Student Report
Name of the University: Hong Kong Univercity of Science and Technology
Exchange semester: Spring, 2015
I. PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Before leaving Norway
We received an email from the University representative in early September at first, but it did
not contain much. The first “package”, as they call, it was sent to us in mid-October. It
introduced us to how we should approach the different systems and guided us through the
next steps(applying for visa and housing). It was very specific and gave us a lot of
information, you could not do anything wrong. We got the second information package in the
middle of December, were we applied for our courses. We did not encounter any difficulties.
Applying for a visa
The first package email we got gave us a lot of information and a step-by-step guideline for
how to apply for visa. With both red arrows pointing where to write what and with examples.
Again, no room for error. Quite easy to fill out.
Travel
We travelled with Turkish Airways, Oslo – Istanbul – Hong Kong. Not too expensive.
Depends of course on how early you book etc. But you can also travel there with a lot of other
companies with a different route.
When you get to the airport in Hong Kong you can either take the train (the train from the
airport costs 100NOK to central per person) to central and a taxi or MTR (Underground) from
there, or just a cab all the way. The fare is around 350NOK and the taxies have room for 5
people so we recommend you taking a cab directly to campus.
Housing
HKUST provided housing. We had to apply for housing. You filled a form where you could
choose between different Halls and if you wanted to live with a local, a friend, single, doubleroom etc. We we would recommend applying for Hall VII, VIII or XI. The standard is not the
best, but you’ll manage. The fees are different for each Hall. Hall III costs like 5500HKD and
Hall VII 8250HKD for the whole semester. Hall I is also great, since hall I is the closest hall
to all the food courts and school building etc. We will recommend you to share your room
with a friend from BI or other international students. The locals do not sleep at night, and
have a different mindset than you.
Costs
Rent
NOK 50008000 (whole
semester)
Books
NOK 750
(whole
semester)
Food
NOK 5000
Transport
NOK 750
Other
NOK 1500
The rent was cheap, but we did not have the possibility to make our own food, so we bought
all of our food at different food courts at campus or went off campus to eat. So we used a lot
of money on food. But you could find cheaper alternatives than we did.
Culture and language
We had difficulties communicating with the Hall attendance and service personell. They
barely spoke any English. The local students were not the best in English, but that was no
problem.
You get Buddies in the beginning of the semester who will help you out if you have any
difficulties. Some of us got invited home to their families, which was a great way to
experience the culture up close. Hong Kong has a lot of beautiful nature which is worth using
some days on exploring. A lot of nice beaches and hikes!
Hong Kong is a hub in Asia. It is very easy to travel to other countries as well.
The culture is extremely different than the western-culture, so you will get a cultural shock,
but that is a part of it.
II. ABOUT THE SCHOOL
The school was a large campus area, with different academic parts and different halls for
student housing. It is situated nicely by the ocean on a hillside, and you will have to use a lot
of elevators to get around. The business building which is the newest one was were we had
our lectures. This is a nice, modern glass building. The rest of the school is a mix of old and
new buildings, and you will find most things you need on campus. Getting from your hall to
your classes can take anywhere from 5-15 minutes walking. Most classes are in the middle of
the day, unlike back home, where they usually are a bit earlier.
Course registration
We registered for courses during the Christmas holidays home, after signing and receiving
an accepted learning agreement from BI.
The add/drop period is the first two weeks of lectures, from the start of February.
Academic calendar
Arrival date:
24.01.15
First day of the semester:
02.02.15
Last day of classes:
08.05.15
Examination period:
18.05 – 31.05
Any special events/holidays:
Chinese new year and
easter break
Other:
Arrival
The introduction week is full of activities that requires you to register to different parts of
campus. Get the books you need. And attend social events with buddies and other exchange
students. This is very well informed through your HKUST student email, which can be quite
hard to check, as it is usually spammed by 20 different emails daily regarding student
societies.
The International Office
We just got some information in the beginning about how to change our courses, but we did
not talk to them after the semester started. We received all the information we needed.
