Exchange report University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam By CHUI Yoshinori School of Business UVA - EXCHANGE REPORT 1
Table of content Part I Monthly activity log 3 Part II General Exchange information.. 6 Part III Items to bring.. 9 Part IV Useful Links and Contact..10 Part I - Monthly Activity Log UVA - EXCHANGE REPORT 2
August 2016 - Started in London I purchased my flight ticket from Hong Kong to London, instead of Amsterdam since I wanted to explore as much places in Europe as possible. When I just arrived this other side of the world, I was amazed by the view. I have learnt from books many famous places in UK like the London Eye and the Big Ben, but it was just so different when you see them with your own eyes. London is an old city with buildings and shops with a very special antique style. Listening to the classy London accent when people walk by made me feel excited and filled with joy. I have never been to a place so far from home and I realised how big the world is. And I realised how important it is for a person to explore new places in this world. September 2016 - Arrived in Amsterdam After a one week trip in London, I flew back to the place I was supposed to go - Amsterdam. When I arrived Amsterdam Central station, I realised the culture of this place was so different from London. The atmosphere in the whole place was filled with comfortableness and relaxation. With the beautiful canals builded across the whole city and the classy old shops around, I said to myself I will love to live in this place for the rest of my life After picking up the keys from the office (De Keys), I arrived at my dorm, Prinsengraght, and was amazed by the view from the window - the window was facing the canals and I can see the beautiful view of Amsterdam everyday I woke up. I was so happy that I can enjoy such a big and comfortable room in Amsterdam. October 2016 - Studying in Amsterdam UVA - EXCHANGE REPORT 3
After studying in this University for one month, I noticed how the teaching style here differ from those in HKUST. The classes focus more on interactions between professors and students during lectures and tutorials. They emphasize more on speaking up and asking questions rather than just learning and thinking. Another different part of the school is the block system they use. They separated one semester into two blocks so we will be able to finish one course within one block. (Half of the semester) Although the time used for one course here is half the time of that of HKUST, the workload was not too tough and was manageable. I bought a bike in Waterlooplein Market, where my local classmates suggested me to go because of its cheap price. Biking is one of the most fun activity in Amsterdam because of its convenience. It is the major transportation for the local people here, which means roads are designed for people to ride bikes. I can go anywhere with the bike, enjoying the beautiful view of the city when looking around. November 2016 - Met my best friend in Amsterdam I met a friend from the US in class and he told me to visit Munich, Germany with his friends. I have never been to a trip with foreigners so I promised him to go together after the mid term exam. I rode on a 10 hour bus ride from Amsterdam to Munich and enjoyed the famous October Beer Festival with them. Although the bus ride was tough, I think it is a very good experience to travel with a low budget at this age. I was proud that I met this friend from US and I will never forget this amazing experience. I studied very hard for the mid term exam but I got into a big trouble that day. I realised the fact that the exam venue was very far from the campus half an hour before the exam. I rode the bike for 45 minutes and I finally arrived the venue. I was so tired after such a long bicycle ride but fortunately I passed the exam. UVA - EXCHANGE REPORT 4
December 2016 - Museums in Amsterdam My exchange mate from HKUST came to visit me from their places. We went to different museums in Amsterdam like the Van Gogh Museum, Heineken Experience and the Anne Frank Museum. Since I haven t spoke Cantonese for such a long time, I was happy to see my friends and we had a great time chit chatting and going around Amsterdam. However, my bike got stolen this month. Although the bike was properly locked, it disappeared after I went into a supermarket for 10 minutes. As I told a local friend about the incident, he laughed and said It was totally normal, your bike will be stolen here even if you had a hundred locks on! So maybe I was not that unfortunate and must adapt to the local bike stealing culture here. January 2017 - Farewell It was the last month here in Europe and I went to visit many different places near Amsterdam. On the day I left this beautiful place, I told myself I will never forget the wonderful experience here and someday I will definitely come back. UVA - EXCHANGE REPORT 5
