GUIDELINES FOR WRITING THE STUDENT REPORT
Please write this report in English
Name of the University: Hong Kong University of Science & Tech
Names of the students: Christoffer Beyer
Exchange semester: 5th Semester, Fall, 2009
I GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
1. Describe the school and its surroundings
The school is located about 30-40 minutes (by public transport which is very good) outside
the city centre. However, smaller cities are located within a 10 min bus ride from campus
including shopping malls, cinemas, travel agents etc.
The actual campus is very scenic and quite large. It includes a lot of facilities in addition to the
regular things you’ll find in a campus including; banks, a grocery store, several
“restaurants”/canteens, medical centre, post office and a wide variety of sports facilities
(Football pitches; artificial grass & hardcourt, Basketball court, Tennis courts, Indoor/Outdoor
Swimming Pools and a Gym.
2. Current faculty divisions and special areas.
As far as I know HKUST has Business, Engineering, Science + some more. One of their
special areas of focus within the Business Faculty is Finance (which is extremely competitive
by the way).
3. Number of students - graduate and undergraduate – number of exchange students
Approximately 10,000 students go to HKUST, 150 of which are Exchange students.
4. Study structure
There is a big difference between the structure of the studies at HKUST and BI. At HKUST
more topics are covered, your grade is usually based on 5-6 elements (instead of 1 Final
Exam) including; Presentations, Assignments, Projects, Term Papers, Debates, Homework,
Class Attendance and Class Participation in addition to a Midterm Exam and Final Exam.
Nedd less to say, you’ll have a lot more mandatory work to do during the semester than at BI.
Another substantial difference from BI is the fact that you have to attend most of your classes
(read almost all at least) because your grade depends on it. This means you will have to plan
your schedule very carefully (this takes some time, but is definitely worth it). The last big
difference is that grades at HKUST follow the Bell-Curve. This means they are normally
distributed (an even bigger incentive to pick your subjects carefully) so that if you get 80% on
your midterm and the mean is 85 (which is common) you’ll get a C. Asians are extremely
competitive and study a lot more than we are used to in Norway, however Professors are
reluctant to fail students who attend classes and hand in all assignments etc, and are
generally a little easier on Exchange students.
II PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Information before you left
 When did you receive the information package from the University?
I received my information in good time and had little trouble communicating or getting help
with any issues. The biggest job is picking your schedule.
Visa Procedure and travel experiences
 What problems, if any did you encounter?
All forms where mailed/e-mailed to me with instructions on how to fill them in. As long as you
send in the forms you are required to by the deadlines no problems will be encountered.
 Does the visa cost anything?
The Visa costs about HKD 160 (NOK 120)
 How did you order your ticket – any problems?
I ordered my tickets online with supersaver.com. Normally a round trip Oslo-HK is around
NOK 6,000-7,000 if you order in good time.
Academic Calendar
 Arrival date – introductory week
Arrival date for us was around Aug 25th-Aug 31st. We had a introductory week including 2 trips
around HK with all the other Exchange students which I highly recommend.
 First day of the semester?
Classes normally commence on Sep 1st
 Last day of classes?
Normally first week of December
 Examination period?
Dec 10-19
Reception
 How was the reception at the school?
Reception at school was a little chaotic all full-time students also move back into their halls at
the same time, but its only one day out of the semester.
 Was the administration and faculty well prepared for your arrival?
Yes they were. We received proper information, but with a lot of people in one place it gets
chaotic.
 Did the school’s students participate in the reception of the exchange students?
Yes they participated as guides and organizers of the trips mentioned above and were in
general very helpful with finding things and helping us buy everything we needed.
Housing
 Did you have housing at your disposal or did you have to find your own housing?
I lived on campus in the Student Halls. They are small, but you quickly adapt and you don’t
really spend too much time there except when you sleep. Choose your roommate cautiously
though, as local students have a very different rhythm than most Europeans (they study at
night and sleep in). I would recommend to room with either someone you know or another
Exchange student.
