Student Exchange Report
Cass Business School, City University London
Spring 2015
Name of University: Cass Business School, City University of London
Exchange semester: Spring 2015
I. PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Before leaving Norway
The incoming Exchange coordinators at Cass provided me with pre-arrival information
early November once the application process was completed. The information contained
details about all the key information regarding the semester, examination period,
courses etc. The staff at the Exchange office at Cass was very pleasant and forthcoming
in their handling of quires and requests, both pre- and during my stay in London.
Applying for a visa
Norwegian citizens are not required to apply for a visa to study in the United Kingdom.
Travel
I travelled with SAS from OSL to London Heathrow. From Heathrow there are a wide
variety of transportation options into central London. The Picadilly line of the London
Underground is the cheapest way to get into central London, but the Heathrow Express
terminating at London Paddington is the fastest way to reach the central parts of
London.
Housing
The university did provide housing, but the housing was both in popular demand and
limited. I resided with a private student accommodation provider, which there are
plenty of in the area around the two Cass campuses. I stayed with a provider called
Therese House, which was conveniently located close to the Cass campuses and the
Barbican tube station. A lot of the other exchange students I had contact with stayed at
Liberty Court (Farringdon) or IQ Shoreditch (Old Street). Student accommodation and
housing in general is quite expensive in London, so dependent on your budget I would
advice you to look into the university provided accommodation options. However, I
strongly advice outgoing exchange students find a place to reside inside zone 1 or close
to the Cass campuses as the travel times and congestion within the London transport
network can be a challenge.
Costs
Rent
Books
Food
Transport
Other
12.000 NOK
per month
3.000 NOK*
3.000 NOK
£2.20 per
trip**
2000
NOK***
* Books were also available to lend from the Cass library free-of-charge.
** Given that I lived close to the campuses, I avoided travel cost on my commute to
campus. However, I strongly advice you to acquire an Oyster top-up for the London
transport network.
*** I acquired a top-up pay as go card from Lebara for my phone during my stay
in London. The monthly charge was around 15 £ which will provide you with
suitable amounts of data.
Culture and language
All communication both at and with the University, and within the group of exchange
students happened in English, so no language barriers were experienced.
The United Kingdom is definitely easy to explore and experience with London as a base.
Trains spear off around the entire country continually from the different London stations, and
places like Edinburgh is just four hours away by train. London in itself is also worth
experiencing due to its architecture, museums, exhibits and sports.
II. ABOUT THE SCHOOL
The Sir John Cass Business School is the business department of City University of London.
The undergraduate and graduate schools are located in two different campuses around 1 km
from each other in the Northern part of London city. The graduate school is a modern campus
in Bunhill Row, quite similar to BI’s Nydalen campus. The undergraduate school were the
bachelor level courses are taught is slightly older and located at Northampton Square (close to
Angel Station). Undergraduates, as well as exchange students, does, however, have access to
the library and facilities at Bunhill Row, which I highly recommend using for studying.
Course registration
Registration for courses happens during the second week of the semester. Thereby, the
students are able to try out different courses during the first week of the semester, and then
change their preferences. Please note that alterations to the Learning Agreement with BI has
to approved with BI before you decide to change your courses.
Academic calendar
Arrival date:
First day of the semester:
Last day of classes:
Examination period:
Any special events/holidays:
26.01.2015
26.01.2015
14.04.2015
01.04 – 14.04.2015
Bank Holidays in the
UK, Easter
Other:
Arrival
The Student Union and the Exchange office at Cass arranged a variety of activities during
the first week of the semester. I do recommend attending as many of these as you can.
The International Office
We had a separate introduction session just for exchange students on the first day of the
semester. All quires beyond the contents of this session was easy to find through the
Exchange coordinators.
Social activities
I did all of my coursework with exchange students, but did attend classes with regular
students as well. I found coursework to be one of the best ways to interact with other
exchange students, as it required frequent meetings and efforts.
There were a variety of events hosted by both the Student Union and the exchange
“buddies”. None of them were exclusive to exchange students however.
III. ACADEMICS
In the classroom
The teaching style varied significantly between the different courses I attended,
primarily with regards to the size of the class. In the larger modules (size of class) , the
share number of attendees made the lectures quite similar to the ones we have in
Norway. However, the modules with a smaller class, however, was very different from
the Norwegian model, with constant interaction between students and lecturer through
presentations, discussions and other types of coursework.
The level was very similar to that at BI. Due to the fact that the pedagogical approach in the
UK is slightly more towards stable effort throughout the semester with focus on frequent
presentations and coursework, the workload seemed slightly larger than the one I’ve
experienced at BI, outside of the examination period. However, since the semesters are very
short and a lot of emphasis is put on the coursework rather than the examinations, I have to
say that the total workload was lower than a normal semester at BI.
Course materials
Lecture notes and power point-slides for the entire module are distributed to the
students at the first week of the semester. This gives you a very time effective overview
of the coming topics, which makes following the lectures very easy. Most courses
supplement the course notes with the usage of books.
Exams
The exam was based on both the course material and lectures. Regular examination
takes place around the middle of May, but Cass offers an alternative examination scheme
for exchange students in April for exchange students. These alternative assessments are
essays, reports or projects done at-home with a time limit.
Some of the courses had a mid-term examination counting for 30 % of the total grade.
Alternatively, the coursework was given more emphasis. Attendance in lectures is not
mandatory but highly recommended, particularly in the modules with a lower number
of students.
Library and technology
The facilities at the Northampton Square Campus are not as modern and effective as the
ones at BI. There are both a library and silent area at the undergraduate campus, but I
would recommend using the Bunhill Row campus for personal studies.
Description of courses
Course code & name
Master/
Bachelor
BS1102 – Introduction Bachelor
to Management
Exam form
MS2103 – Operations
Management
B
Coursework (30
%), alterative
assessment (70
%)
Logistics/lo
gistikk
BS3200 –
International Financial
Management
B
Coursework (30
%), alterative
assessment (70
%)
Elective
IF2204 – Personal
Finance
B
Coursework (30
%), alterative
assessment (70
%)
Elective
Coursework –
case studies
(group) (30 %),
alterative
assessment (70
%)
Approved
as
Elective
Comments
Similar to the Org courses at BI, with a
more in-depth focus on strategy and
leadership. The entire course was based
on solving and discussing case studies,
which made it a superior learning
method for the frameworks within Org
compared to the BI model. Even though
the name suggest otherwise, the model
was not an introduction course
compared to the similar management
courses a BI.
Accepted as second year logistics at BI.
Brilliant lecturers, with a lot of
interaction and discussions in the class
regarding the frameworks we were
presented.
Highly recommended. Course revolving
around international currency risks for
global enterprises. Focused on direct
financial hedging or risk exposure
reduction through strategy and
management.
Tailored made for exchange students,
focusing on giving students an
understanding of international
differences with regards to personal
wealth and taxation.
Final note
I had a brilliant semester in London. I met many interesting and talented people from all
across the globe. London is also a fantastic city, and gets even better once you manage to
explore beyond the world of high street shopping and fashionable hotels that is the primary
impression of London for many Norwegians.
Please feel free to contact me through the International Office if you as the reader have
further quires.