exchange report – spring 2018 university of ......7. sports & recreation facilities 8. finance...
TRANSCRIPT
1
EXCHANGEREPORT–SPRING2018UNIVERSITYOFINNSBRUCK,AUSTRIASCHOOLOFMANAGEMENT
POHEICHANBBAinInformationSystemsandManagementYear3
TABLEOFCONTENTS
PAGE
PARTI:MonthlyActivityLog 1
PARTII:GeneralExchangeInformation
1. VisaProcedures
2. OrientationActivities
3. InternationalServices&Activities
4. Accommodations
5. CoursesRegistration
6. Teaching&AssessmentMethods
7. Sports&RecreationFacilities
8. Finance&Banking(includingcurrency/expenses)
9. SocialClubs&NetworkingOpportunities
10. Health&Safety
11. Food
12. Transportation
13. Climate
14. Communication
15. Cautionarymeasures
4
5
5
6
7
7
8
9
9
9
10
10
11
11
11
PARTIII:ItemstoBring 12
PARTIV:UsefulLinksandContacts 13
1
PARTI:MonthlyActivityLog
March
Myexchangejourneystartedon26thFebruary,2018. Itwas stillwinter and snowing even inlateMarch. IgottomeettheotherexchangestudentsoftheschoolofManagement(Sowi)andtheAustriansweresoniceandkindthoughtheydidn’tspeakfluentEnglish!
Thefirstweekwasallabouttheadministrativeworkandschoolstartedon5thMarch.Duringtheweekends,IwenttotheEastermarket,thehighest Zoo in Europe, and also skied for thefirsttimeinmylifewiththefriendsImetthere!
Therewerealsoafewwelcomingactivitiesforustogetalongwithother students includingcitychallenge,JointStudyProgramgatheringandofcourse some parties. I met a lot of gorgeouspeopletheresomakesureyougoaswellJ!
At the end of March, I had a two-and-a-half-weekofEasterholidayso Iplannedtogoonalong trip! I went to Paris, Geneva, Zermatt,Venice and Rome where I was amazed byeverything!Planaheadandmakesureyouwon’twastethelongestholidayhereinInnsbruck!
2
April
Since I had my first midterm (they called itexam but it was like a midterm with 35MC questions) and a final exam in May (itwasablockedcourseandIwillexplainitlater)in the second week of April, I resumed tomy study after my 10-day trip. Besides, itwasthetimethatweshouldstartworkingonourprojects, therefore I basically studiedand worked during April but as I had threeschool days per week only, I made aweekend trip to Berlinwithmyfriend!Don’tforgettoplaywhileyouworkJOthertimes,I went on a hiking to the Lansersee, visitedthe Zoo, joint some partiesandsitalongtheriverandchill!
May
It was another month of study as I had threeprojects towork on.Though Ididn't go tovisitsome other places, I enjoyed the time here inInnsbruck. By going to the famous lake –Baggersee,hiking,cookingwithmyfriends,andmerelywalking through the streets in the city,youcouldrealisehowtimecouldbesoslowandhowrelaxingitistochillinthenatureforawholeday!
3
JuneAllIdidwasbasicallytravelingsinceIonlyhadthree schooldays in June. Iwent to London,Vienna, Munich, Vaduz and Salzburgrespectively. These are all great cities thatshouldbeineveryone’smust-golist.However,Ididn'tforgettotravelwithinInnsbrucksincemyparentscametovisitmeduringthesecondweek of June. I brought themaround to theAmbras Castle, Nordkette, the SwarovskiCrystal World, and a lot other must-dos inInnsbruck.Whatworthnotingisthatthereisalsoalakejust outside Innsbruck called the Archensee,make sure you visit it and it will neverdisappointyou!
JulyIwent toCopenhagenandAmsterdamduringthereadingweek(1stweekofJuly)beforethefinalexamweek(2ndweekofJuly).Copenhagenis one of my most favourite cities and theScandinavians are not as cool and detachedtowards people as they are generally known.Likewise,AmsterdamissuchaninterestingcitythatIsawlotsofthingsthatIhavenevereverseenbefore(youknowwhatImean)!Myexamstookplaceonthefirsttwodaysoftheexamweekandformycourses,all it requiredwasagoodmemorizationofthecontenttheytaught during the lectures and seminars, sotimewasneededbutitwasn’tdifficultatallJI enjoyed the last fewdays in Innsbruckand IfliedtoLondonandwentbacktoHongKongattheendofJuly.
