EXCHANGE REPORT THE UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER, UK Alliance Manchester Business School LAM, KUNG SHING BBA in Finance & Information Systems (Year 3) Spring 2017 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Part I Monthly Activity Log 3-5 Part II General Exchange Information 5-8 Part III Items to Bring 8 Part IV Useful Links and Contacts 8 2 PART I – Monthly Activity Log January 2017 I arrived in Manchester on 26 January. My first impression of Manchester was its tranquillity. It is not as crowded as Hong Kong. The surrounding of my accommodation in the Victoria Park Campus was peaceful and quiet. The first thing I did when I arrived in Manchester was to buy everything I needed to live for the coming 4 months and a half. Therefore, I went straight ahead to the China Town in Manchester on the day of my arrival and the Chinese New Year was about to come. The compulsory Induction Day was on 27 January and I met lots of exchange students from all around the world. February 2017 It was still very cold in Manchester in February. I explored the city centre of Manchester. Manchester Arndale is the most popular shopping centre at which you can buy all the daily essential items ranging from clothes, housing equipment and food. The city centre was very lively. I saw a lot of street performances. Many people liked to go there for drinking during the day or at night. However, the night life was very different from that in Hong Kong because most of the shops were closed before 8 pm, except convenience stores and clubs. March 2017 In March, every exchange student was busy planning how to spend their Easter Vacation. However, I also paid attention to the study because the progress of group projects needed to be 3 planned ahead to ensure that everything should be completed timely. It is very important because you generally cannot see your group members during the holiday, meaning that you cannot have face-to-face meetings. Moreover, it means that you have to spend time completing projects during your trips. For instance, my group member finished her work during her stay in London. For me, I also got some presentations to finish before the holiday so March was a busy month. Therefore, you should plan ahead to have a balanced Easter Vacation. April 2017 April was the month for my Easter Vacation. I continued my trip to explore Manchester. I went to the downtown area to visit the church. There were a lot of bars in the downtown. The city hall of Manchester is also located in the downtown area. Also, I went sightseeing at different places near Manchester like Salford. The Lowry Quay is located near the University of Salford and you can find the BBC building there. I spent relatively more time completing projects near the end of the holiday. After the vacation, I finished presentations with my group members. I was busier in April than in March. May 2017 I was not that busy in May when compared to April because all the classes were finished at the beginning of May. Still, I had to finish writing my essay and take 3 exams in May. After that, I visited the Manchester Museum, which is owned by the University of Manchester. I saw a lot of works of archaeology, anthropology and natural history. I was astonished by the Egyptian collections like mammals. It was my first time to see mammals in person. Another thing that is still fresh in my mind was the Manchester Attack. On 22 May, a British Muslim detonated a 4 homemade bomb at the exit of Manchester Arena in Manchester, following a concert by an American singer. 23 adults and children were killed and 250 were injured. It was really a tragedy. I felt depressed and sad about it like everyone else in Manchester. I expressed condolences with a lot of people at the city centre of Manchester. June 2017 I still had one exam on 6 June so I spent a lot of time doing revision. After that, I took some rest and began to miss the city of Manchester and to think if I would come back Manchester in the future. Therefore, I walked around my accommodation and the university to recall all the memories I had in Manchester. I would say, my experiences in Manchester were once-in-a-lifetime and I will definitely visit there again if I have the opportunity. PART II – General Exchange Information 1) Visa Procedures As I hold a HKSAR passport, I do not need to apply for Visa. But If I need to stay there for more than 6 months, I will need the Visa. However, I still needed to present my offer letter from the school to the immigration officer when I arrived in Manchester. If you hold passports from other places, you should find the corresponding Visa information. 2) Orientation Activities The compulsory Induction Day was on 27 January. I met exchange students from all around the world and joined some ice-breaking activities. The International Exchange Team of the Alliance 5 Manchester Business School also provided some general information about the school, academic regulations, plagiarism and so on. 3) International Services & Activities If you need any help, you can contact the International Exchange Team of the school. The International Society also organised some trips in the UK for students. 4) Accommodations Before the start of the semester, you can have the choice to apply for the university accommodation online. The halls are located in 3 places, namely Victoria Park Campus, City Campus and Fallowfield Campus. I lived at the Victoria Hall in the Victoria Park Campus. The room was en-suite and self-catered. It took me 20 minutes to walk to the university every day. Although I chose the Denmark Road Hall, I was assigned to the Victoria Hall. So, there is no guarantee for your chosen accommodation. 5) Courses Registration The course registration information was sent to me via email in November 2016. I strongly recommend you to plan ahead because there are not many courses that can allow you transfer the credits back to HKUST. You need to apply for course assessment way before the deadline of your add/drop period as it takes more than 1 or 2 months to get the result. Also, there may be time conflict for your courses so you may need to alter your chosen courses. After you complete the course choice list, you need to send it to the International Exchange Team for confirmation via email. Exchange students must take 5 or 6 courses for the exchange semester. The following table shows the courses I took: Course Code Course Title Assessment Credit Transfer BMAN31802 Applied Investment 35% Group report FINA4003 Wealth Management 15% Class presentation Management 50% Final exam BMAN30242 Financial Engineering 100% Final exam FINA 3000LEVEL: 3000- level Course in Finance BMAN31792 Financial Market 100% Final exam FINA 3000LEVEL: 3000- Microstructure level Course in Finance BMAN30732 Business IT 30% Coursework ISOM 3000IS: 3000-level Architecture 70% Final exam Course in Information Systems, Business Statistics and Operations Management BMAN20792 Technology Strategy 80% Individual Essay ISOM 4020: Innovation and Innovation 1 20% Group work Management and Technology Entrepreneurship 6 6) Teaching & Assessment Methods The teaching and assessment vary for different courses. Generally, a course consists of 1 lecture and 1 seminar/ workshop per week. Some courses are assessed based on only 1 final exam, some are assessed based on group projects and 1 final exam while others are assessed based on essay and group work. 7) Sports & Recreation Facilities Some sports and recreation facilities, such as gyms, are available on campus. I went to the indoor swimming pool on the Induction Day. Generally you need to pay to use these sports facilities. 8) Financing & Banking You do not need to open the local bank account. I just withdrew money from my Hong Kong bank account from the Barclays ATM. It charged me 20 HKD for transaction fee. 9) Social Clubs & Networking Opportunities The International Society organised activities at a bar at the start of the semester. They also organised tours to different places in the UK including Liverpool, the Lake District and Cambridge. 10) Health & Safety You should bring some medicine with you before you arrive in Manchester. Some medicines that you usually use may not be available there. Also, you need to be careful when you are outside or alone. When I walked to the university one day, I saw a thief riding a bike stole the smartphone of a woman. It was in the morning. Also, you should be careful when you go to crowded places. The UK is not as safe as Hong Kong. The Manchester Attack in May reminds us that terrorism is an important issue that can still happen in the UK. 11) Food There is a canteen at the university. They sell Fish and Chips, oriental street food like fried rice, and burritos. I often buy ingredients from Tesco and a Chinese supermarket to cook on my own at the hall. 12) Transportation I usually took the bus 50 or 147 to the university. If you want to go to the city centre for shopping at the Manchester Arndale and Debanhams, you can also take the two buses. I recommend you to buy a day rider to save some money if you choose to take the same bus home. Uber is also very popular in Manchester. If you do not know how to get to your destination, e.g., the Manchester Airport, Uber taxis are your best choices.