Exchange Report

Canada –

Lorraine Fung

Year 3 - Finance and Information Systems

Spring 2017 Exchange

Part 1 – Monthly Activity Log

January

Arriving Kingston in late December, I have one whole week

to clean up my room and prepare for school. Semester

started on 10 January and the mandatory exchange

orientation was held on 6 January. The orientation

provided a brief introduction on Queen’s student life,

including studies expectation, sports and activities for

exchange students, and took us to walk around the campus.

There were a lot of ice-hockey games being played in

Rogers K-Rock Center, a sport center downtown, and we

went to watch one for free. It was the first time I watch this

sport and it was so exciting.

The first month of semester were not too busy so we went to

Toronto during a weekend in mid-January. During our travel in

Toronto, we bought some Chinese food and ingredients for from

T&T Supermarket as many of those were not available in

Kingston and expensive. We also tried curling, which is specially

organized for exchange students.

Curling is one of the representative

Canadian sports, I do strongly recommend

you to try. It was more difficult than

expected but we all enjoyed it and had a lot

of fun.

February

We had an early Lunar New Year this year, starting from the end

of January to early February. We celebrate it with food and

drinks and party. We even made turnip cake ourselves! The mid-

terms are mostly before the reading week in mid-late February.

Since assignments due dates started in February, I started being

busy studying in February and remained my working mode on

until April.

We went to Montreal and Quebec City during the reading week. They

were beautiful regions located in a French-speaking province. English is

totally fine in most of the tourist spots, however, you may find knowing

a bit of French would make your trip even memorable as you can talk to

more people. These places are so nice

and a must go, I strongly suggest you

to spend a week or two there.

March

I went to Niagara Falls for two days the week after we came back

from Montreal and Quebec, then to Ottawa for another two days

two weeks after. Being the capital city of Canada, Ottawa shows

the beauty and history of the 150-year-old country. It is a place

worth going but since most attractions are adjacent to each other,

we did not have to spend much time there.

March was another busy month as there were a lot of assignment and

case studies due before the final exam started in April. You will find your

exchange as “chur” as UST, but you can still find a lot of time to explore

around and have fun.

April & May

My weeks in April were full of studying. I spent most of my time in my room and

the library preparing for the cases and exams. If you take Prof. Cannon’s courses,

then you would probably be like me. The exam period last for two weeks in mid-

April.

I left Kingston the day after my last exam and travelled to the US for 3 weeks

with some friends. We went to Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Francisco and New

York. Some Canadians also suggested us to visit Yellowknife and BC but I did not

go. If you have time, you may also go to Yellowstone National Park to admire the

beauty of the nature.

Part 2 – General Exchange Information

(1) Visa Procedures

If you are a HKID holder, and will not stay longer than 6 months in Canada, you are not required

to apply for a visa to Canada. However, you will need to apply for an eTA online. If you want to work in

Canada, I wanted as well but found out I do not have time, you need to apply for a student visa. If you are

planning to visit US, you are advised to apply visa early - at least one month before your departure from

HK, as it takes a long time to complete the whole procedure. Do not wait until you arrive Canada to apply

for the US visa as it is inconvenient and you may face difficulty in obtaining your visa. You would need your

acceptance letter and offer letter for immigration.

(2) Orientation Activities

There will be an orientation day organized for exchange students before the semester starts. The

related information will be sent to you through email. It is a good time to make new friends. The orientation

includes welcoming session, campus tour, and will give you a clearer view on what you are supposed to do

in Queen’s and give you some details on any opportunities or support provide by the school.

(3) International Service & Activities

The Queen’s University International Centre (QUIC) is a place where exchange students are

gathered and many activities, both academic and non-academic, are organized to help exchange students

to get along and have fun. You may find this as a good place to make friends and learn some of the culture

from other counties.

(4) Accommodations

I live with three other UST exchange students in a 4-bedroom house in downtown area, with a 5-

min bus ride or 20-min walk to school. The rent is CAD500 per month, with all utilities inclusive. Rental

information can be found on QUIC, Facebook - Queen’s housing, or other online platforms. Monthly rent

usually ranges from CAD500 to CAD700, depending on its size and location. You are reminded to check if

utilities (water, gas, heat etc), kitchenware, electrical appliances, pillow and bed sheets etc are provided. It

could cost you a lot if you have to prepare and pay on your own, and therefore I suggest you to find

accommodation with all utilities included. Having your house located along the bus route to school would

be great as you can avoid walking to school in snow.

You can also choose to live in on-campus dorm, which is in Jean Royce Hall located at West

Campus, with a 20 minutes’ walk to Goodes Hall-the business building. Comparing with on-campus dorm,

off-campus accommodations provide better and a wider range of choice in terms of location and price,

therefore not many students choose to live in on-campus dorm.

