University of Southern California
United States
Exchange Report
Fall 2014
LEUNG, Man Wai Tiffany
Friend: “Where are you going for exchange?”
Me: “USC!” (It sounds like UST, TRY IT)
Friend: “What? UST?! You’re gonna stay in Hong Kong? ”
Me: “No!! It’s USC. University of Southern California!”
This happens literally EVERY TIME when I tell my friend that I off to LA. As similar as these two
school sound when you pronounce them, the experiences are in fact very different. And I am sure
you’ve made the right decision when you chose USC for your once-in-a-life-time UG exchange. In
this report, I would share what I have done throughout these 4 months (PART I: Monthly Activity
Log), what you need to know (PART II: Essential Information) and what you need to bring to kick
off this journey (PART III: Items to bring).
PART I: Monthly Activity Log
Most universities under semester system in the United States start school in mid-august or lateaugust while those under quarter system (e.g UC Irvine) start school in October. For USC, we had
orientation activities in mid august and officially commenced the semester in late august. If you
want to browse around before school starts (and I strongly recommend you to do so), you should
have your pre-trip in early august. Even though the J-1 visa starts on the day your school starts,
you have 30-days grace period so you are allowed to travel before the starting date of your visa.
August
Like I said, I had had my pre-trip before school started. Personally, I think this is the best trip I’ve
ever had when I didn’t have any string from assignments and mid-terms. I partnered up with my
friend who just finished her internship in Disneyland, Florida and we went to San Francisco,
Ontario, Santa Monica, Los Angeles and Long Beach. Personally, San Francisco is my favorite city
in the United States. Not only did I never get bored with numerous must-do activities, but also I
love the fresh breeze and unbeatable sea view along the piers.
Figure 2 Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica, CA
Figure 1 Shoreline Village, Long Beach, CA
After my pre-trip, the semester was soon to be commenced. We had an orientation day when
Sean shared us the important notes during our staying in the USC and the Visa check-in. During
the first two weeks, there would be an involvement fair where you can explore and join the
students’ societies. There are several Asian background societies like HKSA (Hong Kong Students’
Association), CSA (Chinese Students’ Association) and TSA (Taiwanese Student Association).
September
At the beginning of the semester, fortunately, the lecture and assignments were not that intense.
I still had time to browse around Los Angeles. Los Angeles is a county and also a city. Partnering
with other exchange students in early September, we went to Griffith Observatory, Rodeo Drive,
Santa Monica and Pasadena in Los Angeles. In mid-September, we went to Los Angeles Gun Club
to shoot real guns for our first times. It is certainly a terrifying but exciting experience for all of
us. Every year in late September, USC would organize a live concert in the Alumni Park for free.
This year, they invited Nico & Vinz to perform their famous “In Your Arms”. That was awesome!
On Sept 27, I went to watch football game USC vs Trojans vs Oregon State Beavers for my first
time in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum right next to USC. Even though I knew nothing about
football and I was clueless throughout the game, I could totally feel that USC Trojan Spirits. We
had tailgate before the football game. The alumni put up the tents and partied. Free drinks and
free food. This is the first time I know I am a “Trojan”. The whole stadium was packed with
students and alumni who are dressed in USC clothes and shouted “Fight on! Trojan!” out loud.
They also invited Jason Durelo to perform in the half-time. Another perk of being a Trojan  At
the end of September, I went to LA County Fair with HKSA. It was similar with the AIA Carnival
but only it is bigger and has a lot of food and games.
Figure 3 Panorama View of Los Angeles from Griffith Observatory, Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA
October
Classes started getting busy with mid-terms. Fortunately, they are not as hard as those in UST.
We still went to San Diego, San Francisco and Las Vegas during weekends. Play hard, work hard,
RIGHT? San Diego is another typical SoCal city with great beaches and brilliant seafood. San
Francisco, my all-time favorite. This time, I revisited the must-go attractions and went to UC
Berkeley. Las Vegas, aka the Sin City, has all types of nightlife. It was Halloween when I visited
there so everyone was dressed up all kind of characters. That night was unforgettable. Apart from
traveling to other cities, I also watched NBA Lakers vs Jazz in the Staple Center.
