EXCHANGEREPORTUniversityofTexasatAustin,USA

ZhishanHE(Annabelle)

Sping2019

January2018:Firstimpression

ThefirstimpressionofAustin:Everythingisbigger!Imeanallthestuff,theapartments,theroadortheeventhesizeoffood.Duringthosedaysbeforecoursesbegan,weparticipatedlotsoforientationsandpartiesorganizedbyInternationalStudentsandScholarServicecenter,wherewegottomeetnewfriends.Afterthat,weUSTstudentswentforashorttripinSanAntonio,atouristcitynearAustin.

Beforethesemesterbegan,therewerelotsofadminworkrequired,includingUTstudentcardapplication,medicalbarclearance,bankcardapplication,etc.

February2018:Newsemester

It’sstillabitcoldhereinFebruary.Mostofdaysare in 5-15 degree Celsius. Thick coats andsweatersareneeded.

Itook5coursesthissemester,withonemoreauditing class. Theworkloaddepends,butonaverageit’sabitheavierthanHKUST.

Part1:MonthlyActivityLog

Atthebeginningofthesemester,theworkloadisquitelight.It’sagoodtimeforustogotravellinginthecitynearby.AsabigfanofRaptor,IwenttoHoustontowatchafantasticNBAgame.

Afterthat,IwenttoNASAforavisit.Thereare 2 routes of exhibition, with lots ofparticipatoryexperience.Youcanlookintothe delicate aerospace equipmentwithinaninchdistance.Itshouldbethemosteye-opening and educational tour for me. Iwould also recommend the Fine ArtMuseuminHouston,agoodsubstitutionifyoudon’thavechancetogotoChicagoorNew York. There are two huge separatebuildingswithhundredsstatusandpaintings.

March2019:Goodweather,greatmood

Austinisaverychillandpleasantcity.YoucanenjoylargesceneofblueskyandwarmtemperatureinMarch.Therearelotsofchoicesforoutdooractivities.MountainBonnell

is a small hill at the center of city. NearBonnell is the Mayfield Park and NatureReserve, where lots of peacocks habitatthere. We, all HKUST students went forhikingtogetherduringtheweekend.

InthesecondhalfofMarch,wehavea10-day spring break! I went toOrlandowithfriends, spending all my days in theamusement parks – Disney Land &Universal Studio. For Disney Land, it’sbettertobuyonlineticketamonthbeforeas you can start choosing FastPassopportunities on the App - My DisneyExperience. As for Universal Studio,there’relotsofdiscountfareonlinealso.

AftermystayinOrlando,IwenttoMichiganforavisit.It’sstillverycoldintheNorthernpartofUSinMarch.Soifyouplantotourtonorthernpart(Chicago,NewYork,Boston,etc),remembertobringsomethickcoatswithyou.

April2019:Backtostudy–hardworkrequired

Afteragreattourismexperience,it’stimetostudyhardasfinalsareapproaching.Aprilisprobablythebusiestmonthasmanycourseswillbeinthemostdifficultpart,andgroupprojectsaregoingtodue.Thoughthestudyworkload isheavysometime, it’s reallyawarmformetowalkbackhomewithfriendsaftermidnightandenjoythepeacefulnightsceneofAustin.It’sreallymovingwhenmyfriendspreparedarichdinnerandwaitingforustocomeback.It’sreallyfunwhenallthefriendsbeingtogetherplayingwarewolfkillerandsharingghoststories.Tobehonest,lookingbacktothisexperience,themostrewardingpartistherealfriendshipI’vegot.

May2019:Hardtosaygoodbye

AtthebeginningofMay,it’stimeforfinals.Theexamsherearemucheasierthanwhatwe’vegotinHKUST.

Inaddition,tinytipforstudentswhowanttopursuefurtherstudy.It’stimetoreachouttoyourprofessorandrequireforareferenceletter.Theprofessorsherearereallyniceandfriendly.Oneofmyfriendsevengotthesummerresearchassistantposition.Ifyouneed,don’thesitatetoask.

MyexchangelifeendedinMay2019.It’sreallyhardtosaygoodbyetothiscity.

VisaApplication

Youwillreceiveschoolletteraroundamonthbeforedeparture.Shouldbehurryandcautiouswhenapplyingthevisa.Firstandforemost,checkallthedocumentsprovidedbyschool.There’remightbesomemistake.

Afterthat,we’llneedtofillintheformsonlineandscheduleaUSembassyinterview.Goearlytoavoidwaitinginline.Approximately40minutesforthewholeprocess.Theinterviewisniceandshort,simplyaskingyourpurposeofvisiting.Noneedtoprepare.

