Exchangereport Maastricht)University Spring2017 Chan%Kai ...
Transcript of Exchangereport Maastricht)University Spring2017 Chan%Kai ...
Exchange report
Maastricht University
Spring 2017
Chan Kai Him
ACCT&FINA
Part 1 Monthly Log
January
I arrived Maastricht in the late January that are one week before the semester start. Before
the semester start, I have walk around Maastricht and familiar the city that I would live for the
following six months. Also, I have participated the orientation activities and met people from
different parts of the world.
February
The first semester period started on the first week February. I need some time to cope with
the different teaching method in Maastricht. It need lots of reading and preparation before
each tutorial and I spend most of the time in reading those material. Luckily, there is a short
break for me in the last week of February ad there is a one-week holiday for the carnival.
People in Maastricht will have carnival party in the city center and the square in Vrijthof. I was
glad to see the party and explore the local culture. Apart from watching the carnival , I went to
Rotterdam in the vacation and visit the home ground of Feyenoord, a famous football team in
Netherland, and different landmark in Rotterdam.
March
March is a busy month for me on study as there were many presentations and needed to
prepare for the exam in the early April. So I did not go to travel this
month but I still manage went to Roermond for buying clothes as the
clothes in the outlet there would have a huge discount.
April
After the two exams in the first week of April, there were a two weeks Easter break. During
the break, I went to Germany to watch of Bundesliga game in Gelsenkirchen. I also visit
Amsterdam and Den Haag. Furthermore, I watch one more football game in Southampton. It
is the most exchange most enjoyable moment in the exchange as I was being amazed by the
atmosphere and chants of fans for both teams. After the two weeks break, the second period
in my exchange period start.
May
In this month, I did not go to much travel as the material and reading of the course in this
period was complicated. Still, I went to travel during this month to Brussel. Also, I went to
watch the football matches played by MVV, a Maastricht football team to enjoy the football
atmosphere in Maastricht.
June & July
In the beginning of June, I visit Manchester and watch
Michael Carrick Testimonial match. I was very excited
because I can see those players that I watch in TV when I
still in primary school. After the trip, it was the time for
exam for period 5. After the exam, I went to London and
visit different stadium and landmark. After the trip, I back
Hong Kong in Early July.
General exchange information
1) Visa Procedures
The information of Visa Procedures will email the procedures in the middle to late October. It
will be fine if you follow the procedures well. If you need the prove of financial sufficient during
the application, use an account statement plus business card from the bank is better as the
bank in Hong Kong will not write the exact wording require by the Dutch Immigration for the
banking statement. Make sure that you meet all the requirements and material as the visa
office in UM need 3 -4 working days to reply your email. Also, you will need to book a meeting
to the Dutch Consulate and wait around a week to receive the Visa.
2)Orientation activities
There will be a two days orientation event before period 4 starts. There will be a city tour and
a PBL learning style lesson in order to familiar the learning method in Maastricht University.
3)Accommodation
I lived in the guesthouse same as other exchange student as it is convenient. It only need a
30 minutes work to the SBE building. It is located near the court of Maastricht and you can
ask the people on the location of the “old hospital” and the court and the people will be able to
show you where it is located.
I lived in the P building in the guest house as there is a private kitchen and more comfortable
to stay although the rent is more expensive which cost for around 700EURO per month when
compare to the M&C building.
4) Course registration
You are restricted to register at most 2 course per period. You will receive an email in early
December on the procedures of course registration. You will be fine when you following and
not missed the deadline. If you do not want an evening class ( classes after 6 pm and ended
around 8pm) , make sure you have checked the boxes of you are not available for the
evening class.
5) Teaching & Assessment Methods
Maastricht University adopt a different teaching method (Problem Based Learning), you will
need to read the material in textbook in advance and all thing are just like self study. During
the tutorial, the tutor will not teach much as they are mainly responsibly for answering student
questions and guide the discussion of the tutorial.
I registered 4 course during exchange.
EBC 1017 Strategy
This is a very easy course for the year on student there. If you have studied MARK2120 and
ISOM 1380 in UST, most of the content content will not be new to you. Although the content is
easy, the workload is high. It need to prepare 6-10 discussion question in each tutorial. Also,
you need to do a 20 minutes presentation once, being the discussion leader once and two
group presentation and you need to pass all of these in order to pass the course. Luckily, my
tutor was more lenient to exchange student and it was not hard too pass these component. I
would advise you could choose to do the presentation and discussion leader in the beginning
of the course as those topics are more easy to present and you can have free time to do the
group presentation and tasks from the other course.
For the exam, you need to score 40 MCs out of 60. The questions are easy and test the
application of the theory, it is easy to pass.