Figure 4 Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, CA
Figure 5 Grand Canyon South Rim, AZ
November
Pre-occupied with mid-terms, I could not go anywhere much in November. I visited Seattle alone
and I’d say it isn’t like any other west coast cities, probably, because it is in Washington instead
of California. Although it was cold and rainy like Boston, it was an amazing experience. Seattle is
the birthplace of Amazon, Boeing and Starbucks. These three days in Seattle, I went to the Boeing
Factory, the first Starbucks, Space Needles and EMP Museum.
Another big thing in November is Thanksgiving. I went to San Francisco for my third time during
my exchange (Told ya! This is my fav place.) This time, my friend and I hit the road and drove
along the Pacific Coast. Less tourists and more local. We had our first Thanksgiving Dinner at my
friend’s home with his family and the crazy Big Friday Shopping overnight. We also went to the
Oyster Farm to try the fresh oysters and Napa Valley to have wine tasting.
Figure 6 Space Needle, Seattle, WA
Figure 7 Napa Valley, Napa County, CA
December
December not only means the last month in USC but also means tons of project deadlines and
finals. Pulling several all-nighters is inevitable to catch up the long lost time. After all these
nightmares, here comes my post-trip: Boston and New York. It was not as cold as what I have
expected. Boston has the highest concentration of higher educations in the United States. As far
as I know, it has Harvard, MIT, BC and Northeastern. It also played an important role during the
American Revolution so when you visited there, you would see a lot of historical buildings. Don’t
forget to try out its lobsters too. I spent my Christmas in New York. As I heard from the local
bartender, people always go to NY and crave for a white Christmas but it usually does not snow
during Christmas. Just like this year, it usually gets colder in Jan and Feb. Even so, I still had some
quality time in NY – Broadway, Brooklyn Bridge, Central Park, Wall Street, Noho, NYU, Times
Square and World Trade Centre. Don’t forget to try out the New York Cheesecake at Junior’s
Restaurant. It is the best I have ever had in the US, although Cheesecake Factory is still my favorite
restaurant 
PART II: General Information
The following are some details that you should pay attention during your exchange in the USC.
Sean O’Connell who is the coordinator of the International Business Program at the Marshall
School of Business would send you a very detailed email to tell you what you should do before
your arrival, ranging from Visa Information to course registrations.
Visa Procedures
You will be on J-1 visa as the visiting scholar when you are on exchange. Prior to departure, USC
will send you a package, including the Form DS 2019, Important Dates, Admission Letter and
Campus Map. Then, you should register in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System
(SEVIS) and pay for the SEVIS fee. After filling out the Form DS-160 online, you will need to pay
the visa application fee and schedule an interview with the consular officer. Finally, if the
interview is successfully, you can pick up the passport or have them mailed it to you. The
interview is short and easy but pay attention to the online application because a lot of details are
going on there.
Accommodations
Unlike most of exchange students, I did not stay in the on-campus housing. Instead, I lived in the
University Gateway, which is off-campus housing and right opposite to the campus. Therefore, it
is within the patrol area of USC. Plus, there are Chase Bank, CVS Pharmacy, Fresh and Easy,
Subways and Soy Roll under my apartment. As convenient and safe as it may sound, it is quite
pricy compared with the on-campus housing. Just so you know, the on-campus housing is not
actually within the campus. They are usually a few blocks away. Other off-campus housing like
Lorenzo and The Icon. Pay attention to the terms as most of them only offer 1 year or 10 months
lease only. You may need to find other people to sublease the rest of months. You can also try
negotiate with the leasing manager like I did and see if you can get a better deal.
Courses
The suggested number of credits are 12 to 18. Sean will mention more about course registration
procedures in the upcoming e-mail. Personally, I took 16 credits with 4 finance courses. The
workloads are relatively higher than the HKUST with more group work. However, the exam are
shorter and easier.
Course
Lecturer
Comment
FBE 421
Stephen G. Moyer
This is a very useful course to teach essential
Financial Analysis and
valuation methods for company or project
Valuation
valuations. Students with ambition to pursue a
career
in
investment
banking
are
recommended. Attendance is taken during
add/drop period and after the second midterm.
Workload: 2 mid-term exams, 4 case studies
and final project.
FBE 431
Harry Deangelo
This course teaches the theoretical approach
Financial Policies and
of financial policies. First half of the course
Corporate Governance
focus mainly on the basics of corporate
governance. The second half focuses on the
application of basic concepts in the special
topics.
