Rotterdam School of Management Erasmus University Fall Semester Exchange Report

Transcription

1 Rotterdam School of Management Erasmus University Fall Semester Exchange Report Johnny Li BBA in Management

2 Erasmus University is located at the second largest city, Rotterdam, in the Netherlands. Compared with other cities, such as Amsterdam and Maastricht, Rotterdam is a modern and energetic city. It is also a port city with interesting culture, nice people and great food. People speak Dutch and English. I like the city very much. Monthly Activity Log August I arrived at the university pretty late, on 26 th August after the end of my summer internship. On the next day, I joined a 3 days orientation camp, which was arranged by the school at Stay Ok Hostel in Maastricht. It was a nice camp. Games and workshops were organized for us, all the exchange students and school buddies, to meet new friends and be more familiar with each other. The camp was a compulsory activity. The content of workshops included a brief introduction of the history and culture of school and the Netherlands, also some teachings like how to make friends, etc. During the camp, I made friends with many exchange students and locals. September 1 st September was the official school day (details of courses will be discussed in other part of the report). Before that day, my buddy brought me to walk around the campus, in order to be more familiar with the location of facilities and classrooms. The area of Erasmus University was smaller, compared with HKUST. Thus, it was not hard for me to remember all the related locations. I joined a tour organized by ESR, a student association which was responsible for organizing regular trips and activities, to Volendam. Also, I visited other cities in the Netherlands, such as Den Haage and Amsterdam. In the mid of September, I went to Belgium and Luxemburg with other exchange students. Both are good places with strong historical backgrounds. And of course, the chocolate in Belgium is delicious. In September, I also joined an activity, which was organized by Chinese students, for celebrating Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival. October Nearly every Tuesday, ESN organized an activity called Social Drink at bar. When I was free, I usually went there with friends. Students liked dancing and chatting with friends there. Apart from the school activities, I travelled with

3 friends. We went to countries like Germany (mainly the northern parts, for example, Berlin and Hamburg), Norway (Oslo, Stavanger) and France (Paris). All the places are great. I enjoyed the natural sceneries in Norway with good air quality. Germany is a flourish country with many economic activities. French do not like speaking English. The desserts in France are tasty. Every day I visited my friends in dorms and we cooked together for lunch and dinner. November It was a busy month. The team projects and presentations started, examinations were approaching. I studied, but did not give up any chance for travelling. I went to the southern part of Germany and Spain. My sister also was an exchange student in the fall semester. Thus, when she visited me, we went other parts of the Netherlands. As it was the time near Christmas, I went to some of the Christmas markets in Germany. The pre- Christmas atmosphere was stronger in western countries, compared with Hong Kong. Spain, I spent more than 5 days there. We visited the old towns in Madrid and watched a football match in Barcelona. All the experiences were memorable. December Most of the presentations and examinations ended. I had more free time for a long travelling. I visited Greece and Italy. Athens was a place full of historical stories and myths. Santorini was a romantic place, where you might find the Blue-white churches and beautiful sunset. I passed Christmas with friends in Italy. We made a delicious Christmas meal. Places like San Marino, Vatican and Venice, etc. were full of characteristics. I spent more around 12 days in the two countries. And I met a lot of new friends during the trips. It was amazing. And I also enjoyed the time to chat with them as it provided me a chance to learn more from their cultures and stories. January Most of the exchange students, especially those from other European countries left early because of the start of their new academic semester. Thanks to the arrangement of HKUST, my new academic term started late, a long winter break gave me a long time to stay at Europe. The contract I signed with dorm stated the deadline was 31 st December. Thus, I put my luggage at the home of my friend. Then, I went travelling until the mid of January. I visited countries like Hungary, England, Czech Republic and Poland with friends. Counting down for welcoming 2015 in London was cool. Food in Eastern

4 Europe was cheap. Poland and Hungary were controlled by communist parties in the past. I found the communist characteristics in their infrastructures, or even their daily food. I left the Netherlands on 15 th January. Useful Information Below is the thing that you may find useful if you like to pick Erasmus University as one of exchange choices. 1. Dutch people can speak fluent English. One survey said that more than 70% of people there know English. However, I find the elderly only knows how to speak Dutch. No worry, you can communicate with students in Erasmus University. 2. Climate in the Netherlands is bad and unstable. Rainy days are common. Thus, students there always told me it was hard to find a sunny day. So, do cherish the sunny days in Rotterdam! 3. Erasmus University is famous and ranked high in Europe. 4. Can drink the tap water directly in the Netherlands. But do not do the same in some countries, like Hungary and Greece. 5. Living cost is high. Stuff there was expensive. 6. Good travelling system. You can find both metro and tram there. The cycling system is well developed. So, many people have bikes. Just for your reference, travelling time from Erasmus University to market is about 15 minutes, to Rotterdam Central station is about 30 minutes, by cycling. VISA and Residence Permit Application procedure VISA and residence permit are required for entering the Netherlands. After admitted by Erasmus University, students are expected to receive an , which would be attached with forms and have all the related steps listed for applying VISA and residence permit. Erasmus University assists all the exchange students to do the application. Students are required to transfer a sum of money, around HKD3, 000 to the school, fill in those forms attached in

