Vic OE Evaluation Form

Transcription

1 Vic OE Evaluation Form A: Student Information VUW degree(s) Master of Architecture (Professional) Major(s) Architecture Exchange Technische Universitat Munchen Institution VUW Tri & Year Trimester of Exchange B: Finances Please detail your basic costs in New Zealand dollars. This will help future students plan their own budgets. (Enter your number rounded to the nearest dollar.) Books - Accommodation $800/month Return Airfare $2800 Local Transportation Meals $20/month $200/month Visa $100 Health & Insurance $1000 Personal Spending $5000 Communications (phone, etc.) $30/month Other fees (specify) - What unexpected costs did you encounter? What items were more or less than expected? Food cost a lot less in Munich than expected, however, I spent more on food etc, while I was travelling than I thought I would. How did your financial expenses compare to what you originally expected to spend? Roughly what I expected By what means did you maintain your finances? What would you recommend? (Credit card, foreign bank account, travelers checks, etc)? Debit Card from Westpac, and AirNZ travel card, paid rent in cash. What financial advice would you give students attending the same university as you? Expect to pay more than 400euro for rent What was the average cost of a can of coke or coffee in your host country? 1euro

2 C: Visas & Insurance *Please note this information is recommended by VUW students & current at the time of their exchange. For all up-to-date visa information you must check with the embassy/consulate of your host university. Did you have to apply for a visa? If so, was it difficult? What was the process, how long did it take and how much did it cost? Yes, I needed a visa after being in Germany for 3 months, I just went to the townhall and they issued me one, it took a few hours and cost 60euro Do you have any advice for future students when applying for visas to your host country? Go early in the morning, queues are shorter Did your host university have a mandatory insurance? Or a particular insurance they recommended? If Yes, what was it and how much did it cost? Yes, but I got an exemption because I have health insurance in NZ What insurance company did you use and would you recommend it to future students? ACE insurance for travel insurance, Southern Cross for health insurance, AOK Munich signed the exemption D: Academics at Host University Which courses did you take while on exchange? Please rate the difficulty of each course (1-5, 1 = Very Easy & 5 = Extremely Difficult) and leave any comments you may have. Course Title Language of VUW course VUW Rating (1-5) Comments Instruction equivalent or points/credits elective value VUW Trimester 1/YEAR Einszueins English ARCI Figure Drawing German ARCI Digital Design English ARCI Short Design German 2 Urban Image English ARCI German German 12 4 Course Registration/Enrolment

3 Please describe the registration process at your host university. What kind of help was available? Sign up online, then attend the first lecture to see if its what you want, for help talk to the lecturers, very direct How successful were you in registering/enrolling for classes you wanted? What advice would you offer to next year's exchange students about registration at your host university? Successful in getting what I wanted, but its hard to know as you cannot see what will be available before leaving Do you have any advice for future students when choosing and applying for courses? Get VUW to sign off changes immediately, as it can be hard to change later Academic Experience How did your academic experience differ from your time spend at Victoria? Did the academic experience meet your expectations? Yes it did, it was interesting to see another perspective on architecture In that we used models more and conceptual theory less. How did the style of teaching at your host university compare with that at VUW? How did the workload compare to what you would expect at VUW? It was less work, but more papers, lots of short assignments, also much more technical than theoretical, it was good to experience a different approach to architecture. What would you recommend as an appropriate course load for other VUW students visiting your partner university? What specific courses would you recommend to visiting VUW students? Why? About what I did, Short design course are good, intense workshops over weekends so you can have some time to travel with less semester long courses What advice would you give VUW students about succeeding academically at your host university? Talk to your lecturers a lot, especially if you don t understand some things they say in German What was your impression of the computer facilities, library, and internet access at your host university? Extremely good, lots of new computers, and a huge workshop If you went to a country where English is not the native language, how did you prepare for this? Were there any intensive language courses provided by the host university? I did a language course through the semester, there were also intensive courses prior to the start of semester E: Accommodation What form of accommodation did you stay in? A flat for exchange students What were the pros and cons of this form of accommodation?

4 Quite expensive, but very nice, easy to come into What accommodation would you recommend to future students? Look into Student accommodation, they are very nice buildings How early can you move into accommodation? Before semester starts if you want What options were available for meal plans or cooking facilities? How satisfied were you with the food? I cooked for myself If you lived in off-campus housing, how easy was it to find? What should future VUW exchange students know about living off-campus? I lived off campus, but the exchange office helped me find it Do you have any tips of advice for future students when applying for accommodation? Go and talk to the exchange office as early as possible G: Personal & Cultural Connections What was it like making friends? How successful were you at making friends with local (i.e., not international) students? It was quite hard to meet a lot of local students, as there are so many international students, but its very easy to make friends, everyone is trying to at the same time What was it like to adjust to the culture of your exchange country/university? I found it quite easy, they do more papers but less work which helped! What, if any, cultural differences did you find particularly challenging? How would you recommend students to prepare for these differences? The language, study some before you leave What parts of the culture did you most appreciate? There is a lot of beer drinking, but drinking in a different way, People would go to the park for the afternoon and have picnics, then go home for dinner How were you treated by local people? By university staff and faculty? By students? The locals are very nice and welcoming, the office staff were extremely helpful, they even helped me find a flat As far as you could tell, how easy would it be for students with disabilities to study at your partner university? For students who are visible minorities in your host country? For students who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered? Seemed like it would be OK, It was a fairly diverse group of people we studied with, lots of exchange students from different places Did you face any issues regarding discrimination in your host country? What were they, and what advice would you give to future students? No H: Extra-curricular/Social Activities

5 What organized activities (clubs, sports, etc.) were available to students? What extra-curricular activities would you recommend to future exchange students? Lots of sports, Gyms, Travel groups What do you recommend other visiting students see or do on their weekends or holidays? Go to Prague (there is a cheap train pass), The castles around Munich, The lakes in the Alps What opportunities were there for students to work on-campus? Off-campus? I don t know, I didnt What volunteer or internship opportunities were there for students? I didn t look into it 5 things to take to your host country or region 1 A big backpack for travelling 2 Some kiwi recipes 3 A phone with maps on it 4 Get an old bike when your there 5 Warm clothes for winter and cool clothes for summer, its surprisingly extreme 5 pieces of useful advice would tell a VUW student going to your host university 1 Buy a train pass 2 Live close to the university if you can 3 Buy a cheap bike from the market 4 Get coffee from the café on top of the university, good views and good coffee 5 Look up what bands are coming when you get there, concerts are cheaper in Europe! Top 5 Things to do What are your Top 5 Things To Do future VUW students at your host university or city/country? 1 Go to Prague 2 Go to Berlin 3 Go see the Bayerisch Lakes 4 Go to the castles around Munich

6 5 Get a train pass and travel I: Personal Experience Please write one paragraph about your exchange experience. Plus, don t forget to submit some photos to the exchange office!! On my exchange I went to TUM in Munich, Germany. I arrived a couple of months before the start of semester, and organized my flat and organized my courses online. Then I went travelling for a few months. By the time I got back to Munich, I was ready to settle into a bit more of a routine. The university was great, there were a huge amount of exchange students so meeting people was easy, and there was a lot of parties! This made it easy to meet people studying other degrees as well. Pretty quickly we ended up with a close group of friends, and we did a bit of uni, and a lot of hanging out in the Englischer Garten. Summer in Munich was extremely hot, so visiting the lakes in the Bavarian alps was a great thing to do on the weekends. I learned a lot of things I wouldn t have learnt at home, and saw a lot as well. The whole trip was an awesome experience.