Exchange Report at University of California, Davis

Transcription

1 Exchange Report at University of California, Davis Fall 2013 FUNG Kwan Ho

2 Part I Activity Log September 2013 The first month of exchange is the best time you can make new friends through various orientation activities. One day after my arrival I joined the orientation held by UCEAP board where it was the first time I met other exchange students. After the orientation I went for a four-day trip to San Francisco. Fishermen s wharf, Golden Gate Bridge are just some of the attractions of the city. The trip also gave me a first impression of American lifestyle. After the trip I took Amtrak back to Davis and got things settled down: I opened a bank account at Wells Fargo, rented a bike for a quarter, and of course got my own student ID card. Semester started at the last week of September and I took 4 courses totally. October 2013 Quickly after the semester started, things were getting busy. There were assignments almost every week. I also had two midterms in October. Despite the busy schedule, my friends and I managed to travel to Sacramento. We also went to a shopping outlet in Vacaville where many famous brands such as Levi s, Nike can be found. Apart from studying and travelling, I also made friends in the student co-op where I lived. Some of them are students at UCD and some of them are alumni. Talking with them allowed me to know more American culture. November 2013 There are two main Holidays in November- the Veterans Day and Thanksgiving. I took the advantage of it and went travelling. During the long weekend (9th - 11th ), my friends and I went to Yosemite National Park, one of the most beautiful natural scene in the States. We went hiking and enjoyed a lot. I also went backpacking at Cache Creek, where I learnt some basic knowledge of wild plants and camp-setting techniques. At the end of November, I went to Las Vegas and Grand Canyon. It was also my last trip before the final exams. December th January 2014 Running in quarter system, UC Davis has a relatively short teaching period and exams began at the second week of December. I took four exams in total and they were done in three days. Right after the quarter ended, I spent about three weeks travelling to east coast cities, including New York, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Boston and Chicago. I chose Los Angeles as my last stop in the U.S. and spent four days there. Finally on 6th January, I left at LAX and finally returned to Hong Kong, which marked the end of this remarkable exchange experience.

3 Part I General Exchange Information 1.) Visa Procedure After getting the required DS-2019 from SBM, you can start preparing for applying a visa. UC Davis would send you an on the detailed instructions. Note that you can only enter the United States 30 days prior to stated date of entry, and must leave 30 days after the expiration. The US embassy also provides a clear guideline on the application. Application guidelines: 2.) Orientation Activities There is an official orientation day where you got a chance to walk around the campus, meet other exchange students, and understand course registration requirements and safety issues in the city of Davis. It is usually held a week before the quarter officially starts. Note that there is a fee associated with the activity, and is about USD$90. You should make a payment before you arrive in the U.S. 3.) International Services & Activities To assist international students with visa and immigration issues, the SISS (Services for International Students and Scholars) provides orientation, assistance, information, and referral to international students, faculty, and researchers regarding financial, personal, cultural, and academic concerns. You can get more information on the website 4) Accommodations UCD has provided international students with a comprehensive guidelines on accommodation. However, as most of the leases require a contract of at least a year, it is quite difficult to live off campus if you are just staying for a quarter. Still, I managed to find a student co-op in Southwest Davis, with walking distance to bus stop. The monthly rent is USD$455 per month for a single room. The following website is an overview of this co-op. You can check relevant information on Craigslist or the following website. 5.) Courses Registration The course registration is done two to three month before start of quarter. Right after knowing which campus you are going to, you will receive an about visa application and course registration. The instructions are clear and easy to follow. Because course

4 registration takes place one or two days after you get a UCD account, you should take some time to have a look at SBM s course equivalency page to check which coursers you want to enroll in. The enrollment system is quite easy to use itself. Remember you have to take a minimum of 12 credits to maintain the status as an international student. Please feel free to drop me an if you have any questions regarding these courses. 6.) Teaching & Assessment Methods The teaching method is similar to that at HKUST, except that there are more assignments and midterms. I took four courses and basically every week I had to hand in at least one assignment, not to mention projects and essays. As for assessment method, it is basically the same like UST, in which the final grade depends on assignments and midterms. Apart from the traditional letter grade assessment, you can also choose the Pass/Fail option. 7.) Sports & Recreation Facilities The Activities and Recreation Center (ARC) is the main place on campus where you can exercise. It is a sport complex with a gym, a basketball court, an indoor running track, etc. It is also the place you can sign up for sports classes. For recreational facilities, there is a gaming arcade, a bowling alley and a billiard room inside the Memorial Union Hall (MU), a popular place where students hang out. There are also outdoor tennis courts and basketball courts over the campus. 8.) Cost/Expenses Meals there are generally more expensive, though most restaurants gives a larger serving compared that of Hong Kong. Each meal costs you about USD$8-$15. Transportation outside Davis is expensive too. Accommodation is somewhere between USD$400-$800 per month. If you plan to travel around the U.S., you can check on airlines websites as they have sale from time to time, so as hotels/hostels. 9.) Social Clubs & Networking Opportunities There are many fraternities and sororities and you can get most of the information during the orientation week. The international house also holds activities from time to time where you get to know other exchange students from all over the world. 10.) Health & Safety Davis is a very clean city where you can hardly see trashes on the floor. It is also a safe city where the most serious crime there is probably bike theft. As for health concerns, enrollment in SHIP (an insurance programme) would ensure you free medical service on campus. Note that the insurance is compulsory.

5 11.) Food There is a great variety of food in Downtown Davis, ranging from American hamburgers to Japanese sushi. You can check the popularity of each restaurants/bistro on Yelp!, a website similar to OpenRice in Hong Kong. Price is cheap compared to big cities in the U.S. and the serving size is reasonable. 12.) Transportation Yolo bus is your primary transportation in Davis. It is free as long as you show your student ID card. Bike is also a popular means of transportation. In fact, Davis is known as a bike city. If you want to travel outside Davis, you can consider Amtrak, Megabus/Greyhound in Sacramento and even planes taking off at the Sacramento International Airport. 13.) Climate Davis has a typical Californian climate: hot during day times and chill at nights. The best practice would be to have layers of clothing so you don t get too hot or too cold. It starts to get cold in late November. 14.) Communication T-Mobile provides a pay-as-you-go data plan with USD50 per week. You get unlimited minutes and data. This is probably the best plan you can have for staying a quarter. Part III Items to Bring and Contacts Documents (e.g. Passport, DS-2019, Resume) Cash and credit card (you can also open a bank account there) Adapters Mobile phones Camera (optional) Chargers Laptop Calculator Clothes and Coats Umbrella Medicine