Exchange Report KEDGE Business School

Transcription

1 Exchange Report KEDGE Business School Cheung Sui Cheong BBA (Finance and Economics) 2015 Fall

2 Part 1 Monthly Log September Three classmates from HKUST and I arrived Bordeaux few days before the orientation session held by school. The staff told us how to register courses in KEDGE, and open a bank account in Bordeaux. It is better for you to attend the orientation session. However, it is not compulsory to attend the orientation day held by Melting Potes, a society for international students. I took two courses in this month: Family Business and Case studies in financial accounting in an interdisciplinary approach. The first one was quite boring but the workload was not too heavy. The second one was not difficult but it required a lot of cases reading, which I will not recommend it if you want to enjoy your life in Bordeaux. :) October The course I took in Cycle 2 was Air Transport and Tourism Economics. The Chinese professor was very nice and friendly. However, the course content was too messy. The workload was not heavy as it had one final exam and one presentation only. In this month, I travelled Italy (Rome, Pisa, Florence, Bologna) and Paris. The weather was very nice and warm, which was a good weather condition to travel.

3 November The course I took in Cycle 3 was Digital Marketing. The professor taught it very well. However, the course was finished within a week and we had lesson for 9 hours in a day. It was too intensive and not easy for students to learn. In this month, I travelled Southern France (Marseille, Nice, Cannes, Avignon) and Monaco. I enjoyed this trip as the beaches and sea were so amazing.

4 December I did not take any courses in December so I went to London, Edinburgh, Dublin, Lisbon, Porto, Madrid and Barcelona for 19 days. With a limited budget, I took Ryanair (a low- cost carrier in Europe) and lived in hostel. The experience was unforgettable and you must try it! Also, I travelled Berlin, Prague, Budapest, Vienna, Venice and Milan in late December. It was very cold in Eastern Europe at that time. Instead of flight, bus is a better option to travel around Eastern Europe as it is cheaper. Busradar.com is a helpful website which can help you compare bus fares. January The course I took in Cycle 4 was Wine Marketing. It was the best course I have taken in KEDGE. I visited a Château in class and the workload of this course was not heavy, which included one final exam and two projects only. (Don't worry, the two projects were not difficult). In this month, I went to Netherlands and Belgium for my last trip. Again, I took Ryanair as it was very cheap!

5 Part 2 General Exchange Information Visa Procedures The visa application takes a long time so you should start preparing the required documents as soon as possible. You need to make an appointment online for visa application submission. Also, you need to contact Campus France for academic interview. For further details, you can check it out at hongkong.org/study- long- stay- more- than- 90- days. Accommodations Three classmates from HKUST and I rented an apartment in La Belle Rose, which is a little bit far from school and city center. We paid 1400 in total for each month, and all stuff are included. Since the school and Melting Potes could not provide any accommodation for us, we chose an apartment which was rented by exchange students from HKUST previously. It takes 45 minutes to school and 30 minutes to the city center, which is quite inconvenient as we had to wake up at 6:30am for morning classes. There is a tram station called "La Belle Rose", which is near our apartment and a supermarket "Casino" which takes 5 minutes walk. Course Registration We registered the courses online. However, I could not register the advanced level courses as I am a third- year student. Some courses were not taught in English which you should look at them carefully.

6 Cost/Expenses Items EUR Air Tickets 1,000 Accommodation 1,870 Insurance: Social Security 210 Travelling 3,200 Daily Expenses 1,000 Total 7,280 Health & Safety Bordeaux is a safe and lovely city, just be careful of those drunk people and you will be fine. Transportation There are bus and tram for public transportation in Bordeaux. You can get a travel card from TBC, which costs you 30.4 per month. Climate Bordeaux is generally warm in winter, but sometimes it is rainy in a whole day. Communication Most French people, especially the elderly, will not speak English to you. So "Google Translate" definitely can help! Part 3 Checklist - Umbrella - HKID card - Passport - Copies of identification documents - Clothes Try not to bring many clothes to there as you will buy many things in Europe. Save some space in you luggage!