Exchange Report

Part II – General Exchange Information
1) Visa Procedures
The visa application procedures are easy. Maastricht University Visa Office will send emails to
students with clear step by step instructions. It involves sending digital forms, transferring
deposit to the University and submitting some original documents by mail. The Office will send
confirmation email (around 2 days later after they have checked the materials) to students
when they received the related documents.
Then, you need to wait for one month before the Office informs you to make a booking with The
Netherlands Consulate General in Hong Kong to get the visa printed on your passport. The visa
printing process takes one week as it needs to be done in their Beijing Office.
The whole visa application process takes more than 1.5 month for me. If you plan to go aboard
earlier to travel, you would need to follow the application procedures as soon as you receive the
emails.
2) Orientation Activities
There is a one and a half day compulsory orientation offered by the University in late January for
all the exchange students. There will first be a welcome talk and then students are divided in
groups for a guided walk within the University and around the city centre. On the second day,
you will stay with your group to experience Problem Based Learning tutorial setting and enjoy a
free lunch gathering afterwards.
3) Accommodations
You can look for guesthouse or flat at various locations on http://www.maastrichthousing.com/.
Pay attention to their distance from The University, city center and the train station as these are
the places that you will frequently go.
If you choose to stay in the main guesthouse at Brouwersweg 100 which is around 20 minutes
away from Business School by walk. You may go to http://sshxl.nl/en/cities/maastricht for a
room in M-building which is cheaper than room in C-/P-building at the same location. Browsing
the website is free but both websites require you to pay to register an account in order to rent
the rooms. To avoid paying twice, choose the room first and register for the website accordingly.
I had a pleasant stay in a single room in M-building which is 16m2. There are heaters in room,
1 communal kitchen and 2 washing machines for each corridor. The usage of these facilities is
free.
4) Courses Registration
Courses registration is done online by following the notifications and guidelines sent to your
email by the University. There are two periods in one semester in UM and each lasts for 2
months. You have to study at least 1 and maximum 2 courses in each period. You have to
observe the deadlines for course registration as it is not likely for students to add or change the
courses they would like to study afterwards. The registration deadline is in late November and
mid-February for period 4 and 5 respectively.
5) Teaching & Assessment Methods
Problem-Based Learning (PBL) is practiced in UM. For each course, you will have 2 tutorials each
week which each lasts for 2 hours. You need to read all the materials (chapters in book and
additional articles) and finished the assigned questions before tutorial class. Generally, students
will discuss the reading materials with classmates first and then show your workings and
answers to the assigned questions for cross-checking. The role of tutor is really minor. He will
just step into the discussion if all of the students are not able to understand something or derive
the correct answers. Learning in UM relies heavily on yourself and your peers.
Course Code Course Title
Credits transfer as
EBC2059
Management Accounting
ACCT 3210: Advanced Management Accounting
EBC2070
International Financial Management FINA 3404: International Finance
EBC2056
International Financial Accounting
ACCT 3020: Financial Accounting II
EBC2059 Management Accounting
The course is easy and the workload is moderate. There are 3 group projects for this course
requiring each group to submit an essay of maximum 6 pages each time concerning the specific
topic assigned.
*Pay attention to ARRO database that this course may not continue to be approved for credit
transfer.
EBC2070 International Financial Management
There are 2-3 challenging topics covered by this course but the exam is easy in my opinion. The
course is designed with group presentation of 1-2 chapters in every tutorial following with
presentation of the assigned questions by another group. I end up having biweekly presentation
and submission of homework after division of work within my group of 4 people. In general, the
workload for this course varies depending on how well your groupmates want your presentation to
be.
EBC2056 International Financial Accounting
The workload for this course is light but the exam is terrible for this year. Half of the students
taking this course failed in the examination (first sit). You need to invest the time saved from light
workload to go through the chapters and know how to do the questions in order to secure a pass.
6) Cost/Expenses
The expenses for exchange are larger related to the amount of travelling and shopping you
make.
Item
Amount (HKD)
Daily expense
9,000
Entertainment and shopping
7,000
Accomodation
21,000
Travel
35,000
Flight ticket (return)
8,000
Visa
3,000
Insurance
2,000
Total
85,000
7) Health & Safety
You are required to get an insurance coverage during your stay in The Netherlands. Be aware
that many travel insurance packages set a coverage limit of 180 days. Remember to search for
an appropriate package before your exchange. Concerning the access to clinical service in The
Netherlands, procedures are stated on a leaflet that you will received on orientation day.
8) Food
Dining out is quite expensive in Maastricht but cooking by yourself is not. If you live in the main
guesthouse, there are three supermarkets nearby offering you cheaper choice of ingredients.
Things in ALDI is generally at lowest price but the variety is limited. For more choices, you may
access Jumbo and Albert Heijn in the shopping mall 5 minutes away from the guesthouse by
walk. To look for ingredients used in Chinese meal, there are 2 Asian supermarkets in the city.
One is named 東方行 in city centre while the other one is named 新華行 near the train station.
9) Transportation
People usually ride a bike within Maastricht. To travel by public transport (bus, train, trams in
bigger cities) within the Netherlands, we usually pay by OV Chipkaart which is just like an
octopus card in Hong Kong. You may download an apps ‘9292’ to look for methods, time and
cost for any specific journey within the Netherlands. The train operator offers discount return
tickets (on the same day) for group travelers with detailed information on how it works available
https://www.ns.nl/producten/losse-kaartjes/p/ns-groepsretour.
People generally look
for
strangers (on Facebook page) to form group and buy the ticket. I used that very frequently
during my stay in The Netherlands.
10) Climate
The weather is dry in The Netherlands. In winter months, the temperature usually ranges from
-5°C to 5°C, occasionally up to 10°C in daytime with sunshine. The weather become warmer
around mid-March. The weather is cool and comfortable afterwards with temperature around
10°C to 25°C (significant daily variation for morning and night). The daylight in winter is short
(early Feb: 8.30a.m. to 5.30p.m.) and extended to 5.30a.m. until 9.30p.m. by late May.
11) Communication
The Dutch citizens are able to speak good English generally. They are nice so you may just talk
to them if you need any help. For mobile phone, you will get a free Lebara sim card upon your
arrival from ESN. You may buy call credit and data top-up card in supermarkets and Lebara
store in city center. I bought €5 call credit and few data cards (€10 for 1.2GB valid for 30 days)
during my stay.
Part III – Items to Bring
ÿ
Down jacket with waterproof surface
ÿ
Gloves (better to be waterproof) and beanie
ÿ
Adaptors, power strip and portable chargers
ÿ
Laptop and camera
ÿ
Medicine and moisturizing cream
ÿ
Credit card (better to apply for online banking beforehand)
ÿ
Small fanny pack (better can be carried inside your clothing; to avoid pickpockets)
ÿ
Passport photos, copy of passport and identify documents (in case of losing them)
ÿ
Swimsuit (for hot springs, spa or beaches)