Orientation

Veryorganizedorientationactivitiesheldbyinternationaloffice.It’sagreattimetomeetfriendsallovertheworld.Theywouldholdmanyoutdooractivities,historicalplacevisits,andmanymoreifyouwouldliketojoin.RemembertoregisterfortheExchangeBuddyProgram,it’sanopportunitytovisitUSfamily.

Accommodation

Wedon’thaveon-campusdormsprovided,soremembertorentforanapartmentbeforehand.Thissemester,mostofourHKUSTstudentslivinginCameronHouserentviaSimplyInternational.Thefacilityiscomprehensivebutabitold.Allthebedlinings,kitchenequipmentareprovided,allyouneedtobringisyourclothingandsomeotherpersonalitems.Asforpublicfacility,wehadgym,partyfacility,BBQ,etc.TheapartmentisabitfarfromMccombsBusinessSchool,andPCLlibrary,takingaround20-minbywalk.Thereweremanyotheroptionsalso.ThecheapestoneisCo-op.Freelunch/dinnerprovidedandthepriceisathirdcomparedtotheapartment.Butahouseclean-upduringweekendisrequired.Ifneeded,pleasecontactUTinternationaloffice.

Part2:GeneralExchangeInformation

CourseRegistration

UTprovidesuswithaconvenientwayofcourseselection.Wecouldchooseanybusinesscourse,nopre-requisiteneeded.Also,businessschoolwillhelpusenrollinallthebusinesscourses.Noneedtorushtotheenrollingtime.Butforothernon-businesscourses,weneedtoselectandenrollbyourselves.BecarefulthatallECONcoursesarenotinbusinessschool.It’sreallyeasytogetenrolledin,withveryshortwaitingline.

CourseIntro

Itook5coursesinUTandaudited1.AllmycoursescantransferbacktoHKUSTequivalentcourse.

(1) Fin371MMoneyandCapitalMarket

Highlyrecommended!Greatandknowledgeableprofessorwiththemostup-to-dateteachingmaterial.Theprofessorwe’vemetisawell-knowneconomistinFedandWhitehousewithsufficientexperienceanddeepunderstandingofUSandglobalEconomics.Healwaysprepareshisteachingmaterialadaybeforetheclass,teachingustoanalyzecurrentbusinesssituation.

(2) ECO349KLawandEconomicsHighlyrecommended!Verycomprehensiveandinterestingcoursematerialbasedoncasestudiescoveringallmicroeconomicstheory,contractlaw,propertylawandtortlaw.Lawandeconomicsisaquitenewfieldofstudy,soIfyou’reinterestedinLawandrelatedtopics,orwanttopursuefurtherdegreeinlaw,thiscourseisamust.Tosetawarningalert,thiscourseisofveryveryheavyworkload.Classparticipationisrequired,+10Nobelpriceresearchpapersreading(amust,willbetested),textbookreading,4quizzes,acasestudygroupprojectwitha30-minpresentation,amidterm,afinalandanoptional5000-wordresearchpaper.Asformyownexperience,it’sreallyhardtocatchupaftermissingonelecture.

(3) ECOGameTheory

Agreatcoursetochoose,butnotveryexcitingtome.Theteachingisquitestandard,relativelyeasyatthebeginning,andbecomeslightlyhardwhenapproachingtotheend.Workloadisok,2midterms+finals+12HWs,andattendancerequired.Youhavetostudyalongthewayandreadtextbookasthere’sHWineveryclass.Thefinalgradingisquitegood.

(4) FIN377.2DerivativesVeryinterestingandniceprofessorbutthecontentisabithard.Theprofessorisafundmanagertradingforderivatives,withrichexperienceinthefield.Also,thelectureisreallyamusingashehastonsofjokestoshareeverytime.Asthecontentisabithardtolearn,textbookisnecessary.Thegradingisreallygoodforthisclass.

(5) PsychologyThisisawebcourse.Weneedtotakeittwiceaweekfor1.5hourduringtheclasstime.Theworkloadisabitheavy.Atthebeginningofeachlecture,there’sa10-minBenchmarktestandattheendofcourse,there’saRAStest.ThegradingistosumupallthebenchmarkandRASgradeforabsolutegrading.Besidesmaterialslearntinclass,italsotestsonthereadings.Ittookmearound3-hour/weektoreadallthereports. Thelectureisreallyinterestingbtw.Thereare2professorsguidingthecourse,withmanyguestspeakersandlabsessions.Plus,afreegenetestwillbeprovided.

(6) InternationalFinanceIauditedthiscourse.Veryfriendlyprofessor(theheadoffinanceinUT),lightworkloadandgoodgrading.Onlyamidterm,afinaland3HWs.Noattendancerequired.

Sportsandrecreationfacility

Veryaccessible.There’remanysportshallsandgymsinschool.IoftenwenttotheonenearPCL.It’sreallybigwithgreatandnewfacilities.

