Exchange Study Report: Studying at Northeastern and Experiencing in Boston Fall 2014 Exchange Ellen Lin In the fall of 2014, I studied and lived at Northeastern University in Boston, United States. Here I studied for four months, and I concentrated in International Business Studies. I had a colorful exchange-study experience in various self-development opportunities. In this fruitful semester, I was inspired by people from around the world, obtained more knowledge in a different learning-style, and became a more passionate, independent and diligent girl. Part 1 Monthly Activity Log September Joining the Students Clubs I signed up to many student clubs and the most memorable experience was in these two: Chinese Students Association (CSA) and Northeastern University Hiking and Outing Club (NUHOC). CSA s most fundamental difference from the Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA) was that the former was organized by Chinese Americans and mostly also for Chinese Americans and everything was in English, while the later was by Chinese students and for Chinese students and everything was in Mandarin, similar with the Mainland Students and Scholars Society at HKUST. In CSA everybody was very nice including the board members and I learned from them how the life of the younger generations of immigrants was in the US and how they felt about the cultural difference between Chinese and American. I also spent time volunteering in the local communities with CSA to plant flowers at a local zoo. As I am keen on outdoor activities, joining NUHOC was a very smart choice for me and I went on a few trips with them. October Outing in the Northeast of the U.S. Other exciting activities in my exchange study life were the outdoor activities. Together with my friends in the same resident hall, I went to Spectacle Island for a one-day trip, where I could appreciate the nature and see the city of Boston from a much further view. One interesting anecdote to mention is that on this island I found a gun barrel on the beach that my friends and I assumed was from the revolutionary war, which according to US history was fought in Boston! During the Columbus Holiday weekend, my partner and I drove to the State of New Hampshire, camped in the White Mountains, and climbed up to the summit of Mt. Washington, the highest peak in Northeastern US, with the car of course. November Exploring the worlds in Academia and the Financial Industry The concentration of colleges and universities makes Boston the center of higher education and a leader of innovation. In addition to Finance, I was also interested in other fields, such as Science. There are many top research institutes in Boston where I could explore in the world of academia and learn the astonishing facts and developments. Scarlet, who was also from HKUST, always shared with me her experience in doing
research with an Economics professor at Harvard; Chikdu, who I met at MIT, liked telling me the most recent developments in Bioengineering, and discussed with me how they would make a great impact in the human world. Boston is also one of the financial hubs in the US, and offers many financial career opportunities for students. Northeastern University has many partnerships with the business community, this allowed me to meet some of the bankers or fund managers from the Boston Financial District, these opportunities allowed me to gain new perspectives in Finance. I also participated in the Boston Career Forum in November, networked with the bankers from UBS, and learned more about the industry and related career paths. December Playing around at Different Museums As a city that fosters learning and exploring, Boston has various museums to explore and investigate. I was amazed at the power of Natural Selection when I visited the Museum of Natural History at Harvard; I considered myself a lover of science when I explored around at the Science Museum in Boston; and I was so proud of our human history when I gazed fascinated at the human masterpieces that where hanging on the wall at the Museum of Fine Arts. All these activities would become a very important part of my memories in Boston as they made me more curious about everything in the world. Part 2 General Exchange Information 1) Visa Procedures First applying for visa, I was first required to activate my student account at Northeastern. I was given the PK ID to activate my account and my student ID that I used all the time once she arrived at school. Step 2 began with the visa process myissi. I was required to scan the photo page of my passport and obtain and scan the proof of my financial support prior to beginning Step 2, and sample letters for proof of solvency was provided, which was to make sure the amount on the letter equals, at minimum, $ 9,208.00 for one semester. Once I completed the myissi for J-1 Status, it was reviewed by the Northeastern coordinator of the exchange program for errors or missing information. 2) Orientation Activities Upon arrival to Northeastern, I downloaded a mobile app Northeastern Welcome Week. There I could see the everyday activities and selectively participated some. This helped me make many friends and joined many student clubs. 3) Accommodations and Food I was living in International Village (IV) where I could access to the gym and the dining hall. IV was the best place to stay as it also provided privacy for the residents. I lived in a single room and shared the same bathroom with my suitemate from another single room.