(5) Courses Registration

Queen’s course registration system - SOLUS, is almost the same as UST’s student center. One note

to remind is that students can start register courses long before the semester starts and the waiting list for

each course is limited to 5 spaces. So you may find quotas are full when you try to register to a course, but

usually students can get into the courses before the semester starts.

(6) Teaching & Assessment Methods

Classes in Queen’s are in relatively small size, around 40 students per class. Two 80-minute classes

a week per course, usually no tutorial classes. Discussions are highly encouraged during and after class.

Teachers are friendly and helpful, and students are welcome to ask questions. Absolute grading is adopted.

I tried to take a language course - Italian, but decided not to after my first lesson as most students

in the class know some Italian or can speak other European languages, and the teacher seldom speaks

English but Italian during class, so I felt difficult to understand and catch up.

The courses I took are as below:

Course (Equivalent Course)

Teaching Assessment

Comm 322- Advanced Corporate Finance (FINA 3303)

Prof. Pierre Chaigneau This professor is from France and this is his first year in Queen’s. He speaks quite fast but started to slow down since we requested. Students are very welcome to ask him to repeat or further explain concepts if needed. His English is very easy to understand. His teaching mostly covers mathematical proof of concepts so students may need some time in understanding it but students will only be tested on basic concepts in assessment and exams, which is not difficult.

2 Assignment (15% each) Mid-term Exam (25%) Final Exam (35%)

Comm 323- Corporate Financial Planning (FINA 4000+)

Prof. Bill Cannon Prof. Cannon is an experienced and caring teacher. Although his courses are relatively difficult and with heavy workload, he is a good teacher and you will like him and learn a lot from him. Students are expected to read course materials before class. He also takes extra care to exchange students.

3 Case Analysis (15% each) Mid-term Exam (20%) Final Exam (30% Class Participation (10%) (Total 105%)

Comm 328- International Finance (FINA 4403)

Prof. Selim Topaloglu Professor speaks with some Turkish accents, however, it is not difficult to listen to. This course is the easiest course I took and has light workload.

1 Case Analysis (10%) Article Presentation (10%) Mid-term Exam (25% or 35%)* Final Exam (40% or 50%)* Class Participation (5%)

*The exam with higher score takes 10% more

Comm 329- Management of Financial Institutions (FINA 4503)

Prof. Bill Cannon Same teacher as Comm 323. This course contains information needed to be memorized. Prof. Cannon’s courses are difficult but you will be able to pass his courses as he will make adjustments to assessment and exam grades. This course has equivalent heavy workload as Comm 323.

3 Case Analysis (17% for one, 15% for another two)

Mid-term Exam (20%) Final Exam (28%) Class Participation (10%)

(Total 105%)

(7) Sports & Recreation Facilities

Students have free access to the Athletics and Recreation Centre (ARC) with your student card. It

is located just opposite to Goodes Hall. It is big and very popular, you may find all gym equipment

you want there. An indoor swimming pool is also next to the gym.

(8) Finance & Banking (currency and expenses)

I suggest opening a bank account in Canada in order to get a debit card (for daily purchases) and

credit card (for paying Megabus and online payments). Canadians recommend TD bank but we

usually choose CIBC as ATMs on campus are CIBC’s. It takes about 1~1.5 month to create an

account but you will find it convenient to have one. I spend around HKD75,000 in total, including

rent, flights and travels. Below is my expense list:

Item CAD HKD

Round trip ticket (tax included) 8,497

Rent for 4 months (all utilities included) 2,000 ≈ 12,000

UHIP 204 ≈ 1,224

Course materials / Textbook 45 ≈ 270

Food ≈ 2,000 ≈ 12,000

Miscellaneous ≈ 500 ≈ 3,000

Shopping and Entertainment ≈ 200 ≈ 1,200

Luggage Shipment back to HK 265 ≈ 1,590

Travel (Canada) ≈ 8,000

Travel (US) ≈ 25,000

TOTAL ≈ 73,000

The exchange rate is about CAD1:HKD6

(9) Social Clubs & Networking Opportunities

The Queen’s University International Centre (QUIC) mentioned above is one place to find social

activities. There are many other activities organized by student organizations which you are

welcome to join as well.

(10) Health & Safety

Students are required to pay for the UHIP, CAD204 per semester. However, you still need to pay

for the medicine when you see a doctor, which is expensive. You will not be able to get your

transcript if you do not pay for UHIP. You can have your own insurance and waive out the UHIP if

your insurance coverage is sufficient to get Queen’s approval. No one I know has done so but you

may check it out. Remember to buy insurance that covers all the places you go, especially if you are

going to the US or somewhere outside Canada.

(11) Food

There are lots of restaurants in downtown, including Western and Asian food. Korean, Greek,

Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, western food and a lot of Japanese food can be found along Princess

Street. We recommend you a try in Grecos (Greek), Kame (Japanese), Mekong (Vietnamese) and

Silver Wok (Chinese). Lunch usually cost CAD10~15, dinner cost CAD20~30. Cooking yourself will

be less expensive and so we cook every night. You can buy food with discounts in supermarkets by

showing your Queen’s student ID - Metro is nearer to campus and offers discount on Tuesdays and

Thursdays; Food Basic only offers discount on Tuesdays but is generally cheaper than Metro.

