EXCHANGE REPORT · Universal Studio. For Disney Land, it’s better to buy online ticket a month...
Transcript of EXCHANGE REPORT · Universal Studio. For Disney Land, it’s better to buy online ticket a month...
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
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