4
PARTII:GeneralExchangeInformation
1. VisaProcedures
IfyouarestayinginAustriamorethan90dayswithin180days,youwillhavetoapplyforthe
residencevisaD. You couldgoogleall the things youneedon theirwebsite including the
applicationform,documentsforapplicationandotherinformationsuchastheopeninghours.
Youshouldmakeacopyforallyourdocumentsyoubringthere,includingyourIDphoto(so
bringtwophotos).Pleasenotethatthereisnoapplicationfeesinceyouaregoingtobean
exchangestudent,andyouwillneedtomakeanappointmentbeforeyougototheembassy
as theyhavenewly introduced the appointment system in this February. If youhave any
furtherquestions,donothesitatetoemailthemandask.
Foryourreference,thedocumentsyouwillneedtobringareasfollow:
1. Applicationformmustbedulycompleted,signedandsubmittedinperson
2. Passport-photonotolderthan6months(criteriakindlysee:www.passbildkriterien.at)
3. Validpassport(validforatleast6monthsafteryourreturntoHongKong/Macau)
4. HongKong/Macau(Permanent)ID-Card
5. HongKong/MacauStudentsID-Card
6. Birth-Certificate(inoriginal;ifissuedfromanauthorityoutsideHongKongorMacau
pleaseletthebirthcertificatebelegalizedbytheauthoritiesoftheissuingcountry)
7. Proofofsufficientfinancialmeansofyoursponsor/parents(f.e.:recentbank
statement;statementofregularsalarybytheemployer;workingcontract)
8. Proofofanexistingscholarshipprogram(ifany)
9. SupportingletterfromyouruniversityinHongKong/Macau
10. LetterofAcceptancefromtheAustrianUniversity/theAustrianStudentsExchange
Program
11. ProofofproperaccommodationduringyourtimeinAustria(f.e.rentalcontract)
12. Flightticket(round-trip,thedestinationcomingbacktoHongKongcanbeoutside
Austria)
13. Travel/medicalinsurance(minimumcoverageisEURO30.000,--;validityfortheentire
Schengenareaandtheentiredurationofyourstay)
5
14. Parentalconsent(incaseyouarelessthan18yearsold,bothparentsorlegalguardians
havetogivetheirwrittenconsent)
15. Furtherdocumentsmayberequesteddependingontheindividualcase
Please,submityourapplicationatleastTHREEweekspriortoyourdeparture.Andpleasegoto
theirwebsiteforthemostupdatedandaccurateinformation!
2. OrientationActivities
Therearesomeofficialorientationdaysincludingtheregistrationday,theuniguidancetour,
computer lab registration (whereyouregister foryourcourses), joint studywelcomeday.
Makesureyouattendallthesectionsasitiscompulsoryandthatisthechanceforyouto
meetotherexchangestudents!Checkthedatebeforebookingyourflightticketsasitshould
beapproximatelyoneweekbeforetheschoolstarts.
3. InternationalServices&Activities
IfyouaregoingtoInnsbruckalone,don’tpanicJThereisagroupwhoorganiseseventsfor
exchangestudentscalledESN.Ifyouwouldliketoknowmorepeopleoutsidetheclassroom,
makesureyouapplyforitandjoinsomeoftheiractivitiesandparties!EventsincludingCity
Challenge, Pub Crawl, Welcome Party, International Dinner and Farwell Party are the
opportunitiesforyoutoexperiencethecityandyouwillfindalotofamazingpeoplethere!!
6
4. Accommodations
Ilivedinthepartydorm–RösslinderAubyHome4Students.Iwouldregarditasthebest
accommodationintermsoflocation,facilities,livingcondition,thoughitisthesecondmost
expensivedorminInnsbruck(EUR399,-/month).Itisjust5minutes’walktotheMainCampus,
15minutes’walktothecitycentreaswellasthebusinessschool(Sowi).Besides,it’swell-
furnishedandthereissmallsupermarketrightdownstairs!Thereisalsoalaundryroombut
youwillhavetopayEUR1everytimeyouusethewashingmachinesandthetumbledryers.