5 and send copies of personal documents. Once the application is accepted by the Dutch government, the contact person of Erasmus University, called Ellen, would send applicants an for collecting VISA in Dutch Embassy in their home countries. Residence Permit is going to be collected later in the Netherlands. Orientation Activities As I mentioned above, students have to join a 3 days camp, which is compulsory. Joined the camp, you can meet the assigned buddy, who take care more than 10 exchange students, including you, There are few buddies. Workshops, ice-breaking games and sharing sessions are included. Do enjoy the camp, have fun and meet friends, are the most important. Apart from the camp, ESN, which I have also mentioned above, would organize some orientation activities for exchange students. Those activities are usually arranged before the start of the camp. Therefore, if you want to join the events, please reach Erasmus University earlier. Accommodations Yes, accommodations are a big concern for exchange students. Make sure you have rented a place for living before reaching there. You can rent a dorm at the school or a house in the city center. The rent is more expensive for living in dorm at school. Erasmus outsources the arrangement of accommodations, those issues like leasing and contract signing to a third party called SSH. There are few types of rooms that you can choose. You can see the pictures in the website. Options are Hata (H-building), F building, international house and Casa Erasmus. I chose F-building. The cost was around Euro 500 per month. Room was big (one person one room). Facilities were provided. There were two small kitchens in my room. Three bath rooms for 8 people. Environment was nice. Free laundry was available. Casa Erasmus is cheaper, but it is far from the school. There is a distance between the school and international house, too. H-building and F-building are exactly located in the campus. Wifi connection in H-building is weak. Teaching and Assessment method

6 I enrolled 28 ECTs courses. The maximum that each student can enroll is 30 ECTs. There is a requirement set by the Rotterdam School of Management for all exchange students. The minimum ECTs students have to enroll for business courses is 15 ECTs. BAB 19 Quantitative Decision Making The course is composed by two parts with two examinations. This course involves a lot of calculations. Do bring a calculator with you in case you want to register for this course. Attendance is not required. Do not register for this course if you do not like calculating. Examinations are not really difficult. BAB 27 Leadership, Sustainability and Governance It is a required course for all year 2 business local students. Also, it is not really difficult. The passing rate of this course is around 70%. It can be divided into two parts: lectures with one examination and 3 dilemma meetings. Just like the language courses in HKUST. In dilemma meetings, you have to discuss 2-4 cases each time. Reading the cases before the class starts. Instructor will guide you to discuss the cases by pointing out controversial questions. BAB 21 Organizational Theory and Dynamics The workload of this course is heavy. Students have to do one team project by approaching a firm and using what they have learnt in lectures to make suggestions for the firm to make improvements, Also, there is one MC exam. The passing one is around 70%. Students are required to read all the notes and books before attending the examination. Workshops are organized to keep tracking the progress of students in team projects. CM9003 Cultures influences on communication It is an interesting course. Professor would share and analyze the cultures difference among countries. It is a communication course. I took it as an elective. I made exchange students with communication major. Two written exams are required. Students are expected to use knowledge they have learnt in classes with examples in their daily lives. No worry, the examinations are pretty easy. But, I did find some students failed this course, Attendance is required. FSWB Governing Urban Society It is a social science course. Students are required to buy a book, read it and

7 then apply what have learnt in project, which contains an urban case in their home countries. One take home examination is involved in this course. Three questions are given by the professor. Students have to answer all the questions, and then send it back to the professor. Questions are not that difficult in the case you have read the contents in book. Sports and Recreational Activities Not like HKUST, students have to pay for doing sports. In order to use the sports facilities, a membership card, which is valued as Euro 50, is needed. There are gym room, basketball and football courts, table tennis and squash rooms inside the sport center. With the card, members can join some free classes. Costs and Expense Items Cost (in Euro) Air flight tickets 800 Accommodations 350 VISA and Residence Permit 300 Travelling 4,200 Daily Expenses 1,500 Total 7,150 Items to bring -Clothes: T-shirt, down jacket, gloves, socks, scarfs, water-proof boots, thick clothes. -Electronic appliances: camera, laptop, dryer, chargers, adaptors -Travelling: safety bag (many thefts in Europe), backpack, ATM card with a PLUS sign at the back (in overseas countries, cards with PLUS sign can be used), credit cards (for booking hostels and travelling tickets), water bottle (water is a luxury in Europe!) -Documents: passport photos, passport, rent agreement form, letter of acceptance from RSM (You need the acceptance for opening bank account)

8 -Other necessities: medicines -Souvenirs for gift exchange (RSM requires all exchange students to bring a gift that can represent their home countries for game section) Feeling and conclusion It was an unforgettable experience for me. I do have learnt a lot of the things throughout the exchange program. Thanks HKUST SBM for giving me the chance for leaving Asia and widening the horizon. I met friends, become more independent and grew. Please feel free to contact with me in case you have any question about the Netherlands and Erasmus University.