Note-taking is important during lecture
because no PowerPoints and Lecture Notes
will be given after the first mid-term.
Workload: 1 mid-term exam, 1 final exam and
12 one-page essay assignments.
Course
Lecturer
Comment
FBE 441
Mick Swartz
This course teaches various asset classes,
Investments
hedge
fund
methods
and
investment
anomalies. Attention should be paid during
the review classes before mid-terms. Some
class content is similar with FBE 459. Final
project is investing in the virtual stock market
called Stock track.
Workload: 2 mid-term exams and 1 final
project.
FBE 459
Financial Derivative
Mick Swartz
This
course
teaches
various
derivative
products and hedge fund methods. Attention
should be paid during the review classes
before mid-terms. Some class content is
similar with FBE 441. Final project is investing
in the virtual stock market called Stock track.
Workload: 2 mid-term exams and 1 final
project.
Transportation
As most people say, without a car, you can barely survive in the United States. It is especially true
in Los Angeles. As the urban development is not that good, places are so dispersed that you have
to commute by car. One thing you need to know is the terrible traffic during peak hours when
you are practically stuck in the freeway. Try to avoid the peak hours from 8 to 10am and from 5
to 7pm.
The most effective transportation is by driving for sure. If you do have a driving license, I strongly
recommend you to take a driving exam in Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) once you arrive.
It is much cheaper and easier than in Hong Kong. If you have, it comes real handy when you are
traveling. In California, you do not necessarily need an International Driving Permit (IDP) to drive.
Your Hong Kong license or wherever it is still works here. However, when it comes to renting a
car, it needs your passport and IDP.
For car rental, choices are quite limited if you are under 21. Basically, only Hertz and Fox offer car
rental to the underage with sub charge. Zip Car is an alternative to car rental. It is car sharing
which you can rent per hours or per days. There are several Zip Car locations on and off campus.
It is really convenient to rent a car for several hours if you just want to go out to grab dinner with
your friends.
Another option is Uber which is like Taxi but cheaper. For the first time user, you have free ride
up to USD 30 and you can share the code with your friends to get a free ride again. One thing to
be noted is that in November, the US government set a fixed fare for people who take Uber from
the airport. For LAX, it takes like USD 75. Therefore, try Super Shuttle if you are in the airport.
Health
Student Health Centre is the place you should visit if you feel sick or have concerns about your
health. On your arrival, you should visit there to have blood test, TB test and submit Measles
proof. If you want to consult a doctor, you should make an appointment online. There are certain
services that are free of charge indicated on their website such as consulting doctors and X-ray
(by doctor referral only). If some services that are not available in the Health Centre like MRI
Screening, the doctor will refer you to the Keck Hospital of USC to have further check-up.
If you want to buy some over the counter medicine, you can visit the Pharmacy in the Student
Union or CVS Pharmacy under the University Gateway. Sometimes, even you have consulted the
doctor, the medicine does not come with it. They usually prescribe the medicine and you need
to buy them on your own.
Medical Insurance is mandatory. The one that exchange students usually have is Aetna which is
purchased when you pay the fees to USC before your arrival. It covers most of medical expense
in the Student Health Centre and Keck Hospital. If you have your own, you can waive the
insurance later. Sean will tell you what to do in the e-mail.
Safety
The neighborhood around USC is notorious for its safety with a lot of gangs and homeless people
around the campus. There are several rules you should know. They apply not just in the USC
neighborhood but also other cities in the United States.
- Don’t go to the south. There are usually some gangs that you want to avoid.
- Don’t walk alone at night or when the sun is set. Try to go out with a group with friends.
If you don’t have, try walk with other pedestrians.
- Don’t play with your phone when you are walking. Stay alert on street.
- Take the campus cruiser if you want a ride back home from campus.
- Stay tuned with the DPS crime alert.
PART III: Checklist
□ Passport, DS-2019, other relevant documents
□ Driving License (Optional)
□ Cash and Credit Cards
□ Clothes (Casual wear and business suits)
□ Chargers and adapters
□ Copy of ID and Passport
□ Laptop
□ Sunglasses
□ Stationary
□ Medicine
Final Words
Looking back, going on exchange is certainly an eye-opening adventure that never cease to amaze
me. The City of Angels - Amazing Culture, Fantastic Cuisine and Spectacular scenery - You have it
all! Good luck and have fun in USC.