Thereisareasonwhyitiscalleda‘partydorm’,andapparently,thereispartynearlyevery
Wednesday toSunday, sometimesMondayandTuesdayaswell. I personally think that it
mightbeabitnoisybutIcanstillworkandsleepinmyroomatnightefficiently.However,
theworst thingabout theparties is that thekitchenwillbehorriblydirtyeveryweekend,
thoughthecleaningladywillcleanitafterthat.Hence,ifyouareapersonthatdoesn’tneed
averyquietenvironmenttoworkandsleep,andifyoudon’tmindthekitchenmightbeabit
dirty,thiswilldefinitelybeyourbestchoiceJ
Onethingtomentionisthat,youmightrealisethatthereisan‘official’websiteforyouto
applyyouraccommodationinInnsbruckcalled‘OeAD’. It isawebsitethatyoucanchoose
fromallthedormitoriesthereareandtheyprovidepicturesandpricesforyoutojustifywhich
is thebestplace for you to live.However, onedrawbackof this organisation is that they
requirealotofadditionalchargesincludingtheEUR35administrationfeeyou’repayingonce
youapplythroughthem,EUR60bookingfee,EUR40transactionfeeandalsoEUR30cleaning
feefromyourEUR950depositaftercheckingoutyourdorm.Ifyouwanttoavoidthosefees
oratleastpayless,youmightwanttoapplydirectlytothedorm(i.e.Home4Studentsformy
dorm).I’mnotsureaboutthefeesoftheotherdorms,socheckitoutonOeAD.
7
5. CoursesRegistration
The system is quite complicated but Christoph, your coordinator will guide you through
everything.Sorestassureandmakesureyoudoeverythingbeforethedeadlinesandattend
thesessionstheyhaveONTIME!Austriansaresostraightonthat.Longstoryshort,whatyou
candoinadvanceisfirst,tolookuponHKUST’scoursedatabaseandseewhichcoursesyou
canregisterforcredittransfer.Then,theuniversitywillreleasethetimeslotsofthecourses
theyprovideinthecomingsemesteronetotwomonthsbeforethebeginningofsemester
andhence,youcouldmanageyourcoursecombinationtoavoid‘disapproved’timeclashes.
YoucanonlyapplyforyourcoursesonceyouarriveInnsbruckonthedaywhenyouhaveyour
ComputerLabRegistration.
What’ssointerestinghereisthattheyactuallyallowsome‘timeclashes’betweencourses.
Thecoursesareconstructedbytwoparts–thelecturepart(VO),andthepro-seminarpart
(PS).Thelecturepartisnotmandatory(inmostofthecases),whilethepro-seminarpartis
actuallymandatory(youcanonlymiss1-2sessionsdependsonthetotalnumberofseminars
youhave)!Soifyouhavealectureclashinganotherseminar,it’sactuallyallowed.Thisisjust
oneexampleaboutthesystemandChristophwillexplaintoyouthoroughly,sodon’tworry!
Bytheway,remembertoregisterboththelectureandthepro-seminarparts.
6. Teaching&AssessmentMethods
Theyencourageinteractivelearningduringthelecture,sotrytoengagemoreandinteract
with your professors, thismightmake a huge effect on your grades if they have a good
impressiononyousincetheyalwayshaveapresumptionofexchangestudentsgoingontrips
andplayingaroundinsteadoflearningandstudying.Letthemknowthatyoutakethecourses
seriouslyandtheywilladmireit!
Asaforementioned,thereisalectureandapro-seminarpartineverycourse,theydonormal
teaching inthe lecturepartwhile they focusmoreonandguideyouthroughtheprojects
duringthepro-seminarpart.Thelecturetimeisunexpectedlylongandineffective,ranging
from2hrs45minsto9hrs(I’mnotkiddinglol)eventhoughtheyhavebreaksamidthelecture
8
time.Yet,thecontentofthecoursesiseasyandmanageableforHKstudents,henceit’snot
stressfulatall.
Fortheexamination,youareonlyallowedtotaketheexamonceyoupassthepro-seminar
session.Inotherwords,youwillreceiveagradeofyourpro-seminarpartbeforeregistering
fortheexam.Youwillbetestedontheknowledgetaughtinbothlectureandseminarparts,
somakesureyoustudybothifyouwanttopasstheexam.Normallyspeaking,youwillhave
toget60%topassthecourse,forexamandpro-seminarrespectively.
Blockedcourses–coursesthatwillbefinishedwithintwomonths.That’swhyIhadafinal
examinAprilandsomelecturesfor9hrslol.Basicallytheysqueezeeverythingtheyhaveto
dointwomonths,twolecturesperweek,andoneseminarperweekaftertheyfinishedthe
lecture part. Therefore, the workload might be a bit heavy, but it’s good for exchange
studentsasyouwillhavemoretimetogoonsometripsafterthecourseisfinishedJ.
