Student Report – HKUST, SPRING 2014
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
I. PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Before leaving Norway
Before departing for Hong Kong, you will receive two important “information packages”. The
first package was received in mid August, and the package included several paper forms you
had to fill in in order to be matriculated. The most important form is the VISA application,
which should be filled out and sent as soon as possible. In addition, the school requires a
student to show their financial statement in order to see evidence that you can afford and pay
your exchange semester abroad. This can be easily accomplished by calling your bank and
request for a financial statement. Morever, the first information package will include papers
for applying for housing at campus. This semester we lived in Hall I and Hall VIII. Hall I is
the oldest hall, thus it is the cheapest and you had to share a bathroom with the whole floor.
Hall VII is a newly furbished hall, thus it is new, clean and you only had to share a bathroom
with your roommates (4 people). However, it is more costly. In the application form you can
choose between Hall I to Hall IX. We recommend you to apply for Hall VII, VIII, and IX.
You will have to pay more for these accommodation, but the price difference is not immense
and we believe it will be worth it. In addition, you can choose to stay with a local, an
exchange student or a student you know from BI. Our recommendation is either choose a BIstudent or an exchange student. Sharing a room with a local person will be tough as the
culture difference is vastly different. The local rarely go out and sleep, thus it will be
challenging to see “eye to eye” on things. They are nice people, but from our experience it is
nice to stay with someone who is on the same boat; which is being on exchange!
The second information package was delivered in mid December. You will also receive your
VISA around the same time, separately. In the second information package you will receive a
lot of useful information about the school and student services.
Applying for a visa
Applying for a visa was incredibly easy as HKUST will guide you on how to fill out the form,
including instructions. The visa form will be received in your first information package. The
fee for the Visa was approximately 500 HKD or around 400 NOK. This payment will also
cover the insurance at HKUST. Make sure to include a passport-photo, and make sure to bring
a dozen of them to HKUST as they request a lot for them. Our VISAs were received around
mid January.
Travel
Traveling to Hong Kong and finding tickets was not difficult, but it does take time and you
need to save money. The easiest way is to check out www.finn.no or go to any of the airline
homepages. One of us booked a ticket to China prior arriving to Hong Kong as he wanted to
explore China before starting his exchange semester. Thus, he picked SAS and flew from
Sandefjord Torp to Copenhagen with Wideroe and then Beijing with SAS. The ticket was
bought through SAS’s homepage. SAS was very convenient and he ordered his ticket well in
advanced in order to take advantage of the price and good seats. After a week of exploration,
he flew from China to Hong Kong with China Eastern, which was a bit pricey when compared
to flights in Europe, but it was the cheapest alternative for him. The two others flew by
Norwegian to Bangkok for 2500NOK. After doing some travelling in South East Asia, they
found a cheap flight to HK through one of the booking sites (zuji.com.hk / momondo /
skyscanner etc).
Overall, we recommedend you to book your tickets as early as possible in order to take
advantage of the early bird prices. Make sure you book your return flights before your
accomdation’s contract expires! We saw a lot of the exchange students flying back to their
home countries right after they completed their last exam, while there were some who decided
to stay in Hong Kong for a while or travel around Asia. Be aware that it is often cheaper to
book roundtrip flights, instead of just one-way ticket.
Housing
HKUST will provide on-campus housing for all exchange-in students and you can apply for
one of the 9 undergraduate halls. The provided rooms on campus are either twin bedrooms or
triple bedrooms for exchange students and you can choose to stay with a local, an exchange
student or a student you know from BI. The rooms are relatively small compared to the rooms
you in Oslo or at BSN in Nydalen. You will be allotted with a mini refridgerator which you
have to share with your roommate, your own study desk, a revolving fan which is attached on
the ceiling and an air-condition. In Hall I-VI, you will have to share bathrooms with everyone
in the floor you live in. In Hall VII to IX, you will only have to share a bathroom with three
other people, which are your roommates. Air-condition will be useful during warm, humid
seasons, which will start around early April. It is necessary because it will prevent your room
from receiving humidity problems. Some exchange students began to see mold on their
belongings due to excessive humidity in the room. In order to use the air-condition, you will
have to add value into your air-condition account with your student ID card.
Another alternate is that you can choose to find a place on your own if you don’t want to live
on campus. Since the exchange semester’s duration is only four months, it is not
recommended to seek an apartment near HKUST. The rental price in Hong Kong is high and
also pretty pricey to find a good place for such a short term. The on-campus housing is way
cheaper than what you can find on your own, with a housing-tuition of about 5330 – 7350
HKD (4264 – 5880 NOK) approximately for the entire semester.
Costs
In Hong Kong, the cost of living really depends on the way you spend. In general, lecture
books are a lot cheaper than in Norway (about half price). The food can be found in two of the
canteens and they are cheap as a meal will usually cost from 20 to 30 HKD. There is a new
place called Ebeenzers where you can find good kebab and the price range is from 20 HKD to
40 HKD. Off campus you can find a broad variety of food for all kinds of prices depends on
your preference. Transportation is very convenient and cheap as well. Make sure to get
yourself a student Octopus card, which will allow you to purchase meals on campus, drinks at
7-eleven, and all modes of transporation (half-price as well), such as the MTR, busses and
taxies. Since HKUST is located far from downtown, a taxi ride from HKUST to downtown
will cost approximately 100 HKD. An MTR/bus ride will cost approximately 8 – 10 HKD.