 What support did you receive from the school in locating housing?
The school arranged everything after I filled in the application form and I was appointed a
room in a randomly picked hall.
 Any special issues or good ideas for prospective students?
If you are picky about your room, apply for a single room in Hall 7 (the newest hall). This costs
a little extra (about NOK 3,000 for the semester), but you get your own bedroom and you only
have to share a toilet and shower with 1 or 3 other people (as opposed to sharing 5 toilets
and 5 showers with 60, although its usually not a problem either). On the other hand, living in
Hall 1 (which I did), the oldest hall on campus, is good because you’re closer to school than
any other hall. But then again it is not as nice as some of the other halls.
Costs
 Describe the most important expenses such as rent, books, food, etc.
Rent (NOK 4,500-7,500)
Books (NOK 500-750)
Food (NOK 100 a day)
In addition I would say travelling, shopping and going out eats up about 70% of your budget
depending on how much of each activity you engage in.
The International Office
 Is there an international office?
There is a well functioning IO
 Who is responsible for incoming exchange students?
Ms Wendy Cheung
 How does the international office function?
The ÌO is the primary correspondence channel before you arrive, upon your arrival and of
course always ready to assist you if you have any problems during your stay.
 Do you receive all relevant information?
I would say the IO was pretty good at sending out information (and reminders) in good time.
Social Activities
 How is your relationship with other students?
I feel my relationships with a lot of the exchange students are strong, and I have definitely
made a lot of good friends and future contacts from all over the world while on exchange.
 How is the relationship among the exchange students?
The relationship is in general very friendly and open. People travel and go out together
frequently.
 Is there a student organization, and if so, are the exchange students part of it?
There are many student organizations at HKUST, and always something that goes on on
campus. With regards to Exchange students joining in, I haven’t heard about anyone, but
offers are frequent.
 Are there any special activities and gatherings for exchange students?
There is always something going on every day/night, that is either arranged by the school or
more likely by the exchange students themselves.
 How do you like it at the school?
I find HKUST to be a great place to study and would recommend it to anyone who wants to try
something new, but likes being in a big city. A small drawback is that the school is located a
little far from the city. On the other hand, with all the facilities HKUST offer, you really don’t
need to be any closer unless living in the city centre is very important.
Culture and Language
 Do you have any language problems with the faculty or other students?
Although HK was a British Colony for 100 years (until 1997) and everything is stated in both
Cantonese and English, I find that the general English level in HK to be surprisingly low.
Although getting around or make oneself understood is no problem, some problems with
discussing and so on will be encountered. In addition, it may be hard to understand some of
the professors sometimes (as I am sure it is hard for students coming to BI on exchange to
understand Norwegian-English from our Professors).
 How are the possibilities to experience the country and the culture?
I would say they are endless in HK. Not just because HK is a mix between East and West, but
because one can easily travel around in Asia and even go to Mainland China by train or bus.
A lot of the exchange students do a lot of travelling and I would guess you can go on a trip or
excursion almost every weekend if you want to.
Cultural and Social Effects from the Exchange Experience
 How do you think the exchange experience will affect you from a cultural and social point
of view?
I’ll definitely be more open to new people and different cultures and avoid judging people as
fast as I might have done before. Because the Exchange students are a relatively small group
(approx 150 students) you always know someone who knows someone, and in the end you’ll
meet everyone and find out they’re all interested in getting acquainted and generally good
people.
 How do you think the exchange experience influences your future career possibilities?
I am hoping that potential employers will value the fact that an exchange semester abroad
(especially in Asia) gives you the experience you need to be open and curious towards other
cultures. In addition I believe that the Network you build up (having connections in more or
less all parts of the world) and the experience from a multicultural environment is positive.
III ACADEMIC INFORMATION
The Teaching situation
 In which language are the courses taught? Any problems?
