MILLENNIUM BRIDGE, NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE Fall Exchange Report. TAM Wai Lun, Jacky

Transcription

1 MILLENNIUM BRIDGE, NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE 2014 Fall Exchange Report TAM Wai Lun, Jacky

2 Part I Monthly activity log September I arrived at Newcastle on 10th September, An important note is that the school offers a service called Meet and Greet, in which they drive you directly from the Newcastle International Airport to your accommodation. This is highly convenient especially when you are totally new to the city with a lot of bulky luggage. Please remember to register this service before your arrival. During the first week, there were registration day and orientation week. University organized a briefing talk and a bus tour and a campus tour for us to get familiar with the city and the campus. Also, different societies would set up booth during this week which you can join their activities. Fast friend is highly recommended because it offers relatively cheap one-day trips to different places in UK. In late September, I joined a one-day trip organized by Fast Friend to Alnwick Castle. It was a good chance to make friends. I also watched a football match in Newcastle. It was Newcastle United versus Hull City. It was an exciting game and the price was quite cheap. It was only 10 pounds. You can get the match tickets for several games from the Student Union in a cheaper price. On the last day of this month, the business school organized a boat trip for the students. I would recommend not to go because there was nothing provided, neither food nor drinks. And because of this boat trip, we missed a student night in Eldon Square which offered discounts to students. October There were no mid-terms in this school. So even in October I was quite free I only did 1 presentation in this month. In mid-oct, I joined a friend from Leeds and a friend from Denmark to travel to London, Oxford and Berlin. We went to these places for 5 days. It was really great experience! After this trip, I went to Lancaster to visit some friends who were on exchange to there. November In early November, I and my friends watched a football match in Newcastle. This game was a bit boring because there was only one goal. In late November, I joined one trip to Edinburgh and one trip to Durham organized by Fast Friends. Also, I went to Manchester to watch a Champion League match Manchester City FC vs FC Bayern Munich. It was a really exciting game.

3 December I was very busy in December because I had three essays and one presentation to be completed. I had to finish two of essays and the presentation before I started my Europe trip in mid-december. Luckily, I had achieved my target before I started my trip. Anyway, I spent 20 days visiting several countries in Europe including Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Belgium, Netherland and France, and had my first New Year s countdown in Paris with my friends from UST who also exchanged to UK! These all really broadened my horizons. January After the trip, I went back to Newcastle and finished my last essay. Finally I took the flight on 8 th Jan and came back on 9 th Jan. Part II General Exchange Information 1) Visa Procedures If you are holding HKSAR passport, you are not required to apply visa unless you will stay in UK for more than 6 months. 2) Orientation Activities Northumbria University will have a briefing talk in mid-september to let you know more about it. Student union will also help you if you have any problem. 3) International Servces & Activities Northumbria University will have a program called Fast Friend which will hold some activities for exchange students. The student union will also provide some activities to let us know more friends and get familiar with Newcastle. You should also check your box frequently as will be sent to you if there is any trip or event. 4) Accommodations You have to choose your accommodation hall before you go to UK. You can choose the accommodation on the internet. I have chosen Liberty Quay. It was my third choice. Liberty Quay is located 10 minutes away from the Newcastle Business School. There are total 6 rooms in a flat. Each of them is a single room with toilet. Kitchen has to be shared. Wifi is also free and stable.

4 5) Course Registration In mid-july, you will receive an from the university regarding the choice of subjects. As an exchange student, you are taking Combined Business Credits. You are required to prioritize 10 out of 25 and are only allowed to take 3 modules at most. The university will then offer you 3 modules based on your choice; you will not be able to change the offer. If your choices are not pre-approved, you should make it approved as soon as possible. 6) Teaching and Assessment Methods I took 3 modules in the semester. For each module, there are lectures and seminars. Normally there are 2 lectures and 1 seminar each week. All of them take 50 minutes. Seminars are kind of tutorial classes in HKUST and attendance is needed. HR0276: Human Resource Management in Practice This is a 20 point module with 1 lecture and 1 seminar each week. This course will introduce students to the range of practical skills required by HR professionals. There is a 7500-word assignment. TM0329Z: International Hospitality Management This is a 20 point module with 2 lectures and 1 seminar each week. The course will equip you with current knowledge concerning the management of the international hospitality industry and its role within global tourism. There is a 3000-word assignment. MO0358: Strategic Supply Chain Management This is a 20 point module with 2 lectures per week and 1 seminar each week. This course aims at developing individuals who by applying strategic and creative thinking to Logistics Processes can formulate and implement Supply Chain Network policies. There is a presentation which counts for 20% of the course mark. There is also a 3000-word assignment which counts for the rest 80% of the course mark. 7) Sports and Recreation Facilities The Sports Central is located in the city campus, where only takes 5 minutes to walk from the business building. The gym facilities are with high quality. Its gym membership fee is 24 pounds per month. There is also indoor basketball court which you can book it online.

5 8) Cost/ Expense For the whole exchange, I spent around HKD$120,000, which include a HKD$11,000 return ticket from Hong Kong to Newcastle (Emirates), and around HKD$24000 accommodation cost. The other costs covered travelling expenses, transportation, food, laundry and other miscellaneous costs. 9) Health & Safety It would be recommended to register for a doctor upon your arrival. It is free of charge and it would be best if you go register. Since if you are sick and you will need a doctor s prescription to get medicine, moreover, if you do not register, there may be no doctor for you even you go to the ER. 10) Food There are several famous supermarkets besides the school like Tesco and Sainsbury. You can also go to Granger Market and Chinese market which are located in the city center. You can have dinner in China town which normally cost you 10 pounds. I would recommend cooking by yourself as it is much cheaper. 11) Transportation University is located near the city center. It takes only 10 minutes to city center. And city center is small so you do not need to take any transport. The easiest way to travel to the airport is by metro or taxi. It takes around 16 pounds from campus to the airport by taxi. As for travelling within UK, you should apply for the Railway card 16-25, where you will get 1/3 off from regular tickets and if you apply it online, you can get 10% off. 12) Climate Newcastle in mid-september was about 6-10 degrees Celsius. It started to get colder in late October, with shorter daytime. Night comes soon, let say 4pm. However, the temperature overall was stable. Sometimes, it is rainy and very windy. 13) Communication When I arrived at Liberty Quay, the staff gave me a package which include a gift box. A free sim card was offered by Giffgaff. There was 5 pounds inside the card. You can buy the 10 pounds plan on the internet which provides unlimited text, 500-minute phone call and 1GB internet access.

6 Part III Checklist: 1. Cash 2. Credit card 3. NU confirmation letter (You must bring this letter whenever you travel to other countries.) 4. Passport 5. Mobile phone 6. Adaptor (for Europe) 7. Laptop 8. Medicine 9. Camera 10. Railway card 11. Warm clothes, e.g. down jacket All other necessities can be bought in supermarket like Poundland and Tesco. Contact: Tam Wai Lun (Jacky) Major: Finance and Operation Management Year 3 If more information is needed, you can feel free to get my contact from SBM Exchange Team by ing at bmugexch@ust.hk