Culture and language
All the business faculty staffs and the professors speak fluent English, thus communicating
with them was not a problem. However, there were occasion where some of the staff members
from other departments, including security guards and people who work at the dorms,
struggled in speaking English and getting their words acrossed.
The university also offers language courses in Mandarin, a great experience but very
demanding. Since local students are fairly kept to themselves, a great way to get to know
them more is to choose to share room with them in the Hall, however be aware that their
hours are very different and they hardly sleep at all.
The culture in Hong Kong is basically a fusion between the West and the East. One can easily
see the English influence in the architecture and there is a reason why numerous of people are
able to communicate in English. However, there is also a rich Chinese culture side of Hong
Kong once you experience the streets outside of main downtown. You will get a culture shock
once you see how the students study in HKUST and how the people live their life in Hong
Kong, and this experience can really broaden your international experience and allow you to
become more open-minded.
II. ABOUT THE SCHOOL
The school is situated in Clearwater Bay which is a 30 min cab drive from Central Hong
Kong. The surroundings of the school are magnificent with beautiful landscape and the ocean.
You do not feel like you are in one of the biggest cities in the world studying at this school.
The school consists of academic buildings and a lot of housing buildings. The academic
buildings lies on top of the hill, while all the student halls are situated in the hillside. Down by
the ocean you will find nice beach areas, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a big artificial
soccer pitch, a smaller soccer pitch, basketball courts etc. The school different divisions are
business, science and technology. The study structure is very similar to American Universities
where you take a 4-year bachelor, or if you pick the right courses, you can take a 3-year
bachelor.
Course registration
Students will be able to register for the courses they want online prior to arrival. This can be a
little tricky, and you should know which course you want before the process starts. When
school starts there is a 2 week add/drop period, where you can change classes if you don’t like
the ones you have. The most popular classes is difficult to get in the add/drop period because
they are often full. Thus, we advise you to start extremely early in order to get into the courses
you want.
Academic calendar
Arrival date:
First day of the semester:
Last day of classes:
Examination period:
Any special events/holidays:
Other:
25.01.13
01.02.2013
16.05.2013
30.05.2013
Chinese New Year,
Spring break
In spring semester
there are a lot of free
days
Arrival
When you arrive in Hong Kong, it is common that your buddy will pick up at the airport, if
this is something you want. The prodecure for checking in at school and into your dorm is
also very convenient. Sadly there isn’t an introduction week like Fadderuka, but the exchange
students have a lot of fun together. The only thing the school provides is a culture tour around
the city. If you have any concerns you can speak with your contact person or your “buddy” at
campus, and they will assist you. If your buddy cannot help you, there is the international
office that can help you. The in-coming exchange coordinator is very helpful and she will
guide you through the whole process when sorting out with the important packages and any
inquiries related to school. From our experience, they were very helpful towards us. To
promote BI and Norway in our stay we participated the exchange fair at school. We had to
decorate our banner and answer the locals’ inquiries regarding BI.
Social activities
In social activities you definitely get the best relationship with other exchange students and
international full-time students at the school. It’s difficult to get to know local students on a
personal level because they are very shy and extremely committed to school. While for
westerner students’ university-life is very much about social life and probably a little less on
school. However, this is not the case in Hong Kong. The relationships with the other
exchange students was great and we participated in a lot of exciting activities together. On
Wednesdays we would usually go to the Horse Race in Happy Valley to bet on horses or just
relax with friends and after that head over to Wanchai to celebrate the night. On the weekends
we would head over to Lan Kwai Fong where we can meet other exchange people from other
schools and have a great time there. We would also spend time exploring Hong Kong such as
TST, Central and Causeway Bay. In addition, there are numerous of student organizations at
the school, but most of these groups’ main language is Cantonese.
III. ACADEMICS
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology is well recognized for its academics and is
regarded as one of the best business schools in Asia, in addition to being ranked number 1
according to QS rankings 2012. Everything from the teachers to the course materials were top
class.
The way school runs is very similar to high school in Norway or how Universities are in
America. Everything was lectured in English, thus communication was not a factor problem.
We would not say that it was much tougher then BI, but just very different as the workload is
a lot higher and class participation actually counts. This means you won’t be able to do
anything you want in HKUST, you actually have to attend class and pay attention to each
lecture. In addition, in regards to exam, at BI we only have one exam in each subject each
semester that counted as 100% of your grade. However, in Hong Kong, one will be evaluated
all the time. You will be evaluated on your mid-term, your projects, presentation, including
your participation level in class. Relationship professor-student is one unique thing in this
university, where you really can get to know your professor. The relationship with other
students is also good, but it can also get a little ugly sometimes because of the competition for
the best grades. Usually your classmates will be reluctant in helping you.