Courses are taught in English (except language courses). As mentioned you may run in to
some trouble understanding some of the professors from time to time as they tend to speak
very fast and unclear when they get excited.
 How would you evaluate the level of study in relationship to the level at BI?
The level of both the student base (because they work 3-4 times more than the average BI
student), and the courses taught at HKUST are in general higher than at BI in my opinion.
The school has as a long-term goal to be as good as Cambridge and MIT and take pride in
their institution (especially the Econ and Finance dept).
 Is the teaching primarily practical or theoretical?
Teaching is primarily theoretical, depending a little on what courses you take of course. The
University is currently testing out a new way of learning called an OBE-Pilot in order to
enhance and increase the practical use of the courses.
 Are the professors using cases, group work or lectures (or a mix)?
Professors do, as mentioned, use a little of everything depending again on your course
selection. All courses I am taking include either case work, group work, papers or similar.
 How is the workload compared to that at BI?
As mentioned the workload is greater, but also more evened out, than at BI with more work
throughout the semester counting toward your final grade. In addition the subject generally
cover more topics than the equivalent at BI.
 How is the relationship between faculty and students?
The relationship is open and communicating with professors is very much like at BI.
Professor’s also have office hours like they do back home.
 What is the relationship between the students in the classroom?
Local students are in general very quite and interaction is at a lower level than in Norway, but
classes with exchange students are more lively.
Required Literature
 Is the literature in English?
All literature is in English
 How do you estimate the level of the literature?
Similar to BI
 Is the literature used for detailed knowledge or a broad overview?
Both
 Is exam based on the literature or on the lectures?
Exam is pretty much based on lectures which again are based on literature (except the prof
skips parts that are not interesting from the book). Examinations are in general detailed, more
than applying knowledge
Exams
 What types of exams were you given?
Mostly a mix of multiple choice and either short answers or problems
 What knowledge level was required to pass the exams?
Passing is normally not a problem, as it is in both the professor and the school’s best interest
that people pass courses.
Other
 Do students have easy access to the library and it’s resources?
Yes, a big library with everything you need (plus a new section is under construction)
 How is the access to the computers?
Several computer barns around campus
 How is IT used in the teaching or as a distributor of information?
It is used to a lesser extent in lectures, but to some extent to distribute info
Description of Courses
Please list all the courses you are taking in the form below:
 Name and code of the course
o FINA 222: Derivative Securities (quantitative course, very educational, but
definitely a challenging finance course covering a lot)
o MGMT 321:Strategic Management (Based on Strategy I at BI and applies many
of the same concepts + elaborates by including some more theory)
o BMGB 201: Global Perspectives & Contemporary Issues (Discussion class, 3
presentations, class participation and term paper make up the grade. Popular
among exchange students and recommended by the University)
o ECON 338: Globalization; International Trade, Investment and Exchange Rate
(This is a difficult class covering a lot of material. It is specific macro-economics,
taught in a qualitative way by a young Professor. Definitely interesting, but maybe
a bit too much for exchange in my opinion)
Example:
Course name:
Prereq.
Exam
Major at BI
Approved as
Finance Elective
FINA 222
Basic finance Written
EXC 2501
MGMT 321
Written
EXC 2502
BMGB 201
Term Paper
EXC 2500
ECON 338
Econ 110,111,191Written
EXC 2404
…………………………………………………………………………………………..
Please fill in all the courses you have taken
Any other experiences:
My exchange semester in Hong Kong is probably the best semester of studying I’ve ever
experienced. Although the amount of work exceeds that of BI throughout the semester, I will
highly recommend it! Competition is as mentioned fierce, but passing courses is no harder
than at BI,as long as you hand in papers, and do presentations etc.
Names and e-mails:
Christoffer Beyer
chrisbey86@hotmail.com
Tor-Øyvind Skjelvik
tor.skjelvik@gmail.com