
get the Acceptance Letter from EBS.
• Prepare in advance as you need to schedule a meeting with the embassy through their
website
• Documents for the visa includes acceptance letter from EBS, health insurance, housing
letter from EBS, personal photo, financial proof from parents (please check you have ALL
documents as listed from the embassy)
• Choose the visa that is valid for your ENTIRE stay in Germany, otherwise the embassy
will issue a 3-month visa, which you will have to pay extra and go through complicated
application procedures for the ‘Residential Permit’
Orientation Activities
• a campus tour is provided on the first day of the German intensive language course
• official compulsory orientation commerce a few days before the semester starts (topics
such as exam guidelines, course registration, career, international student service etc
are covered)
• Orientation Dinner: free buffet at a restaurant near the campus.
• an opening party is held in the school on the first Friday night of the semester
International Services & Activities
The international office provides information for exchange students. Melanie Butzloff
([email protected]) will assist exchange students throughout the exchange. EBS
sometimes provides activities for exchange students to gather. An exchange buddy will also be
assigned to you after around one month of arrival. At the end of the semester, the international
office held a Christmas gathering where we had the chance to taste local German snacks.
Accommodations
• EBS do not have their own dorms/halls, but they provide flat hunt for flats in the region
• Flat hunt is quite competitive, and it is on a first-come-first-serve basic
PART II
• The school failed to allocate a flat for me unfortunately, however, there are flat postings
on the News page of the CampusNet
• Alternatively, you can also join the Facebook group for accommodation alternatives: EBS
Housings – Students for Students
Accommodation locations in ascending order according to the distance from campus:
1. Oestrich
2. Winkel
3. Hattenheim
4. Wiesbaden
My shared flat is located in Lindenstrasse 51, which is 5 minutes’ walk to Burg campus, 20
minutes’ walk to Schloss campus.
Courses Registration
The registration system is similar to the one in HKUST. Each module contains 2 courses. Some
courses are ‘Single Course’, otherwise you need to register for the entire module. If you
encounter time clash, you can still register for this course. There are quotas in each module so
make sure you plan ahead and register once the registration period starts.
Teaching & Assessment Methods
Most of the course do not have mid-terms. Finals constitutes 100% for some of the course.
Some courses have presentation and finals. Professors are very linear when giving grades in
presentation. For exams, most professors tell you what will be covered in exam and what will
not. After all the finals are finished, it took EBS 2 months to process the grades and transcript.
Sports & Recreation Facilities
• EBS is a small community. They only have football team and cheering team.
• No sports facilities in the campus
• There is a gym ‘Vivana’ in Winkel, which is quite expensive (bus ride/ 20 minutes by
bike)
Finance & Banking
There are a few options to open a bank account
• Blocked account activated in Hong Kong
• Open a bank account in Germany
o Upon arrival, I went to Volksbank (Oestrich) and open my bank account. It will be
activated with a card after one week. Below are the documents that requires to
open an account
▪ Address Registration Letter
▪ EBS Student ID Card
▪ Passport
Social Clubs & Networking Opportunities
In fall, the largest networking event is the EBS Symposium. Students can pay to register for this
event if you want to mingle with seniors in renowned companies (Deutschbank, Pwc, Deloitte
etc). The Students Body sometimes organize events for students, eg. Opening Party, Halloween
Party and Semester Closing Party.
Health & Safety
Oestrich is a small and safe town as most of the villagers are elderlies and young kids. The last
train from Frankfurt to Oestrich is usually around 10:30pm. There are some doctors and dentist
in the town. Remember to bring your insurances form when you visit them.
Food
There are not a lot of restaurants in Oestrich, there are a plenty of them in Wiesbaden and
Frankfurt. Normally, I will go to the supermarket Aldi, Rewe, Netto in Oestrich and cook in my
dorm. If you miss Chinese food, there is a Chinese restaurant across Wiesbaden Bahnhof and
several Chinese hotpot in Frankfurt. If you miss bubble tea, I would not recommend the one in
Frankfurt. I bought bubbles from the Chinese supermarket in Frankfurt and brew tea on my
own.
Transportation
2 main kinds of transport are covered. The train (RB10) comes every half hour during peak
hours, otherwise every hour in non peak hours. The bus 181 (stops in front of campus Schloss),
171(stops near campus Schloss), they usually come every hour and they are either early or late.
They are never on time!
Duration from Oestrich to Wiesbaden: half an hour
Duration from Oestrich to Frankfurt: one hour
I would strongly suggest you to ask your landlord if the rent covers a bike, because it is very
convenient and flexible if you travel by bike.
Climate
When I arrived in August, Germany is pretty hot as they do not have air conditions in
classrooms nor in public transport. In winter, it is both windy and freezing. Gloves and beanie
are essential especially when I was riding a bike to school. Heaters are installed in apartments
and in the school, so it is very warm indoors.
Communication
I bought a SIM card from supermarket Rewe with a brand named ‘Lebara’. For every 3GB per
month, I pay 10 euros. I added value in my account every month. However, I need to charge my
SIM card with minimum of 15 euros. (that means if you want to use 3 month of 3GB, you
charge 30eruos) I made a mistake by clicking ‘top up’ in my mobile app, the app will think you
want to add 3GB that expires this month. In order to avoid such problem, I suggest not to use
all the data before each month.
Cautionary measures
• Supermarkets and shopping malls are not open on Sundays
• Keep your Student ID safe as it costs you 120 euros to get a new one
• Alert at all times especially when you travel to Italy, I heard some of my friends having
unpleasant experience in Italy
• The period when I was travelling to Paris was when the Yellow Vest Movement broke
out. For personal safety, travel with a group of friends and go to places further from the
city center to avoid protest, which usually happens on Saturdays. (Luckily I went to
Disneyland and did not encounter any protester)
Items to Bring
Important documents
Visa/ Insurance/ HKID
Personal Care
Comb /Hairdryer /Facewash/ Razer
Electronics
Computer/ European Plug/ Extension leads
Health
Medicine
Others
Stationary/ Umbrella
PART III
Useful Links and Contacts
Melanie Butzloff (International Student Coordinator)
Julia Bayer (Housing Coordinator)
PART IV