NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE
NUS BUSINESS SCHOOL
STUDENT EXCHANGE PROGRAMME
Evaluation & Feedback Form
Name: Lee Loo Sun
SEP Semester: Sem 1 2004/2005
Host University/Country: European Business School, Germany (ebs)
Questions:
1. How does the host university differ from NUS?
The courses available for us were mainly from the 7th semester, as there were more being
offered in English.
The modules encourage the students to think strategically, with much emphasis on case
study. Corporate firms like JP Morgan (for finance) and Roland Berger (for management
consulting) were invited to conduct the classes.
It was a private school. Thus the population was small and not as much students around.
2. What strong points does our School have compared to your host university?
Resources and well equipped library. The ebs library is small and does not have much
English books.
3. What strong points does your host university have compared to our School?
There is strong emphasis on training and building up the students for their careers- truly a
business school. The students are motivated and serious workers.
4. What expenses did you incur at the host university for one semester?
Estimated Breakdown of Expenses:
Items
Airfare (Return Ticket)
Travel & Health Insurance
Accommodation
Food
Books & Stationery
Clothing
Miscellaneous (Eg: Local transportation, phone calls, postage,
student visa, medical report)
Others (Eg. Extended stay, airfare for tour of neighbouring
states/countries, etc) Please specify here:
Total
Estimated
Expenditure (S$)
1000
400
2500
1000
50
400
500
3000
8850
5. Please type a THREE to FIVE page report of your personal experience in the host
university.
a) Your overall experience overseas (initial cultural shocks that you encountered, lifestyle,
about the university, academic aspects)
b) What you learned from the exchange program
c) Your advice and suggestions for future exchange students designated to go to that
university
European Business School
European Business School (ebs) is located in Rheingau, somewhere between
Mainz and Frankfurt. Convenient to commute to and from the Frankfurt airport,
Rheingau is full of vineyards and is famous for producing excellent wines. Situated
along the beautiful Rhine River, ebs overlooked the river and the scenery was
breathtaking, especially in the evening. There is a beautiful river view, sunset with
pretty skies and lush vineyards.
The school has two compounds, separated by a vineyard and about 2 km
apart. The one where the administration is and lessons are held is named ‘Schloss’.
It is the castle that can be seen on all ebs brochures. The other compound is named
‘Burg’, where the computer lab is.
University and Academic aspects
It is a private school. Thus the population is small and there are not many
students around. The ebs library is small and does not have much English books.
There is strong emphasis on training and building up the students for their careerstruly a business school. The students are highly motivated and very serious in
learning in preparation for their career.
The courses available in English were mainly from the 7th semester. The
modules encourage the students to think strategically, with much emphasis on case
study. Corporate firms like JP Morgan (for finance) and Roland Berger (for
management consulting) were invited to conduct the classes. The instructors
encouraged students to speak up in class and students do not hesitate to question
the instructor if they have a different view or opinion.
The courses were scheduled differently from the NUS style. For example a
module worth 1.5 ECTS (worth 1/3 of a NUS module) can be held over two days,
from 8am to 5pm. The examination will come one week later and the module is over
and done with.
The school had a system of assigning each professor to take care of a few
exchange students as their academic advisors. The students can speak to their
academic advisors regarding modules to take at ebs, to gauge the difficulty and
suitability level. During these consultations, the professors are friendly and relaxed,
and they speak to the students as a capacity of a friend, an equal.
Every year, there will be an ebs Symposium, which is a career fair. All the
students as well as the professors are invited. As ebs is rather highly recognized in
Germany, the ebs Symposium invites prominent corporations to present their
companies every year. After the week long event, there will be interviews held and
the students get their chance at impressing the people and securing a job.
Initial Cultural Shocks
The food was not particularly appetizing. The Germans love their hot dogs,
sausages – the preserved meat. But it was not to my taste and I missed Singaporean
food quite badly!
My apartment was located in Hattenheim, about 1 km from Schloss. The
nearest supermarket is 1 km from Schloss. The Burg is 1km from the supermarket.
Without cars and bicycles, my friends and I often ended up walking for length.
Eventually walking became second nature. It was okay because the weather was cool
and one didn’t perspire unlike in Singapore. However it was rather chilly during
winter. There is only one bus service in the region. However the bus stops were so
far from the school and supermarket that one is better off walking. Additionally the
buses do not come frequently.
Surrounding was quiet and peaceful. The neighbourhood was safe. The only
catch is the apartments rented by the school are usually not well equipped. My
apartment had no television set, no washing machine, no vacuum cleaner (floor was
carpeted) and a water heater that always broke down.
Fun
There were many exchange students, about 60 of us. The majority was the
French students and most of them spoke fluent German. There were also many
Indian students. The remaining was made up of exchange students from countries
such as Thailand, Sweden, Korea, Italy, Spain and Turkey.
The exchange students often hung out together and we often made dinner for
one another. The Koreans and Thais liked to cajole the French and German students
to try their chilli and tom yam soup.
Another favorite pastime of the students was to drink. As beer was very
cheap in Germany (it could be cheaper than mineral water) friends loved to drink
together and the student council also organized parties for the student body.
Traveling
During term time, we traveled Germany, visiting many German cities such as
Berlin, Munich, Weimar, Dresden and Cologne. German rail system is very efficient
and convenient. It can take as fast as 4 to 5 hours to travel from Frankfurt to Berlin.
Oktoberfest in Munich was not to be missed. Germans and tourists alike downed
one-liter mugs of beer while bands played and everyone made merry.
Budget carriers enabled flying across Europe to be as cheap as train travel.
Ryanair was particularly affordable. However the service on Ryanair was non existent
and it only flew from airports which are located far from the cities- meaning it could
be rather inconvenient.
Conclusion
After my exchange experience, I have learnt to be more open to things and
people. It is important not to harbor initial preconceptions as one does not learn new
things with a closed mind.
I have also learnt to appreciate the little things of Singapore. The safety level.
Cleanliness. The proximity of everything. The fact that shops are open everyday and
till as late as 10pm. Or else there are always the 7 Elevens. And after traveling half
of Europe by myself, I am definitely more independent and have learnt to plan as
well as to take care of myself.
For students interested in doing their exchange in ebs, I definitely think it is a
good choice. As there are many courses offered in German and not as many in
English, be sure to plan your modules prior as there are not many compatible NUS
modules as well.
Contrary to what is commonly believed, not all Germans do not only speak
German exclusively. Most ebs students prefer to communicate with the exchange
students in English and are pleasantly surprised if an Asian can rattle off some
German. However most people in the streets do not speak German and one may
encounter some trouble in the supermarkets especially. Thus, knowledge of basic
German is helpful.
One might be a little unaccustomed initially, but overall, one would appreciate
the peaceful and unhurried lifestyle of Oestrich Winkel, especially in contrast to the
hustle and bustle of Singapore. There may be a bit of inconvenience, but the scenery
and the way of life is totally worth it.