Exchange Report Maastricht University School of Business and Economics Eugene Kwok BBA (Accounting and Finance) Spring 2013

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1 Exchange Report Maastricht University School of Business and Economics Eugene Kwok BBA (Accounting and Finance) Spring 2013 P. 1

2 Agenda Pages 1) Activity Log 3-4 2) General Exchange Information 4-9 3) Items to Bring 9 4) Contact 10 P. 2

3 Activity Log January 2013 I arrived at Amsterdam at 29 th January with my fellow exchange-mates. We travelled by train to Maastricht right after our arrival. As I made an arrangement for pick-up service provided by the ESN before departure, the moment we jumped out of the train at Maastricht train station people from ESN were coming over to help us with our luggage. It was absolutely a relief knowing that there was a van which could carry our ridiculously heavy luggage from train station to guesthouse. The remaining days were all about settling down and buying stuffs from supermarket. February 2013 Early February was the carnival week which gave us an opportunity for a long trip. Some may prefer staying in Maastricht to appreciate the craziness of the carnival while others may go on a trip to other European countries. We travelled to France and Italy in 10 days. Weather was really bad in early spring. Not to mention it was freezing cold, rain and snow could make your journey difficult and ruin your photos. Despite the tough journey, it was quite a fruitful experience. March 2013 There were no long holidays in March. What I do mostly was staying inside and working on my academic work. Being an exchange student in Maastricht was not easy. Catching up with academic progress could consume quite a lot of time. April 2013 Easter holiday happened right before final examination of period 4. Plenty of exchange students still went on travelling but we decided not to take such risk and worked on our academic works. It turned out quite a number of exchange students failing their courses. We learned that not like most universities, Maastricht University has no sympathy to exchange students. Right after examination is another opportunity for a long trip. We travelled to Germany, Austria and Czech Republic. Munich has the nicest beer (Larger) that I have ever tasted. The magnificent architectures in Vienna and Prague just won t give you enough time to appreciate their beauty and elegance. May 2013 P. 3

4 Ascesion was on the second week of May. I made good use of this short holiday traveling across English Channel to London. London is an amazing city where transportation is convenient and most museums are free of charge. What I like the most is the marine museum in Greenwich which contains many interesting historical pieces about Britain. It was the most value-added journey that I took on during my stay in Europe. June 2013 My exchange journey was coming to an end. Right after examination in the beginning of June, I travelled to Amsterdam as my last stop of my Europe trip. Amsterdam may give people a strong impression of city of crime and temptation because of its legalization of drugs and prostitution. However, those are merely marketing techniques to attract tourists. The true side of Amsterdam is totally a different story. After visiting Amsterdam, it was time to leave. This treasurable experience in the Netherlands will be buried deep in my memory forever. General Exchange Information Visa Procedures After receiving the v-number and case number from Maastricht University through e- mail, you should make an appointment for student visa by making a phone call to the Netherlands Consulate General. You have to fill in an application from which could be downloaded from the website of Netherlands Consulate General ( After handing in the application form, it will take two weeks before you receive an official visa on your passport. Orientation Activities Beware of the s sent by Maastricht University. There will be a compulsory orientation activity lasted for two days right at the beginning of semester. You will also complete your registration and receive your student card in the orientation. Make sure you book a flight that allows you to attend the activity. Moreover, it is an excellent opportunity for you to come across with exchanges students from all over the world and make friends with various background cultures. P. 4

5 International Services and Activities ESN has its office located in guesthouse (P-building) in Brouwersweg. It is an organization aims to serve incoming exchange students. It offers discounts such as train passes and trip packages. Moreover, loads of student activities will be organized such as party in Belgium and pub crawl in Maastricht city center which allow exchange students and local students to get to know each other while having fun all night long. Accommodations Most exchange students prefer staying in guesthouse operated by Maastricht housing ( Guesthouse has reliable security and free maintenance services which can save much troubles when you are new in town. Other students may prefer renting an apartment in other residential area. In this way, the rental fee per person would be lower than that of staying in guesthouse. However, some of these apartments may not be well-furnished which can cost a considerable amount of money to get the apartment ready. Furthermore, breakage of utilities would be another differential cost that has to be added. As a result, a prudential judgment should be made when choosing upon different apartments. Course Registration Course registration begins around three to four months before the beginning of semester. One should be reminded to submit course assessment for credit transfer as soon as the course list of Maastricht University is released. There are unlimited quotas in each course as long as registration is made on time. Here is a list of courses that I was taking during my exchange period: Course Code EBC 2070 EBC 2059 EBC 2056 EBC 2053 Course Title International Financial Management Management Accounting International Financial Accounting Options and Futures P. 5