4) Courses Registration The course registration system for the exchange-in students was one of the areas I think that still had room to improve. Before going there, I could choose a list of ten courses and in the order of my preference, but would not know the results until the orientation week. Thus the drawbacks included: 1. I could not apply for pre-approvals for the credit transfer; 2. there was almost no way to adjust my courses as it had to take two months to process, according to the exchange program coordinator, to register the exchange-in students to cross-discipline courses, but it was impossible to know the registration results and request for adjustment before arrival, let alone doing it two months in advance. Here I took four business-related courses and one English course. I obtained the best results in a Financial Investment Course and an Economics Course. The Financial Investment Course was one of my favorite courses as I have been passionate about stock investment and analysis, and this course provided us the opportunity to gain exposure in the stock market by participating in an investment simulation. In the Economics Course, I acquired some basic knowledge about the money and banking system, as well as developing a deeper understanding of how the economy works under the monetary policies such as Quantitative Easing. In order to improve my English proficiency, I took an English course in which I was not officially enrolled but was able to study with the American students and an English professor and writer. Although challenging, the English course was rewarding and it helped to improve my reading and writing skills. 5) Teaching & Assessment Methods Teaching method and assessment methods were mostly similar to those at HKUST except for the teaching and learning style in the English language course I took. At UST we normally have teaching instructors who have acquired professional teaching certificates. At Northeastern and I believe also at other universities, the teachers in English courses are professors who have obtained doctoral degree in English or Literature. The professor in the English reading and writing course was a writer and published some novels favored by young people. It was an excellent learning experience in his class and I developed stronger desire in learning English, just in the language itself. 6) Sports and Recreation Facilities Boston is an awesome place for runners. Once every two days, I would run outside from my student dormitory, all the way to the Boston Common, the biggest park in Boston, or along the Charles River, where I could see the beautiful view across the river. The Boston drivers were so friendly to the pedestrians, especially to the runners, so I felt very secured and relaxed when I was running in the streets. After temperature went below 0 degree Celsius, since I didn t like running on a treadmill I went to the Marine Center to run on the indoor track or use the Elliptical Trainer in the gym of IV. If you like workout, Northeastern or Boston is good place for you. If not, you will automatically be influenced by the workout environment here. 7) Cost/Expenses
The housing cost in Boston was expensive, especially for on-campus housing. I paid almost $6,000 for one semester living in a single room in the International Village, which was amongst the most expensive on campus and was mostly for honored freshmen and more senior students. I also paid about $2,750 for my meal plans (10 meals per week through the whole semester). The train was the best option for transportation, and buying a trolley card for monthly pass or weekly pass could save some money. Whenever paying for the bill in a restaurant or a cab, giving tips was a must. I would gave 15% - 20% tips, depending on the service quality, but my partner always gave 20% or more as he said it was considered rude if paying less than 20%. 8) Health & Safety The people in the healthcare center at Northeastern and the Northeastern University Police Department (NUPD) were very nice and their service was very human. I remembered when my stomach hurt too much and I almost past out after drinking too much iced milk and tap water, I called the NUPD and the police officer drove me to the healthcare center and did not left until he made sure I felt much better. Big thumbs for him and all these people and the services they provided. 9) Transportation Transportation especially the trains were very developed and convenient in Boston. I always took the Orange Line from my dorm to downtown and the Red Line to MIT or Harvard. Sometimes I also tool the Green Line between Northeastern and Boston College, Boston University or to the movie theater in Boylston. Going to NYC by Megabus was also very convenient. Not like most of the other places in the US, you can survive without a car in Boston. 10) Climate I am glad I left before the biggest snow storm in history in Massachusetts. The weather is always nice in summer there, and I liked the color changes from summer to autumn and from autumn to winter. Winter is quite chilly but since most of the people stay indoor most of the time, the cold should not be a problem. However if the snow pills up to above 2 meters like in early 2015, then congratulations you now have a break and can forget about the homework and go out and play the snow with your friends! It s because you can go nowhere else. 11) Communication My experience in Boston had a great impact on my perception about communication. Previously I thought the best communication required both parties to have similar cultural background, speak the mutual language and share the same interests. But after I met my partner, I gradually realized I was wrong. We could come from difference cultures, but we were always happy to learn each other s culture; we could be good at different languages, but we did not mind using which to express our feelings as long as we were understood; and we could be interested in different things, but we always showed our curiosity about things around us and always appreciated each other s work. These were what made good communications.
12) Cautionary Measures NUPD would give a presentation during the orientation week and advice on what we should do to ensure safety and how to deal with emergency. I heard that the roundabout near International Village and the Ruggles Station had been seen one case of armed robbery almost every month. Just remember not to go out alone at night. Part 3 Items to Bring and Contacts In order to save room in my suitcases, I did not bring any winter clothes expect one sweater and one jacket, and I did not bring any bedclothes. I just brought some of my favorite clothes and favorite makeups, and the following must-bring things: i. Computer, phone, camera and their chargers ii. Conversion plug (very important, because it would be extremely difficult to find one) iii. Glasses, backup glasses and contact lenses (you would need doctor s prescription to buy new glasses) iv. Some US dollar cash v. Passport with valid visa and all the documents related to J-1 Status If more information is needed, get my contact from SBM Exchange Team by emailing at bmugexch@ust.hk. Photo 1: Volunteering at a Local Zoo in Boston Photo 2: Museum of Natural History at Harvard
Photo 3: Science Museum in Boston Photo 4: Spectacle Island in Boston Photo 5: An Antique Gun Barrel Photo 6: Camping in White Mountains Photo 7: Summit of Mt. Washington Photo 8: Bio-Technology Lab at MIT