Aalto University School of Business
Student number 329516
Travel report
Exchange semester in Tsinghua University
School of Economics and Management
Beijing, China
Spring semester 2015
Aalto University School of Business
Student number 329516
Executive summary: For and Against going for Master’s exchange semester to
Tsinghua School of Business
FOR
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Living in Beijing: Deep dive into modern
Chinese culture
Cost of living: many things are still
relatively cheap compared to Europe
Tsinghua University: the most prestigious
university in China with great campus,
including outdoors area, study and sports
facilities
Living in China: lots of opportunities to
travel and learn the language.
Nature: There is a lot of beautiful
mountainous places you can travel to,
even very close to Beijing. Also, spring
there is very beautiful: every second tree is
in blossom at some point during MarchMay period.
Expanding your comfort zone: coming
back from China to Finland, there will be
barely anything you will be too scared of or
too uncomfortable with. Being challenged
will become you habit.
Widening your horizon: China play an
increasingly important role in world
economy, so studying Economics and
Business in Tsinghua will give you a
glimpse on the most important topics and
trends of tomorrow.
AGAINST
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Disorientation: few people speak English
and getting fully prepared for all the
practical and cultural surprises in advance
is virtually impossible, therefore going to
Beijing is a challenge. China is for brave.
Educational value: on average, level of
learning per lecture hour in Tsinghua is
slightly lower than in Aalto. However there
are also very good courses (see below).
Culture shock: many everyday elements of
Chinese life might feel outrageous or even
disgusting to a European – the way people
drive, the way people dress, the way
people eat… Every day facing such a
different culture takes away loads of
energy.
Pollution: air situation is better that it is
stereotypically assumed, but still can affect
the well-being.
Aalto University School of Business
Student number 329516
PREPARING FOR THE EXCHANGE
Back at home
Formal preparation for exchange in Tsinghua has gone smoothly and happened to be much easier than
one would imagine, given China’s reputation for paperwork and bureaucracy. Most notable preparation
phases include separate application submitted to the University after exchange place is confirmed by Aalto,
visa application and online application for housing on campus.
Online application to study in Tsinghua is sent within certain deadlines, but Tsinghua officials provide very
detailed instructions with step-by-step guidelines. First they check whether the forms are completed
correctly online, confirm the application in their online system, after which student needs to send a paper
application by mail. Processing that one take about one month, after which student gets a formal letter of
acceptance that is subsequently used for different purposes including visa application, but not limited to
that. You might still need this letter for example when going through border control, checking into the
campus accommodation, and opening bank account in China if you decide to do so.
Getting a visa is quite simple and takes only 2 weeks. No appointment is needed when you arrive to
Embassy of China in Helsinki, but make sure to have all the necessary documents specified at their website.
Most of the students get a 2-entry visa, which means you can travel abroad only once during your studies
(going Hong Kong and Macau is counted as trip abroad). If you want to get more entries, you should apply
for those via the university upon arrival. However, extending your visa in China might take time (up to 6-8
weeks), so plan your travels accordingly.
If you want to live on campus during your exchange studies, don’t miss out the time of the application for
the dorms. All the rooms get booked within first few minutes after the application system is open. In my
time, the application system was opening at 8 a.m. Chinese time, so it was middle of the night in Finland.
However, there are certain disadvantages associated with living on campus, see below.
Travelling to Beijing
Most common logic would be to buy flight tickets in advance because it is cheaper – that was how I did it.
However, having return ticket makes you less flexible. Many things might change during your exchange –
you might want to come back earlier or later, so search for cheap tickets one way (which is rare).
Sometimes, there are available inexpensive one-way departures from St. Petersburg or Moscow, priced at
level approximately equal to a half of non-flexible return ticket from Helsinki.
Upon arrival, I recommend taking a taxi to get to the University or anywhere in the city, but make sure to
take the official one and either to agree about the price with the driver in the beginning of the journey or
even better to get a taxi with a meter. Usually there is a long queue for the official cabs with meters, but it
goes very fast. Many travelers – many taxis.
EXCHANGE STUDIES
Course selection and level
In Tsinghua School of Economics and Management (SEM) Master’s level exchange students do MBA level
courses due to limited availability of SEM Master’s level courses in English. However, every student has a
possibility to enroll to up to 8 local credits worth courses from other departments, in total with the courses
from SEM up to 21 local credits. Choice of courses from other departments is quite wide and free, so you
can attend practically any course in the university. However, for the course to be transferred to your degree
Aalto University School of Business
Student number 329516
in Aalto, the course should be included in the approved Study Plan. Initial registration to courses in SEM
MBA program is done via bidding system, in which student is given total points to bid to the courses she
wants to take according to own preferences. This is a formality that should be followed, however, it should
not be worried about because courses are rarely overbooked.