EBC 2070 International Financial Management
This course ‘s workload is the highest among the 4 courses. You need to do group bi-week
presentation and hand in weekly group assignment. You need to pass both components apart
from the exam. It will be easy to pass for both task if you have good group mate. My group
mate are knowledgeable and helpful so I pass it easily.
For the exam , is 40% MC and 60% Long Question. For the MC , it just copy the question in
the question bank which is available in the study drive , so make pure you practice those
questions well. For long question, it is difficult that mainly focus on asking the derivatives
parts and they will also ask theoretical questions also and make sure you know the theory
behind. Overall, it is not difficult to pass
EBC 2056 International accounting management
It is a low work load course as you just need to 5-6 accounting question which will be
discussed in the tutorial. Those question could be finish with in one hour. But you may need
to exercises in the textbook in order to familiar with the accounting practice. The tutor will not
provide those answer so you may need to ask the classmate who has studied ACCT3020 for
it. For the exam, make sure you studied the article well and the accounting principle (no just
computation) as the take about 25% of the exam.
EBC2053 Options and futures
It is the lowest workload course among all. Although you need to finish a case each tutorial
but it is ok for not finish it as not all student could solve the case and it would be not be
assess. The tutor would discuss the answer in the tutorial. Make sure you know and follow
the case as they will ask in the exam. For the exam, the questions are similar those with the
case and understand all the assumption behind.
6) Sports and reaction facilities
There are not much sports facilities in the university but there are a basketball court and
tennis court in the guest house but I do not use it much
7) Finance and Banking
I opened a bank account in ING bank. For opening it, you need to go to ING bank with a
statement from the student service center , your passport and rent contract. After it, you need
to wait the letter send from ING. You need 3 letters in total. As the letter are all in Dutch, you
need to wait you receive 4 letters as some of the letters are just promotion material. For the
last letter you need, you need a letter that has a barcode in the bottom of the paper. When
you received all the letter, you can go to the ING bank in Brusselsepoort (if you live in the
guest house) and activate the account.
Items HKD
Flight ticket 13000
Visa 3000
Accommodation 40000
Food 6500
Travel 25000
Miscellaneous 1500
Total 89000
8) Social clubs and network opportunities
There are a social club called ESN and they will organize social activities for exchange
student regularly. It is a good opportunity to meet new friends.
9)Healthy and safety
Maastricht is a safe place and mainly only retired people live in here. I feel sick in Maastricht
twice and bought medicine in Etos.
10) Food
I mainly bought food from supermarket to cook by myself as it is expensive to eat in
restaurant. I would buy food in albert heijin in brusselsepoort as there is a more variety of
food. I would also buy instant noodles in 東方行 located in the city center which sells Asian
food.
11)Transport
For going to the city center and Maastricht station, you can take bus 1,2,5,6 near the guest
house. For train, there will be a train every 30 minutes to Amsterdam.
You can buy an OV chip card in the train station as it will be cheaper for bus fare. You need
to check in and check out when using the card as the card will deduct you 4 euro and 20 euro
respectively when you check in in bus and trains. And refund back part of the fare when you
check out. When you forget the check out, you need first go to the website to indicate you
forgot check out. Then go to a machine in the station to refund. You can ask the staff in
station on how to refund as the machine there are all in Dutch.
There are two kind of train in Maastricht that are sprinter and intercity. As those two kind of
train are operate by two company, you need different machines for check in. For intercity
( yellow train), you need to check in by yellow machine and Sprinter ( white train ), you need
to use the white machine.
12) Weather
For January and February, the degree are around 0 but it would be feel like 5-6 degree in
Hong Kong. For March and April, it will be around 14-26 degree and normal winter clothes
would be suitable. For May and June, it has 20-36 degree. But the temperature change a lot
with in a day.
13)Communication
Almost every Dutch welcome and able to speak and communicate in English, except for
those elderly and teenagers. For the telecommunication, I use the free SIM card provided by
ISN and it can be used for the instruction they provided. It cost 5 EURO 500 MB. But as in the
late exchange period, there is a promotion that 15 EURO for 6GB and I choose this plan.
Items to bring
- Thick jacket -Laptop
- Passport
- Adaptor
- Few summer clothes
- Chopstick
- Large Backpack
- Credit card
Items no need to bring
- Calculator( you need have a specific model of calculator for the exam)
- Cooking tools
- Pillow, Bed sheet
Useful link
1.Netherland trip advisor:
https://9292.nl/en
2.Study drive ( Sources for the course)
https://www.studydrive.net
3. Refund on OV card
https://www.uitcheckgemist.nl/
If more information is needed, get my contact from SBM Exchange Team by emailing at