We only used books and articles in our classes in Hong Kong. However, majority of the
teachers prefer that you use their Power Points slides instead. They will also provide a lot of
extra material if you are interested in reading more about the subjects. Mandatory course
material is much less than what you are used to in BI where you always have a big book in
each subject.
The grading system at HKUST is everything from presentations, case studies, group
homework, in-class participation, in-class quizzes, participation on-line, mid-terms and finals.
This depends very on which class you choose. Many of the management/marketing classes
have group assignments, but no final exam. These classes have a steady work load through the
semester. Finance, accounting, operations, economics classes often emphasize more on the
midterm and final exam. What kind of grading process depends very on the courses you
choose.
Library and technology
Library facilities at the school are excellent. You have one main library, which has 5 floors
and one of the floors is opened 24/7 during mid term and final exam periods. Most of the
international students study at a place called the Learning Commons or LC. The rest of the
floors is where all the locals study. There are rooms designated for people who want to study
and rooms designated for Mac computers and Window computers. There is also one
printing/computer room that is packed with computers. The school have both Bloomberg and
Reuter’s terminals.
Description of courses
Course code & name
ECON 4384
Globalization: Trade,
Investment and Exchange
Rate
MARK 4210
Strategic Marketing
Master/
Bachelor
Bachelor
Exam form
Prerequisites
Approved as
Midterm: 2 hour
written exam
Final Exam: 3-hour
written exam
Micro and Macro
Mandatory
Bachelor
Midterm and Final
Exam: 2-hour
written exam
Consumer
Behavior
Mandatory
ISOM 2700 Operational
Management
Bachelor
MGMT 3120
Managerial Leadership
Bachelor
MGMT 3140
Negotiation
Bachelor
MGMT 4220
Entrepreneurship and
Small Business Studies
FINA 3104
Investment Analysis and
Portofolio Managment
Bachelor
Bachelor
Midterm and Final
Exam: 2 hour
multiple choice
exam
Midterm and Final
Exam: 2 hour
written exam
None
Elective/Man
datory
None
Elective
Midterm and Final
Exam: 2 hour
written exam
Group project
None
Elective
None
Elective
Midterm and Final
Exam: 2 hour
written exam
Finans 1
Elective
ECON 4384 Globalization: Trade, Investment and Exchange Rate
This course is fascinating, though very heavy and in-depth as students would receive
homework basically each week and the final exam is accumulative. Even though the course is
relatively strenuous, the course teaches you how a central bank operates and the reason for
why we trade. The professor had a slight local accent, thus it was difficult to comprehend
what he was teaching, thus the textbook is your savior. The course is heavy, so it is
recommended to attend every class and pay close attention to every lecture.
MARK 4210 Strategic Marketing
This course is very interesting as it teaches students how to successfully and strategically
market your products. The professor is very entertaining as he loves to find ways to make the
subject fun by creating quizzes and games. However, if you do not like numbers, do not pick
this class as it requires calculation, but they are relatively easy. If you want to major in
marketing, I strongly recommend this subject.
ISOM 2700 Operational Management
This course is an introductory course, thus it was not difficult and you can achieve a decent
grade. Students are taught a lot about the supply chain management, for example the just-intime principle, calculating the re-ording time, finding the bottleneck, and other operational
models. Overall, this course was fascinating and practical.
MGMT 3120 Managerial Leadership
This course provides students the foundation on how to become a great leader in our current
competitive world. The course can be dull at some points where the professor was feeding us
common sense rather than practical/beneficial knowledge that we could use in our future
work. On the other hand, there were moments when the lecture was interesting as the
professors would share us her experience when she encountered leadership problems. Overall,
this course is not demanding and the lecture’s level of interest can fluctuate.
MGMT 4220 Entrepreneurship and Small Business Studies
This is a course where you basically learn how to write a business plan. The professor
graduated from Stanford and is really good, but very strict. Class discussion, video analysis,
presentations and group projects are some of the learning techniques he uses. Entrepreneurs in
Hong Kong is also invited as guest speakers to share their experience and knowledge about
starting up a business. Very inspiring and interesting.
FINA 3104 Investment Analysis and Portofolio Management
This course provides you with general knowledge about investment models and strategies.
Securities and derivative securities, such as futures and options, are also covered. The lecturer
is a very smart man who always provides real life examples and interesting stories from the
world of finance.
MGMT 3140 Negotiation
The professor is a well-known person at HKUST and has been awarded several awards at the
university for his untraditional methods of teaching and interesting speeches. Definitely a
course you should apply for, but it can be hard to get in. It is mainly an oral course, and
lectures are usually negotiations and discussions.
Our Final Note on HKUST
Best 4 months of our lives! If you have the opportunity to go on exchange, we strongly
recommend you to choose HKUST. The experiences and the activities we participated in were
outstandingly fun and the contacts we gained were valuable. This exchange semester also
really helped us broaden our perspective on life, especially on students’ study life here in
Hong Kong! We know for one that we would not mind working in Hong Kong because the
lifestyle here is incredibily amazing as there is always something to do and that the city
actually never sleeps. In addition, the country is culturally multidiverse, thus you always meet
new and interesting people from all over the world.
If you have any further inquiries, please do not hesitate to contact us through the International
Office!