Costco is another option if you can borrow a Costco membership card. Food in Costco are sold in

larger portion and has more variety. There is a meal plan that you can purchase if you live in

campus, but not many people buy it as there are much more choices downtown. It is a 10 min walk

to downtown from Goodes Hall.

(12) Transportation

Kingston is a small town and do not have any subway or tram. The way to get to and from Kingston

is by Megabus (costs CAD50 plus tax for a single ride from Toronto Pearson Airport to Kingston

bus terminal) or rideshare (you can request on Queen’s rideshare Facebook, and is cheaper than

Megabus). We usually take Megabus to other cities while traveling, tickets can be found cheaper if

you buy it earlier. To travel within Kingston, you can ride on bus freely by showing your Queen’s

student ID. It is reminded that buses can stop service as early as 9pm, or even no service on public

holidays, so it is advised to use Google map or download a transportation app to check bus schedule.

(13) Climate

Snow has already started falling when I arrived Canada in late December, temperature at around

0~10°C. The weather in January didn’t change much. However, the temperature dropped in

February, around 0°C in daytime and -10°C at night. The weather started turning cold in March,

temperate dropped further to -10°C to -20°C and it can snow heavily up to knee level in some days.

You will be freezing and it is difficult to walk when it is windy. We were told that we experienced a

mild winter so it was not too bad. You would need thick and waterproof coats and boots outdoors

but it is warm inside a building, at around 20°C, so you should wear in layers - light clothes inside

and put on thick jackets when you go out. Spring comes in April and weather is fine and

comfortable, with temperature above 0°C. Advised to check weather every morning and spare more

time to get school if it is windy or snowing heavily. Be reminded to also check out the US weather

before you go and prepare the suitable clothes.

(14) Communication

I did not purchase a mobile phone plan so I basically rely on the Wi-Fi in school and at house. It is

convenient to have one but it is expensive and its coverage is limited to some areas so you may not

be able to use it when you travel outside Kingston. I think it is okay for me not to purchase mobile

phone plan as I can rely on my friends when I do not have access to Wi-Fi, but this may not applies

to all of you. You can check out the others’ exchange report to look up for the price of their mobile

plan and their recommendation.

(15) Tax and Tips

Sales tax in Kingston is 13%, which applies to retail, transport and restaurants. Tips are expected

in if you dine in a proper restaurant or ride on a taxi. We usually pay 10~18% tips on top of the

taxed amount. Tax rate will varies in different cities so you need to check it out when you go travel.

Part 3 – Items to Bring

Acceptance letter and offer letter

Passport and HKID

Visa

Cash

Credit cards

Adaptors and chargers

Umbrella

Waterproof (strongly suggest) coats and boots

Scarf and gloves

Long-sleeves (for Canada)

Short-sleeves (for US and indoors)

Suit

Sportswear and shoes

Swimsuit (if needed)

Vacuum bags (if needed)

Laptop

USB

Calculator & financial calculator

Other things you bring to school (stationery, notebook, water bottle etc.)

Pillow/bed sheet/blanket (if needed)

Hair dryer

Hand cream and body butter (heaters will make your skin dry)

Personal hygiene products

Medicine

Camera

Part 4 – Useful Links and Contacts

Queen’s University – Off-Campus Housing Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1618611005028802/

RIDESHARE Queen’s University Facebook: (you need your Queen’s email to join)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/QueensRideShare/

Megabus Website:

https://ca.megabus.com/

Part 5 – Best Practices of Host University

Queen’s University is a place where you can keep yourself busy but relax at the same time. Queen’s may not

be your choice if you want to chill every day during your exchange as the workload in Queen’s is similar to

UST’s, and you will still need to spend at least half of your time on studies. However, lifestyle in Canada

itself, in Kingston especially, is chill and relax, and can find much more time to go around and entertain

yourself than when you are in Hong Kong. Things I did most in Kingston were basically hanging out with

friends and resting at home.

I do encourage you to try something new in your life, especially the typical Canadian sports and food.

Activities organized by the school are good opportunities to start with. This is also a good time to speak up

more in classes and be proactive. Cook and create your own dishes. Make friends with more people.

Students in Queen’s is quite diverse and you will find a lot of interesting facts and learn a lot from people of

different backgrounds. And of course, Canada is a beautiful country, so GO TRAVEL!

Take a look onto the others’ exchange report if I missed something or wrote something unclear. They should

share similar experience as I do since we hang out most of the time. Feel free to find me if you want to know

more about Queen’s, Kingston, general advice for exchange, our sweets and sour, or anything come out of

your mind. You can have my contacts from the SBM office.

At last, I wish you a memorable exchange!