7. Sports&RecreationFacilities
Goskiing,goskiing,goskiing!(it’ssobloodyimportantsoIrepeatthreetimeshaha)Skiingis
themostfamouswintersportshereandpeoplecomebecauseofthat!Bewareoftheskiing
seasonbecauseifyouarenotaprofessionalskier,thebestskiresortwillbeSchlick2000and
itoperatesonlyfromNovembertoMarch/April!Itmightbeabitexpensive,approximately
EUR50pertimeincludingentrancefeeandrentalfeeforthegears,butit’stotallyworthit!
Makesureyoubringasunglasseswithyouifyoudon’twanttobuyasungogglestherewhich
isquiteexpensive(andapairofwinterglovesaswell).Bringyourfriendsalongwithyouas
wellandifyouhaveextramoneyforthat,youmightwanttotakeabeginnerlessontherefor
EUR105andanotherEUR25forthesecondpersonandsoon(themorepeopleyouhave
withyou,thecheaperitwillbeonaverage).
9
8. Finance&Banking(includingcurrency/expenses)
ThelegaltenderinAustriaiseuro,whichisthesameasmostoftheothercountriesinEurope.
ItwillbeeasierifyoucreateanaccountinAustria,butIheardtheychargeafeeforthat(EUR
5permonth).However,IappliedforSparkasse’sstudentaccountandtheydidn’tchargeme
any additional fees, and they are super helpful so if you want to apply one, I would
recommendSparkasse.PleaseaskChristophforthemostupdatedinformationaswell.
Myexpensesareasfollow:
EUR
1. TotalLivingExpenses 1880
2. TotalAccommodationFee(includingalladditionalfees) 1745
3. TotalTravellingExpenses 5000
4. TotalAirfare(gotoInnsbruckandbacktoHongKong) 1094
TOTAL 9719
P.S.Theexchangeratefluctuatedalotthroughoutthewholeperiodoftimefrom9.1to9.8,
sotheamountofmoneyIusemightnotbethemostaccuratebutI’msureitcanbeusedas
areference.
9. SocialClubs&NetworkingOpportunities
Theschoolitselfdoesn’tnothaveanyclubsforyoutojoin,excepttheorchestra.Ifyoudo
playmusic, I encourageyou to join theorchestrabut theydo require interviews for that.
Exchangestudentswillorganisesomeinternationaldinnersandpartiesthemselvessoyou
couldalsojointhemtoknowmorepeoplewhostudyinInnsbruckbutinanotherschool(MCI).
10. Health&Safety
Thecity issupersafecomparingtoothercities inEurope,almostthesame inHongKong.
However, the streetwill bedarker than that inHongKong at night, especially during the
winter,somakesureyou’rewithyourfriendswhilestayingoutlate.
10
Ifyouneedtovisitadoctor,tellChristophandhewillmakeanappointmentforyou.Thisis
themostconvenientwaytodososinceyoudonotknowifthepeopleontheothersideof
thephoneknowsEnglishornot.Ifyouwanttoavoidanytroubles,trytobringsomemedicines
withyouandI’msureitwillhelpJ
11. Food
Cookingwillbethebestwaytosaveyourmoneysincethepricetohaveamealinarestaurant
willbeEUR12orupincludingthemaindishandadrink,excludingfastfood.Youcandodaily
groceryshoppingatSPAR,Hofer,Billa,MPreisorMerkur, theyhaveeverythingyouneed.
Besides,Ifounditsocheaptobuymilk,bread,chocolateandofcourse,beerhere.Soifthese
areyourfav,youaredefinitelygoingtotherightplace!Mostimportantly,therearesome
traditionalAustrianfoodanddrinksyoumusttryat leastoncebeforeyouleave, including
sachertorte, schnitzel, frankfurter, weisswurst, currywurst, knödel, kaiserschmarrn,
almdudler,andalsoradler.Youwillregretitforsureifyoudon't.
12. Transportation
Youcantraveltoeverycornerofthecitysimplybybusesandtrams,it’ssoconvenientand
youcanbuyasemesterticketforthat.ItcostsapproximatelyEUR130butit’sworthitifyou
willuseiteveryday.Foryourreference,asingleticketofabusoratramwillbearoundEUR
2,40,youknowwhattochoose.However,Ididn’tbuyitaseverythingisjustwithinwalking
distancetome,soIboughtthe8-timeticketincaseIreallyhavetogosomewherefaraway.