Pianoroomisalsoaccessibleinmusicschool.Thereare2floorsofSteinwaytoenjoy.

Also,youcandownloadAmazonPrimeNowforfreeshipmentandsomediscount.

Finance

Someoptionstochoosefrom:

(1) Visa/MastercardCreditCard(2) Visa/MastercardDebitCardandbettertoapplyforaUSDebitCard.

ThereareBOA,Chase,WellsFargoaroundUT.Ittookaround2hourstoapplyforacard.

Peaseseethefeelistbelow.

RentalFee ~US$750/monthOverall:US$3,750

UniversityFee - ISSSSupportServicefee:125USD- HealthInsurance(compulsorypaymentto

UT):996USD - EVACinsurance:40USD- Internationalinsuranceadmin.fee51.8USD- StudentCard10USD- Textbooksandotherstationary:<US$250

Overall:US$1,473MobilePlans Familyplanfor4ppl

~US$32.5/monthOverall:US$163

TransportationFee Airplane:~HKD10,000forround-flightDailyTransportationinAustin:<US$800Overall:US$2,100

Note:Theexpensesofvacationdependonplan

Health&Insurance

Veryconvenientserviceinclinic.Hereisalistforwhatyoumaywanttohave.

(1) Immunizationandbloodtest:Ifyouhaven’tfinishedallyourtestsinHK,youmaygotoclinic,andalltheserviceswillbecoveredinyourstudentinsurance.

(2) Vaccine:Youcanplanaheadwhatkindsofvaccineyouwillneedbycheckingwiththeimmunizationservicecenter.I’vetaken2shotsofHPV

(3) AnnualWellnessTest:Thereisall-roundedannualtestforwomen.

Transportation

Freechoices:Bus(UTstudentcard)

Chargeditems:Uber,Lyft,Scootersareallaccessible.LyftissometimesslightlycheaperthanUber,andyoumayregisterforSafe-rideprograminUTtotakeLyftforfreeafter11pm.Ifyouneedlong-distancetraveling,youcantakeMegabus.

InternationalServices&Activities

Theinternationalofficeprovidescomprehensiveservicesforexchangestudents,includingorientation,schooltrips,outingsandhealthinsurance.Youcanalwaysreachouttothemwhenanythingunexpectedhappens.

SocialClubs&NetworkingOpportunities

I’vejoinedtheUTWomanCareerForumthissemester,providingmewithopportunitiestotalktoUTsuccessfulwomanalumnifacetofaceeveryweekandcompanytripattheend.It’sagreatopportunityformetogetacloserviewonUSworkingenvironment,andtogettoknowmoreabouttheirstudents’viewoncareer.Theexperienceisquiterewardingtome,offeringmewithmoreanglesandmeaningwhenthinkingofacareer.

IwouldhighlyrecommendtheseclubsinUT,Ifinterested,remembertoapplyatthebeginningofthesemester.

Climate

Reallygreatweatherinspring.ThetemperatureissimilartothatinHK,whileabitdry.Girls,remembertobringsomemoisturizerswithyou.

Food

There’relotsoffamousBBQsitesinTexas.AndtypicalMexicanfoodsarehighlyrecommended.

Ifyouneedanydeliver-to-homeservices,DoordashandUbereatsmayofhelp.

Communication

InTexas,EnglishandSpanishcanbothwork.Ididn’tseeheavyaccentthere,sothere’snobarrierincommunicationatall.

CautionaryMeasure

Overallspeaking,UTisaquitesafeplace.Youcanseepoliceeverywhereinschool.Butbecarefulwhenyouwalkoutoftheschool,especiallyacrossS.tGuadaloop.Trynottowalkalongafter8pm.(TakefreeLyftafter11pm)

But!911isnotveryconvenientsometime,sosaveyourfriends’contactnumberisamust!

ExchangeProgram:

(1) https://www.mccombs.utexas.edu/

(2) http://www.utexas.edu/

CourseCatalog:

(1) https://registrar.utexas.edu/catalogs

ISSSHomepage:

(1) https://world.utexas.edu/isss

ContactPerson:PollyTrigger,AssistantDirector,RedMcCombsSchoolofBusiness

polly.trigger@mccombs.utexas.edu

Ca Cash US$1,000–2,000

BankCardMastercard/Visa(p.sUnionPaycannotwork)

Documents Visa,DS2019,Passport

ClothesBringabusinesssuitforsomeoccasions

Medicine Generalmedicineareaccessibleinclinic

PC/Phone/Camera

Charger/Changeoverplugs

CanalsobuyinAmazon

Part3:Itemtobring

Part4:Usefullinksandcontacts