GUIDELINES FOR WRITING THE STUDENT REPORT
Student Report
Name of the University: Mahidol School of Management
Exchange semester: Fall, 2013
I. PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Before leaving Norway
- I received an email from the exchange university confirming my exchange and that
they were very delighted and if I could send additional information to get the process
started. Basically everything went rather quickly from their side and via email. Via
mail and UPS they sent me a letter of approval and a letter in order to get your visa
and to show upon arrival in case they ask for it.
Applying for a visa (if applicable)
- I applied for my visa in Oslo, you can receive one within a week, they will give you a
single entry education visa. Try to ask for a multiple entry it cost more but saves the
hassle when you are there.
Travel
- Flew with Thai Airways direct flightn to Bangkok.
Housing
- Housing wasn’t provided by the university but you can find many condo’s here that
have rooms available. It depends a bit on your budget what you are looking for and
when you are with 2 people you can easily get a nicer spot. The school has a list
available of places where you can rent. Useful in the beginning but if you have a little
bit of time you can firstly explore in what area you would like to stay and then just
walk in to the condo’s you are interested in and ask if they have any rooms available.
This is what I did for a week or so and found an apartment. A bit of an obstacle is if
you are staying shorter than 6months because many don’t want to rent out for so or
they raise the price because usually they rent out for a year.
Costs
Rent
Books
Food
Transport
Other
3000NOK
400NOK
1500NOK
350NOK
NOK
Culture and language
- The faculty is very nice and very helpful and professional. They are very nicely
organised and ready to help in any situation. They let you know in advance when you
need to extend your visa and prepare the letters for you in advance, let you know
where to go and a note in thai which you can give your taxi driver. I was very
surprised and delighted by their proffesionality and they are very kind and always try
to help you. The same with the course registration you get the opportunity to register
in advance and if some course isn’t available they respond you quickly with a list of
alternatives.
GUIDELINES FOR WRITING THE STUDENT REPORT
-
They have a two day introduction to University and Thailand day where you learn
things about the thai culture and do’s and don’t’s. Very nice and always useful.
You can basically select your classes and what day and time making it nice and
flexible for students to plan their own time and giving you a chance to travel.
Many courses are available during the evening and weekends since almost all the
master students here already have a full time job.
You have many possibilities to experience Bangkok and the culture thai students like
to show you around but you can also explore much on your own or with other
exchange students. Many things are organised by the exchange students themselves.
II. ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Please describe:
- School is located close to the highway making it easy to get their by taxi. They have a
shuttle bus available between the BTS skytrain and school. The school has an
international atmosphere there are many professors from other countries such as
France, Germany and the UK. They give you a badge with your picture on it so you
have access to all floors. It is not a big university compared to the main Mahidol
University but you have everything you need. There’s a cantine downstairs with
mainly thaifood and they prepare many fresh meals for you at student prices. It is cold
at school so a good thing is to always bring a pull over, sweater or scarf. No strict
dresscode just dress appropriate. Everyone is very accessable and open so if you have
any questions you can easily contact a professor even the associate dean is very nice,
approachable and even gives a lecture. The structure is very much based on practical
learning so you actually get the chance to apply more theory here which I found very
useful. You team up in groups and the Thai students are very helpful and kind. They
also give you the opportunity to get to get your own buddy which is really nice. The
buddies help a lot and take you out and explore Bangkok as well.
Course registration
- I registered for my courses via email. The international office in Mahidol took care of
it all and let me know if there were any changes and what my new possibilities were.
This went quite smoothly and if you want to change your mind you can do so during
the introduction week where they give you this opportunity. Keep in mind that the
popular classes get full quickly so don’t wait too long. The add and drop period was
for approximately two weeks from when the course starts.
Academic calendar
Arrival date:
First day of the semester:
Last day of classes:
Examination period:
Any special events/holidays:
Other:
12 septembe
22 december
October and December
No
Arrival
- The introduction week was very nice and gave you a chance to meet up with other
exchange students. Prior to the introduction you received a whole outline of what the
GUIDELINES FOR WRITING THE STUDENT REPORT
two days consisted of. They made a good combination of administrative and leisure
activities. The team really makes an effort to give you a good time and explain
everything. We did a cooking class and we went to see the grand palace with a guide.
They facilitated everything so you only have to show up at the university. We also
went to a floating market and went to a nice place for food and they made many
pictures of all of us.
The International Office
- The international office is very helpful, kind and easy approachable. I got all the
relevant information and even extra information upon request promptly from them. I
must say I’m really impressed with them and they were very well organised.
Promoting BI and Norway
- A few students have approached me with questions about Norway and BI. Since we
are new they are very curious and many want to travel to Europe. They also contacted
me about housing and the accessability of the university, how people are over there, if
it is easy to meet people and what type of actions you do for exchange students and if
BI is helpful. There was no official event for exchange students, I have helped
everyone with questions by giving them information and shared experiences I have
had.
Social activities
- Thai students might be a bit shy at the beginning however they are always very helpful
and kind. Once you have your project group and you mingle with the other Thai
students you will notice that they are open and love to take you around. They are very
kind and like to show you around and take you places and actively involve you in their
social life. They also help out when you can’t find something or need some help with
translation. Exchange students you meet during classes, it all depends on how you plan
your schedule. Some exchange students go to school mainly during the week others
during the weekend. Depending on this you will get to know other exchange students a
bit better than the others. An exchange student was so kind to set up a facebook page
for all the exchangers so this is also how we stayed in touch and asked questions and
gave tips. Very useful and easy and recommendable.
