UNIVERSITY OF

FINA & ACCT | YEAR 3 SPRING

SIT HONG LIM, ESMOND

Monthly Activity Log January I took a flight from Hong Kong to United Kingdom on 26th Jan and arrived at airport in the afternoon. For the spring semester in the , there is no meeting service. Therefore, I took a train from Manchester to Leeds, then changed a taxi to Montague Residence (i.e. my accommodation). I arrived one day after the suggested arrival day, but I still managed to attend all of the business school’s orientations and activities.

February Not much information can be provided due to COVID-19 March Not much information can be provided due to COVID-19 April Not much information can be provided due to COVID-19 May Not much information can be provided due to COVID-19 June Not much information can be provided due to COVID-19

2 General Exchange Information

Visa procedures For Hong Kong permanent citizens, there is no need for you to get a visa prior to the UK exchange. After your arrival, you will need to present your confirmation letter of your host university issued by HKUST as a proof of your student identity, so as to receive a short-term 6-months study visa from the customs. However, if you plan to stay in UK more than six months, you may need to apply for a visa before heading to the UK. Once you get the official stamp on your passport, you can go to any place in the UK.

Orientation activities There are a various orientation events held by the University of Leeds. Nevertheless, only the orientation organized by the business school is compulsory. If you are unable to attend the compulsory orientation, you may need to contact the business school in advance. Most of the time they will rearrange an individual briefing for you even if you cannot attend.

International services and activities There is an international buddy programme organized by the business school. You will be paired up with an incoming exchange buddy who shares similar hobbies and interest. Through this programme, you can get to know more about each other as well as different cultures from all around the world. It widens your international exposure and equips you to become a global citizen. Moreover, there are some weekly international gathering events. It is a great chance for you to broaden your horizon by meeting with different people.

Accommodation I lived in the Montague Burton Residence during the spring semester. I have two shared bathrooms and one common room with eight flatmates. Overall, the living condition is pleasant. In addition, the Montague Burton Residence is proximity to the main campus, which you only have to take a 5-minute walk. However, I have to take a 15-minute walk to the city centre. We also have a gym room and barbecue area for students, but they were under maintenance. I believe that they will be available for future incoming students.

Courses registration You can start registering your courses in late December. Supposedly, there is an application form for you to add/drop your module. However, most of my courses are registered by sending emails to the different departments. Then, the coordinator will help you add/drop your module manually. Unlike HKUST, you cannot change your modules using online platforms like “My portal”.

Teaching and assessment methods Most of the assessment methods of courses in Leeds are similar to HKUST, you are required to attend lectures and seminars during the semester. However, there are fewer assignments and exams in Leeds. Most of my courses only have one exam or essay throughout the entire semester. Therefore, the workload is less than HKUST. In the University of Leeds, they focus more on self-learning. That is, you have to real a lot of required readings, and have to put them into discussion during tutorials. 3

Sports and recreation facilities There is a sports building called The Edge. Many sports facilities can be found there. For instance, swimming pool, gym room, basketball court, badminton court and handball court etc. You can book and use all of the facilities free of charge. However, if you would like to join yoga or dancing classes in The Edge, you may need to pay extra fees in advance. Please also note that you are only allowed to access the gym room during non-peak hours (i.e. in the morning). Otherwise, you are required to pay an entrance fee if you enter during the peak hours.

Finance and banking It is very important for you to open a bank account in the UK, as most of the payments can be paid via debit/credit cards. It makes your life easier without holding too much cash on hand. I opened a bank account in HSBC. In order to open a bank account in HSBC, you will need to bring along your confirmation letter from HKUST, passport, bank letter and Leeds student ID card. Apart from setting up a bank account, you can also register an account from Monzo. It provides a user-friendly interface for you to settle daily expenses with your friends in the UK.

Breakdown of my expenses: Air ticket 10,000 HKD Accommodation 26,000 HKD Daily Expenses 20,000 HKD Travelling Expenses 30,000 HKD Total 86,000 HKD

Social Clubs and Networking Opportunities In the beginning of the spring semester, different societies will recruit new members from the university. You can grab a chance to join some societies that you are interested in. Moreover, you can also find your exchange buddy to get a clear picture of the university. There are also some social media pages such as “LUU” & “City Life Leeds” where you can find the latest news as well as activities to join throughout the semester.

Health and safety Overall, Leeds is a safe city. However you should prevent going outside alone at night. This is because there are rapes and robbery cases happen from time to time. Moreover, you should take good care of your personal belongings, so as to reduce the risk of losing your valuables. For health issue, as we are not covered in the local insurance campaign, it will be quite expensive for you to visit a doctor in Leeds. Nevertheless, you can buy medicine easily from pharmacies such as Boots. It will also be great if you can bring some medicine from Hong Kong.

Food Although the cost of living in Leeds is relatively lower than other cities in the UK, it is always better to cook rather than eat out, as it can help you to save money for future expenses. If you choose to eat outside, it will cost you 5-6 pounds per meal. However, if you choose to cook on your own, it will only cost you 1-2 pounds per meal. There are also a lot of

4 supermarkets nearby, such as Tesco, COOP and Morrisons. So, you do not have to worry about where to buy your food in Leeds.

Transportation In the UK, the transportation cost is pretty expensive. So if you are planning to travel around the UK, I suggest you to buy a coach card from the National Express. The card costs you 12 pounds but it will give you a 33% discount every time you purchase a ticket from National Express. Alternatively, you can also purchase a train card which has a similar discount when you are purchasing train tickets. In addition, as my residence is near to the main campus, there is no need for me to take any public transport to school.

Climate The temperature from January to March is pretty cold in the UK, there is a need for you to bring a down jacket. On average, it will be 8-10 degrees from January to March. Starting from April, the temperature will increase to 15 degrees, which you will feel more comfy than previous months. Please note that the UK is always rainy and windy, it is also essential for you bring an umbrella and windbreaker.

Communication As English is the mother tongue of the British, there is no communication barrier in the University of Leeds. However, if you would like to travel to other European countries like Italy, you may find it a bit difficult to communicate with the locals. As they have strong accents which make you hard to listen what they say. In general, you will still find it comfortable to communicate with the people in Europe, it is also a great chance for you to practice your English.

Cautionary measures Students who are going to the United Kingdom should aware of the weather. There is always a high chance of raining and is very windy. Moreover, the spring semester is the peak season of people getting sick in the UK. So I would suggest UK exchange students to bring enough jackets as well as medicine from Hong Kong.

Items to bring

Exchange HKID card HKUST Student Passport Laptop acceptance letter ID Card

Notebooks Umbrella Gloves & Scarf Jacket Pounds

Pillow Medicine Face masks Europe Power bank Adaptors

5 Useful links and Contacts Study Abroad Office: http://www.leeds.ac.uk/info/130117/exchange_and_study_abroad

Trainline: https://www.thetrainline.com/

Accommodation: https://accommodation.leeds.ac.uk/

The Edge: https://sportsbookings.leeds.ac.uk/OnlineBookings/Account/Register

Minerva Online Studying Platform: https://minerva.leeds.ac.uk/

6