Youcouldalsobuyorrentabikeforyourdailyuse.Innsbruckisa‘bike-friendly’citybutbe
awareofthetrafficandthecarsasyouwillberidingontheroadwithcarsjustnexttoyouJ
Makesureyouknowsomeoftherulesforbikingsuchasturnsignalsetc.Ifyou’retravelling
to other cities, ÖBB is the train company of Austria and you can always go to the
Hauptbahnhof(maintrainstation)nearthecitycentretotakethetrainbutyouwillhaveto
bookaticketinadvance.Flixbusisanotherchoiceifyoudon’tmindtotravelforanincredibly
long time on the bus. You can buy the bus ticket on the bus but if youwant to have a
guaranteedseatandjourney,pleasebookitwiththeirappaswell.
11
13. Climate
ItwasstillsupercoldwhenIarrivedInnsbruckinlateFebruaryandeveninMarch.Theyhad
minusdegreesduringthetimebutitwasnotascoldasIthought.ItgotwarmerinApriland
becameashotasitisinHongKonginMay.Therefore,bringbothsummerandwinterclothes
withyou,buyingclothesherewillnotbeawiseaction.
14. Communication
IuseTHREEduringthewholetime.Themonthlypackagewithdata,messageandphoneusage
withinAustriaisEUR10andthatwithinthecountriesintheEUwillbeEUR15.Otherwise,
youcouldalsobuyaSIMCardandalsovoucherseverytimeyouwanttotopupyourcardfor
phoneanddatausageSEPARATELY,dependsonyourpersonalusage.
15. Cautionarymeasures
Ifyouhaveanychancetodealwiththecopsorinvolveinanyaccident,callChristoph,hewill
helpyouwiththatsincethecopsandpeoplearoundmightnotspeakEnglishtoagreatextent.
Trytobesupercautiouswhenyougoskiing,theinsurancepackageofferedbyHongKong
companieswillNOTcoverit.MakesureyoubuyaninsuranceinInnsbruckforskiingifyou’re
reallyworriedaboutit(Ididn’tbuythough).
LearnafewGermangreetingsorwords,peoplewillbenicertoyouevenifyoumightspeak
itwrongly.MostoftheshopkeepersoutsidetheMainStreet(thetouristplace)doNOTspeak
English,andtheydohaveaverystrongdialectwhenspeakingGermanaswell.Sosmileand
saythankyoueventhoughyoudon’tunderstandthemJ
12
PARTIII:ItemstoBring
1. Acceptanceletterandalldocumentsforadministrativeuse
2. Insurancedocuments
3. Passport(andcopies)
4. HKID
5. Cash,botheuroandhkd
6. Creditcards
7. Skincareproducts(e.g.bodylotionandlipbalm,youwilldefinitelyneeditinthewinter)
8. Sunscreen(youwillgetburninthesummerifyoudon’twearit)
9. Nailcutter
10. Clothes
11. Shoes(atleastonewaterproofshoesforthewinter)
12. Flipflop
13. Bags
14. Spareglasses(ifyouwearglasses)
15. Hangers(ifyouhavesomeclothesthatcannotbeputinthetumbledryer)
16. Laundrybag
17. Towels
18. Toothbrush,toothpaste,anddentalfloss
19. Hairdryer
20. Umbrella
21. Medicine
22. Waterbottle/Cup
23. Powerbanks,cables,adapters
24. Earphones
25. Computer
26. USB(ifnecessary)
27. Stationary,folders,notebooks
28. HKsnacks(incaseyoumisshome)
29. Locks(foryourbaggageifnecessary)
30. Ricecooker(ifnecessary)
13
PARTIV:UsefulLinksandContacts
ESN:http://innsbruck.esnaustria.org/
Flixbus:https://www.flixbus.com/
GoEuro:https://www.goeuro.com/
Home4Students:https://www.home4students.at/en/living/dormitories-innsbruck/73-
studentenheim-hoettinger-au/
HostelWorld:https://www.hostelworld.com/
Innsbruckofficialwebsite:https://www.innsbruck.info/
LFU(schoolwebsite):https://lfuonline.uibk.ac.at/public/lfuonline.home
ÖBB:http://www.oebb.at/en/
OeAD:https://housing.oead.at/en/accommodation/wien-en