Part II - General Exchange Information 1. Visa Procedures The University will guide you throughout the process of the Visa Application with clear instructions and guidelines. There is no need to worry about anything but following the instructions. You have to submit online the required documents including bank information, insurance proof and others. You will have to buy an insurance online. (which the guideline can be also found in the Uva exchange site) As soon as you arrive Uva, they will send you emails to meet you up at school and help you set up reservations at banks to create bank account and at City Hall to proceed the residential permit. The procedures are easy and clear but do remember to check your email all the time! 2. Orientation Activities Before you go on exchange, the International Student Network will send you emails to invite you to participate in their activities which lasts for 3 days. During those days, they will arrange all kinds of activities including introduction of famous places in Amsterdam and eating lunch and dinner with a group of members. The campaign costs around 60 Euros. After the 3 days activity, they will also have regular activities in bars or restaurants to make sure you have a good time during your exchange. 3. Accommodation. The company for accommodations are separated from Uva but you will find it easy to find a place to live in. Before you go on exchange, Uva will send you email to make sure you can find a living place by sending you links to directly indicate your preference on where to live. The price range is quite big, depending on your location and the size of the room. There will be a charge paid to Uva for helping you find a room. Also, bear in mind that you need to pay a deposit plus the first month s rental fee. The deposit will be returned back to you one month after your tenancy agreement ends. Do remember to arrive in Amsterdam at office hour of the office of the company! (De Key closes on Friday at 1.00pm does not open on Sat and Sun) UVA - EXCHANGE REPORT 6
4. Course registration. Courses can be registered via the link Uva sent you through email. You are recommended to think of what courses you would like to register as soon as possible. You can go to the site in the HKUST links to check which course can allow you to transfer credits. Also, do remember to choose courses taught in English! 5. Teaching and assessment. The teaching style is very different from Hong Kong. Professors requires communications among classmates during class and emphasize more on interaction with group mates. There was no attendance in class or tutorials and the grades were mainly based on mid term and final exams. The exam venues are not necessarily in the campus, or sometimes very far away so be careful about the venues of the exams. Once, I was arranged to have an exam inside a shopping mall which made me quite hard to find the venue of the exam. The exams are often more challenging than the mid term exam. Also, there are two blocks in a semester, and two exams in each block. This means that there will be 4 exams in one semester. 6. Health and safety Amsterdam is a safe place to live in but there may be drug dealers wandering around the streets during the night. Therefore, I do not recommend you to walk on the street alone at night. Bikes can be easily stolen, therefore, you must lock your bike anytime! 7. Food Eating in restaurants are quite expensive in Amsterdam. I could not afford to eat outside everyday. However, the supermarket sells food at a reasonable price. You will find out that some daily products such as milk and cheese are cheaper than Hong Kong. Therefore, if you do not want to spend too much on dinning, you can cook in your own kitchen. Some big supermarkets are Albert Heign, Jumbo. Also, you can find cooking utensils in a mall called HEMA. UVA - EXCHANGE REPORT 7
8. Transportation If you know how to ride a bike, the cheapest way of going around is to buy a bike at the Waterlooplein Market. It is a market which sells many second hand bikes, which you can sell them again when you finish your exchange. (If your bike did not get stolen!!) You must also buy an OV chip on the first day you arrive. It is similar to the Octopus Card which allows you to ride on any transportation (including trams, trains, buses) 9. Climate Climate in Amsterdam is always colder than Hong Kong. Sometimes it will snow in winter. Therefore, you should bring more clothes and also remind yourself that you will have to spend extra money on clothing during winter periods. 10. Communication Surprisingly, people in the Netherlands speaks perfect English. (Sometimes speaks better english than Hong Kong people) Therefore, you shouldn t be worried about not knowing Dutch. UVA - EXCHANGE REPORT 8
Part III - Items to bring CHECKLIST Jacket Scarf Gloves Hat European Adapter Euros Passport Flight ticket Camera Medicine Blankets UVA - EXCHANGE REPORT 9
Part IV - Useful links and contacts 1. Course Catalog student.uva.nl/rmp/az/content/course-catalogue/course-catalogue.htmlabc University Exchange Program Website 2. UVA exchange programme website www.uva.nl/en/education/other-programmes/exchange/exchange.html 3. Transportation/Map Information http://www.amsterdam.info/map/ UVA - EXCHANGE REPORT 10