Promoting BI and Norway
We could have promoted BI under one exchange fare, but it was the day before one of our
exams. But we were nice guys who were good ambassadors for BI and Norway.
Social activities
We got buddies in the beginning of the semester, and some of us hang out with them after the
“buddy-day”. But except that, we did not have any local friends. The locals are very different
from the “typical western guy”, and they are very shy. Some of them are still into Pokemon
and that kind of stuff.
There was a large facebook group called “HKUST exchange students spring 2015” for
exchange students. It was also some student organizations for international students. But you
will get information about that when you arrive.
III. ACADEMICS
In the classroom
Varies much. Negotiations for instance, was extremely practical. With actual negotiations.
While other courses such as investment analysis was purely theoretical. There is a lot good
cases in some courses. And you will usually have to be very formal during
It is neither harder nor easier than BI, but it is structured in a whole different way. So prepare
to work in different ways and not just study for a final exam. It should be said that the
workload can be quite high, especially if you are aiming for good grades.
Course materials
Everything was based on lectures, articles and powerpoint slides. We did not have use for any
of the books.
Exams
The exam was based on the lectures for sure. We did not use any of our books, just the slides
and what the professors said in class.
-
How the course was evaluated:
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
This is very different from BI and the 100% final system, but it was good to experience
something new.
Library and technology
We are very spoiled at BI, because our library is so new and nice. The library at HKUST was
okay, but not that fresh as at BI. But the “Bussines building” is new. So all of the classrooms
are very nice and have a good standard. It is some computers at the library aswell.
Description of courses
Course code & name
Master/
Exam form
Prerequisites
Bachelor
Example:FIN123
Bachelor
Finance
FINA3104 Investment
Approved
as
4-hour written
None
Elective
Finance 1
Elective
exam
Bachelor
4 assignments,
analysis and portfolio
midterm (80
management
min) and final
exam (3 hour).
FINA3304 Financial
Bachelor
No final
Finance 1
Elective
Bachelor
Quizes, midterm
None
Mandatory
None
Elective
Markets
ISOM2700 Operation
management
(2 hours) and
final exam (2
hours)
MGMT3140
Negotiations
Bachelor
Midterm (2
hours) and final
exam (2 hours).
FINA3104: It was quite hard, but you learned a lot. The workload in FINA3104 was quite
heavy. We got 4 assignments over the semester, 1 midterm and 1 final exam. We experienced
that you could just ask the teaching assistant for guiding for the assignments, and then you
had 100% and used less time on them.
FINA3304: Very fun course! It was very practical and this was the best finance course I ever
have taken. It was 3 quizes (2 best counts) under the semester, some presentations and
participation. All over a very fun course. Since it is no final exam in this course you are done
with the course very early.
ISOM2700: this course we got approved as “logistikk” from BI. The course was not heavy,
but you needed to pay attention in class. ISOM2700 is a course all of the business students
have at HKUST, so many professors teaches in it.
MGMT3140: Very fun course! It was very easy as well. I will recommend everybody that’s
going to HKUST to pick this course. You negotiate in half of the classes, in the other half you
just look at your results, and learning some (easy) theory. Best course we had at HKUST, and
it is many exchange students in this class, so the mood is chill.
HKUST uses the normal distribution for grading, so you must be better than all of the other
students to get the best grades. But if you just want to pass the courses, it is not that hard. We
all got good/okay grades and we did not work our asses off. But the locals are very
competitive because many of them are poor, so this is their shot of making some of
themselves. So the academic level was high.
We did not have any problem with the enrolment to our classes, but if you change your
classes in the add and drop period, you could may face some difficulties.
We will recommend you to not take to many finance courses or other “difficult” courses at
HKUST, because the workload can be heavy and you want to do other things than just study
on exchange.
A final note
A very rich and exciting experience. Where you will learn a lot about a completely different
culture. And most likely live in a different way for five months. You will have to go there
with a completely open mind, and don’t expect things to be completely as you thought they
would be. But summed up in a final note, we are very happy with our experience and thankful
for this opportunity.