III. ACADEMICS
In the classroom
- The teaching style is very interactive and practical they give you many examples from
the “real world” I have had many guest lectures from successful start ups who come to
our class to share, afterwards you get a case and work on this in class with your group
and present. It is very active learning and you usually have to do more in class during
each lecture compared to BI. It is rather informal professors usually remember your
name and try to interact with you and the exchange students are a bit more talkative
compared to the thai people which is in their culture. The professors really appreciate
it if you contribute and share in class.
- The workload is about even compared to BI and the level. However it feels a bit easier
here because the professors take the effort to make you use the theory explained
during classes. They also give you real life cases from companies to solve and present
which makes it more challenging. The University is based on active learning with
cases and practical experiences. You also have events where big companies come and
explain a bit about their company and Asia which is very interesting and all in English
GUIDELINES FOR WRITING THE STUDENT REPORT
and international which is different compared to BI. We had speakers from Chevrolet
and Uniliver which were very nice and educational. You get the course outline usually
on the first week and your syllabus so you have a guideline throughout the course,
some things might change but usually it all goes according to plan.
Course materials
- Powerpoint and articles are the main tools you use. They do have books but they
explain all the important information from these books in class so you don’t’
neccesarily have to buy the book. They also let you apply the theory in a case during
class so you actually know how to work with the theory given. They print out nearly
everything you need as well as the articles so getting the information you need for
class is very easy. There is a library where you can get and read many books and an
online databank. You get access to an intranetportal where you can log in and have an
overview of the courses and the powerpoints from the professors.
Exams
- The examn was based on both course material and the lecture in class. Many things
are discussed in class so it is important to not miss too many classes so you can
involve and you learn a lot during classes and not by reading all the literature by
yourself, a lot is also learned by sharing knowledge and your project group.
- How was the course evaluated (include all that apply)?
o Final exam (include form: written, oral, home assignment, presentation, etc.)
o Mid-term exam
o In-class quizzes throughout semester
o Small assignments and/or papers
o Presentations
o Group work
o Class attendance
o Class participation/debates
o Activities outside of the classroom
o Other – if other, describe.
Actually every course has a bit of a different approach when it comes to the finalisation. For
one class I presented and had an exam, for another I had a presentation for the brand and
marketing manager. For another I had a report and a presentation. All classes expect you to
atively contribute and class participation is an important factor. Almost every class gives a
quiz which is based on what you have learned in class so far. I have also had a workshop.
Many courses have a midterm, I had one which was a take home exam and you have one
week before submitting. The other was an intense workshop during class where you had to
present your findings at the end and come with actual solutions which can easily be
implemented. Overall it depends on the course but you get an outline of what you need to do
at the start of the course.
Library and technology
- Wifi access is granted they set everything up for you and you get a letter with your
accesscode. There is an IT department where you can go for support and they can also
help you with printing. The university supplies you with a start amount for
printing.There are rooms you can reserve for your group work, there are also computer
rooms. Mainly all the facilities you need as a regular university perhaps not as much
as BI because this school is smaller and focussed on Master students only.
Description of courses
GUIDELINES FOR WRITING THE STUDENT REPORT
Course code & name
Small Business
Management
Master/
Bachelor
Master
Business Creatiavity
Master
Strategic Brand
Management
Organisational
Behaviour
Master
Master
Exam form
Prerequisites
Company
presentation and
paper
Assignments,
active class
participation and
presentations
Presentations
and workshops
Presentation,
Executive
Summary
None
Approved
as
Elective
None
Elective
None
Elective
None
Elective
Comments
On a final note, how will you sum up the exchange experience?
Overall I had a wonderful experience at the Mahidol University and a great experience to be
in Asia. I like the study style at the Mahidol University because you get the idea you learn
more and are more involved when you can use the theory in practice. It also was nice working
with other project groups and see how the Thai people are and how they work and think.
Mahidol gives you the opportunity to meet interesting business people and this way makes
you understand the Asian market better. I have learned a lot about the Thai culture and have
met many nice students with much more work experience than what we are used to in Europe.
Almost everyone at Mahidol has a good position at an (International) company opposed to in
Europe where it is more of a student job. This gives you the chance to learn from these
students and show you how they work in the Thai market, many also have a family business.
If you plan your schedule a bit you can get the chance to travel during the slow periods and
see the nice things of Thailand and Asia. The exchange students were very nice many from
Germany, France, Austria, Belgium and Denmark. Very nice to meet and easy to travel with
together. Some are allowed to stay for two semesters and do thai courses which could be
interested. Thai courses are very practical and maybe a good idea if you have no idea about
Thai and are interested in learning. People here are very social and the living here is more
outdoors than indoors. You often go out for dinner with your group if you have to work on a
group assignment you don’t meet up at a house. It is either school or at a café where you can
bring your laptop and work or they have a few places which are popular and are a
combination of a café and a place to work and is open til late. Thai people are very helpful
and humble and respectful. If you make an effort to adapt a bit to the thai culture they will
really appreciate it. There are many things to explore in Bangkok, Thailand and Asia as a
whole. Many places outside of the regular touristic places where you can go and it is easy to
meet people. There are also many tourist here so you can also easily get in contact with them
and connect. There is a good combination of thai people and internationals from students to
teachters to expats. You have a broad variety here you can make it as cheap or as expensive as
you want.Thailand is very much used to tourists so even if they don’t speak perfect English
there is always someone around that speaks a few words and the safety here is good. You
don’t feel unsafe as a girl and you can get around easily and your condo usually has enough
security around so you feel safe. There are events not organised by school where you can go
to and meet many people that are keen on starting up a business. You meet expats on a daily
GUIDELINES FOR WRITING THE STUDENT REPORT
basis if you are not shy and open to meet people you can easily meet people and so there are
many opportunities to get an internship. Finding a desent job here I think is more difficult but
a few exchange students have gotten some possibilities to do an internship in Bangkok. This
exchange has been very enjoyful for me, I have learned a lot, met many new people and
connections.