Academic calendar
The MBA SEM studies in Spring 2015, including lectures and exams, started in the beginning of March,
just after the Chinese New Year, and ended in the middle of June. MBA courses in SEM usually run for 8
weeks, therefore there is a mid-term exam or final paper delivery period, which might be a very busy time.
In the end of March or beginning of April, there happens a major national holiday – the Tomb Sweeping
Day. Due to this holiday, the academic schedules are usually changed and moved, and it gives foreign
students some extra time to travel. Same applies to Labor Day on May 1 and several more free days in the
adjacent time upon the decision of University officials.
Workload
One local credit is equivalent to 2 ECTS when transferred to your degree in Aalto. However, the workload
of courses with the same credit value can mean very different workload, and workload in Tsinghua is not
always in direct relationship with learning. In addition, the content of the course might not be exactly what
it says on the syllabus provided beforehand. Therefore, my recommendation is to register to more courses
than required by Aalto (12 local credits), attend first one or two lectures and decide for yourself, whether
you are motivated to take the course. Take into account the workload (all the assignments, number of
lectures and pre-readings), the instructor’s teaching and English skills (this can be a problem sometimes
as well) and your interest towards the topic. However, once you have chosen the courses you are going to
take, do not hesitate to de-register from the ones you are dropping and notify the teacher and potential
team for group assignment as soon as possible – dropping the course late in the study period is frowned
upon.
Guidance, feedback and grading
In contrast with the guidance before the departure, there is very limited orientation provided by the
University once the studies start. However, if you take part in the “Buddy program”, your buddy, who is a
local student volunteer, will most probably help you out when it comes to everyday life. Chinese students
in Tsinghua are very friendly and always willing to help. When it comes to feedback for the course
assignments students complete, this is definitely an area where Tsinghua needs improvements: there is
neither interim feedback to know whether you are meeting the teacher’s expectations before the final
assignment or exam, nor the detailed final feedback. Upon the completion of the course, the students are
only given the grade on a scale of 100. In addition, the grades are disclosed only in the official end of the
semester (mid-July), even for the courses that ended in the first half of the semester. At some or all courses
the normal distribution is used for the grading, but the grading process is not very transparent.
Courses taken
1. Practical Strategic Management: Very useful
The course offers a great overview of “how it works in China” based on consulting experience of the
professor who is McKinsey director. The course presents results of some advanced and quite exclusive
studies used for decision making large multi-national companies entering China and Chinese companies
competing with foreign rivals in China or abroad.
Aalto University School of Business
Student number 329516
2. Electronic Commerce: Somewhat useful
The syllabus of the course cover very interesting topics, but the learning is not supported by the lectures
well. The teacher just preaches some very theoretical textbook on e-commerce chapter by chapter, and the
delivery manner is not engaging at all. However, the teacher knows the industry very well, so try to use the
time to provoke discussions and ask questions about e-commerce industry in practice, rather than trying to
memorize the theory.
3. Entrepreneurial Management: Not useful
The teacher barely could speak English and did not provide any meaningful content. Strongly recommend
not taking this course.
4. Innovation – IP – Corporate Strategy: Barely useful
The course consisted of series of gust lectures that do not follow a common theme and are not connected
to each other anyhow. Most of the speakers are interesting people at important positions in big companies,
so it can be useful for industry insights and networking, but it is unlikely that the course will help develop
some systematic knowledge or skill.
5. Business Leadership in China: Somewhat useful
Experience HR consultant from US provide some hands-on insights on implications of cultural differences
between western and Chinese mindsets for managing people. The atmosphere at the course is very
pleasant and engaging, but I am not sure if I will ever need to apply my learnings from this course into
practice.
6. Corporate Organization and Management: Somewhat useful
The course is actually not about management but about Corporate Governance (focus on interaction
between top managers, board of directors and shareholders). Delivery manner of the teacher is not very
engaging, but the content follows clear structure and logical storyline. Some useful insights into “how it
works in China”.
7. Corporate Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A): Somewhat useful
Same professor as Corporate Organization and Management. Delivery manner of the teacher is not very
engaging, but the content follows clear structure and logical storyline. Some useful insights into “how it
works in China”.