6 Rules of Maastricht University limit exchange students taking two courses maximum per period. Therefore, exchange students typically take four courses in two periods in spring semester. Teaching and Assessment methods Maastricht University is famous for its unique education system, known as Problembased learning (PBL). Unlike traditional lecture-based learning, there will be no lectures but tutorials. There will normally be one teaching assistant and one group leader appointed among students in each tutorial session. Student has to ask or answer questions raised by teaching assistant or other students on the materials assigned according to the course schedule. Participation score will be evaluated by teaching assistant on each tutorial. Failing in participation results in failing of the entire course regardless of how well the performance is in the final examination. Therefore, students are usually quite active in tutorial discussions. Sports & Recreation Facilities Maastricht University is not located in a particular area in town like Universities in Hong Kong. It has its faculties and facilities spread around Maastricht. The sports building of the university is located quite far away from main residential area and therefore not a convenient option for students to break a sweat. Fortunately, the guesthouse has a basketball court, two tennis courts and one mini-football court for everybody even if you are not staying in the guesthouse. Moreover, there is a gym named MAC near city center. Despite its small size, it is still an ideal place to work out. Cost/Expense The variable cost in the entire exchange period mainly consists of two components, food and travel. For food, eating out is about a tenfold of the cost of cooking at home in Maastricht. If student is keeping a tight budget, my advice is don t be lazy and cook more. For travel, plan ahead early is the key to cut down transportation and hostel P. 6

7 expense. Train ticket price surges dramatically as the date of departure approaches. As a result, never buy a train ticket or book a hotel the day before you depart. The major fixed cost comes from rental fee. The place you are staying depends on your personal preference. For instance, a single room eliminates roommate s problems but you have to pay more for the privacy compared to a double room. Here is the expense summary during my exchange period: Items Amount (HKD) Food 8000 Travel Flight 9000 Visa 6000 Miscellaneous 1000 Rent Total Social Clubs & Networking Opportunities ESN and Way2go periodically organize activities such as parties and pub-nights for students to chill out. Becoming a member of them would receive the freshest news from them through facebook and s. Students in Maastricht are quite socially active and therefore tickets will be sold out almost immediately the day the activity is announced. Be quick and don t hesitate to buy tickets if you are truly interested in it. Health & Safety My advice to student going on exchange in Maastricht is to bring your own medicine from Hong Kong instead of seeking health services in Maastricht. The pending time for health service is long and insurance claim would be another problem. Maastricht is perfectly safe. Therefore, there is no worry about your personal safety. However, bike thieves in Maastricht are quite common. Make sure you always lock your bike before leaving it alone. P. 7

8 Food Maastricht has some nice restaurants located in city center which is usually crowed with people when the weather is fine. Ribs and steaks are mouth-watering and the waiters are professional. Most of the restaurant will provide English menu on request. Eating out is quite expensive and therefore I usually cook at dorm. For Chinese ingredients, I will go to Amazing Oriental ( 東 方 行 ) which is located next to the river Maas near city center. For regular food and drinks, I prefer shopping in Albert Heijn which has high quality products and ideal prices. Transportation The fastest and most convenient way to get around in Maastricht is to travel on foot or ride a bicycle. Buses are also available for long distance travel such as heading to train station and airport. Taxi is also available if you have a late night flight to catch or having too many luggages to carry. Appointment of taxi can be simply done by calling the taxi hotline 2 hours before head. Climate Climate is terrible in Maastricht, especially in early spring. It is not uncommon to see this little town submerged in heavy rain for an entire week. Remember always wear a waterproof jacket with a hood when going outdoor. In late spring, temperature will rise to about 13 to 17 degree. It will be more comfortable to wear summer outfit at this time. Therefore, remember to bring along both winter and summer clothing to Maastricht. Communication ESN will have a gift pack to exchange students containing a free sim card. The balance of the sim card could be recharged by paying in supermarkets. Apart from phone, School of Business and Economics building block and guesthouse have free wi-fi for students to communicate through or skype. P. 8

9 Cautionary Measures As it is still snowy in spring, it is recommended to wear shoes that are suitable for walking on slippery surfaces. Moreover, it is not common for people in Maastricht to open an umbrella when it is raining because of the windy climate. Hence, a raincoat or water-proof jacket could serve a better purpose. Most importantly, in case of emergency, dial 666 for help. Other Notes Students should be aware that doing drugs in Maastricht is forbidden by law for nonpermanent citizens. Offender would face legal consequences if prosecution is successful. Items to Bring Things to bring Money (euro) Around 3000 Camera Hair Dryer Bed Sheets Credit Card Laptop Chargers Adaptors At least 2 Stationary Calculator Notebooks USB storage Winter and Summer outfit Slippery-proof shoes Water-proof jacket Medicine Things not to bring Cooking utensils Water boiler Suit P. 9

10 Contact Please don t hesitate to ask any questions concerning the exchange study in Maastricht University. If you received an offer to Maastricht University, what I would like to say is congratulations and be excited about what is going to happen during your amazing journey. Enjoy! My contact information could be obtained from SBM Exchange team by ing at bmugexch@ust.hk P. 10