Aaron Cheung

BBA in Information Systems and in Finance

Fall Semester 2015

Exchange Report

European Business School, Germany

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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