8. China Roots Seminar 2 (Society & Industry): Very useful
Series of independent seminars, each offering a perspective on “how it works in China” from different
angles. The lecturers are extremely competent and quite engaging.
EVERYDAY LIFE
Cost of living
Accommodation on campus – 80 RMB/day
Accommodation examples from private market in the university area (Wudaokou):
Studio apartment with kitchen in elite building – 6500 RMB/month
3-bedroom apartment in apartment near metro – 2500-3000 RMB/month/bedroom
Food on campus – 8-12RMB/meal + 20% commission for recharging debit card used in the canteens
Food in the restaurants in the area:
Aalto University School of Business
Student number 329516
Chinese cuisine – 30-35 RMB/meal
Foreign food (western, Indian, etc.) – 70-150 RMB/meal
Quality of life
Choice of accommodation in Beijing is crucial, and there are certain pros and cons for campus versus
private options. On campus, it is rather cheap, flexible (you can move out any day after living there 60 days
and get all the pre-pay for the rest of the time back), it is equipped with basic furniture and necessities like
pillow, blanket and electric kettle, there is room service and it is rather close to the university facilities. On
the other hand, the facilities where single rooms for foreign students (Zijing buildings 19-23) have number
of faults. First, the sound isolation is non-existing, so one can hear whatever is going on in the corridor. In
addition, the room service sometimes starts very early in the morning (e.g. 7 a.m.), which disturbs a lot.
Second, the room is very small and there is no fridge or kitchen facilities. Third, the wireless internet
connection is some room is poor, so you would need to get a router for yourself. Finally, the climate control
is completely out of order – it is freezing cold in the building during March and unbearably hot in May.
However, students that lived in AB-rooms – two single rooms with some shared facilities, which is located
in a different building, – have not suffered the same problem. After all, it is also probably more fun to have
a neighbor when you are alone so far from home.
Whether you stay on campus or not, you will need a bike because the distances are huge even within the
campus. It is better to buy a reliable used bike from some local student, than a new but low quality one. I
bought a new bike in the bike store just outside the campus for 200 RMB and I needed to fix it 2 time in 3
month, until it broke down completely. When you buy the bike, also make sure to get yourself a lock – may
be not the cheapest option, because those ones can be opened with a nail and bikes are very frequently
stolen, especially from near metro station.
Food on campus is a very good value for money – there is about 10 different canteens. One of them is near
the residential buildings and also called Zijing: it has 5 floors, with at least 5 food points on each floor with
different dishes offered. There is also couple of good hotpot places near Zijing residential buildings. Choice
of dishes is vast, but sometimes it is also nice to go out of the campus. For that you might want to try out
some places near metro.
The tap water is not drinkable, therefore everyone buys water in the shop or orders a water dispenser. More
information on the second option available from the reception in the dorm buildings or from local students.
Internet access
As of spring 2015, the use of some Internet domains is blocked in China, including all Google services and
applications, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. To get access to any of those, you would need to connect
to internet via a VPN connection. You can set it up before you leave for your exchange in Aalto IT services.
Climate and weather
Beijing has very dry climate, and it barely rains there in the early spring. In such climate it is important to
ensure sufficient rehydration. Changes in temperatures are quite drastic throughout the year. In the
beginning of March you will still need a winter jacket, but in the middle of April you can be outside in a tshirt. May and June in the city are extremely hot, sometimes to the levels that it hinders students’
productivity. The campus has a 50 m indoors pool, which can help refresh during this hot time.
Traveling
From my own experience, I can recommend to travel to Tianjin, Qufu and Guilin in China, and definitely
visit Hong Kong. Going to different parts of China will give an understanding how big and diverse this
country is, and how much is there to see and learn. Visiting Shanghai as a tourist is in my opinion overrated: it is an interesting place to see, but the city is too busy and urban. Some students went for an
Aalto University School of Business
Student number 329516
internship in Shanghai after finishing their studies, and this was of course a completely different experience
for them.
FINAL COMMENTS
Going for exchange to China is for the brave ones, but if you made your mind about taking this challenge,
I definitely recommend Tsinghua as the most prestigious university. Academic learning might be somewhat
lower that in Aalto, but I doubt that some other university in Mainland China will be better in these terms.
You can spend a great time on exchange in Tsinghua, provided you make sure to remain open-minded and
take care of own well-being by keeping track of your nutrition, resting well and managing hazardous factors
(e.g. not spending time outside when air quality is poor and avoid eating dubious food). It will be useful to
learn some basic Chinese before the departure, there is number of courses offered in Aalto as well. Good
luck and tsemppiä!