COPENHAGENBUSINESSSCHOOLEXCHANGEREPORTSPRING2017JoanneXIE

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MONTHLYJOURNAL

January2017–Arrival

I’d longed for visiting Copenhagen – the world’s most liveable city, with intelligentinfrastructure to freeeducation, freehealthcareandasociety focusedonthe lifebalancebetweenworkandplay(asintroducedbymyCBSbuddywhocametoHKUSTforexchange).That’swhyIappliedforCopenhagenBusinessSchool(CBS)forthespringexchange2017.ß

Tohelpexchangestudentsadapttothenewenvironmentandschoollife,CBSwouldkindlyassignanexchangebuddytopickyouupattheairport,handoverthestudentdormkeysandwelcomingpackage, introduce you toCBS andCopenhagen, etc. Therefore, remember tocontactyourbuddybeforeyou fly toCopenhagen,especiallywhenyouareallocatedtoastudentdormitory.

IarrivedatCopenhagentwoweeksbeforethetermstarted,allowingsufficienttimetosettledown.TheweatherinDenmarkwasverycoldandhumidwithtemperaturesrangingfrom0tominus8or9degreeCelsiusandlightshowersalldaylong.Moreover,thesunsetsataround4.30pmandrises8.30ameverydayinwinter.Tospendsuchalongnight,Danesusuallygrabadrinkinbars(gatheringwithfriendsorhavingfun),orgotogymnasiumtokeepfit.

**Aweekinadvanceofthecommencementofspringterm,CBSorganizedanIntroductionWeekforwhichwemustattendthedaytimeactivitiesandhadtheoptionofjoiningthesocialeventsintheevening.Forexample,staffwouldintroducethecourseadd-dropprocedures,examination and student portal (similar to CANVAS and my.ust.hk). Make sure yourememberthedeadlineforcourseadd-dropandrelevantproceduresasitisdifferentfromthoseforlocalstudents.Also,thecoursetimetablehereisflexibleanditisnormaltohaveclashesoccasionally.Remembertocheckyourcalendarregularlyandminimizeclashes.

Ontheotherhand,studentswouldguideyouaroundtouristattractions, introduceDanishcultures like folkdancingandpartyingplaces,etc.Youcouldget toknowotherexchangestudentsandenjoyafancydinnerwiththemonthelastdayoftheweek.

Folkdancingperformedbyagroupoflovelyelderlies

WelcomeDinneronthelastday

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February2017–Commencementofspringterm

**StudentsinCBSenjoyaveryhighdegreeoffreedom–formanycourses,attendancewouldnotbemandatory;nomid-terms,noassignments.Thismeansfinalexaminationwouldbetheonlyassessmentthatdeterminesyourgrade.Therefore,self-disciplineandgoodstudyplansareofvitalimportanceinordertogiveourselvesenoughtimetostudyandassimilatelecturematerialsbeforetheexam.

Lectures here encouraged inputs from students and the atmosphere was quite free andrelaxing. For example, in a course called Entrepreneurship and Innovation in a GlobalPerspective,professoradopteda“casestudy-based”styleofteachingandsplitthelecturetimeequallytoteachtheoriesanddiscusscases.Ihadagroupprojectwithotherexchangestudentsanditwasinterestingtoknowtheirculturesandwayofthinking.

Forcommute,youcanchoosetowalk,bikeortakepublictransporttoschool.Copenhagenisabikecity,witharoundhalfofthepopulationbikestoworkandstudyeveryday.Ifyouwouldliketobike,youcanbuyasecond-handbicyclefromotherexchangestudents.Ifyouwouldliketotakemetro,itishighlyrecommendedtogetatravelcardRejsekortetastheticketpricewouldbehalvedcomparedtoasingleticket.

2thingsmemorableinFebruary–snowinginCopenhagenandvisitingFinland

Snowingwasn’t veryoften inCopenhagenbut it looked so fantasticwhen thewhole citybecamewhite.Inoneofthesnowydays,Itookawalkintheroyalgarden(nowopentothepublic)FrederiksbergHavenearmystudentresidence.Theparkwasveryhugewithoutfewpeoplewalkingaround,whichbecameaperfectplacetofeelthepeaceandbeautyofnature.Somewhere on a slope, you can see kids enjoy sledging with their siblings and parents.Copenhageners really treasure their family time and you can always see them go tosupermarkets,picnicandmuseumswiththeirbelovedones.Herearesomeofthepicturestakeninthegarden:

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AttheendofFebruary,IvisitedFinlandforthenorthernlights.ThiswasmyfirsttripinEurope,andthemostspecialone.Theweathertherewasfreezing,andtherewasablizzardatthefirst night we arrived at Helsinki. We spent four days in 3 cities – Helsinki, the capital;Rovaniemi for theSantaClausVillage;and Inari for theaurora. I tried the reindeermeat,crossed the Arctic Circle in Santa Claus Village; saw the spectacular northern lightswhilestayingoutdoors,enduringachatteringchillofminus32degreeCelsius.Thiswasnoteasy,yetthiswhollyfreshexperiencehasmademyexchangemorethrillingandmemorable.

Reindeermeat

SunsetinInari(onalake)

AurorainInari

March2017–StudyingandLivingasaCopenhagener

**LifewasquitebusyinMarchasthreeoutofmyfourcourseswereinfirstquarter.InCBS,one semesterwasdivided into2quarters,which somecourseswould finishwithinonequarter,whilesomewouldbetakenthroughoutthewholeterm.Tofinish3full-semestercourses within 2 months, my schedule as a result was quite full. In addition, I took anadvanced coursewhich I had never studied any relevant knowledge before. Careful timeplanningandadditionalstudiestocatchupwithotherswasrequired.

However,lifeinCopenhagenwasstillenjoyable.Firstofall,Ilearnthowtocook.AsoneoftheNordic countries, theprice level inDenmark isprettyhigh– itusually takesover100Danishkroner(dkkorkr.),whichisequivalenttoaround120HongKongdollars,todineout.AsetmealinMcDonaldinCopenhagentakes60to70kroner.(Interestingly,akebabherecouldbeascheapas25kroner.)Itwasafulfillingprocesstolearnhowtotakecareofmyself,tobeindependentandfinallytocooksomenewdishesbasedonrandomideas.Atweekends,Iwouldevenspendanafternooninacozyapartment,makingdesserts,listeningtomusicandgatheringwithfriends.Sometimeswewouldalsovisitsomenicecafes,sippingcoffeeandsurfingtheNet.Otherthanbars,cafeswouldbethenextpopularplaceforCopenhagenerstospendtheirfreetime.Youcouldgrabyourlaptop,walkintothecoffeeshopandhaveanice brunch. There wouldn’t be long queues, loud talks but soothing music and friendlywaiters/waitresses.

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BrunchatCafé

Otherthanfood,museumswouldbeanotherrecommendationtogo.Therewasamuseumdistrictinthedowntown,KongensNytorv,whereyoucouldseealotofartgalleries,museumsandcastles.Someofthemwerefreetoenteroncertainweekdays.Ivisitedafew,inwhichmany nice paintings and statues were displayed. There were some artists sketching ordrawinginfrontoftheartworktoo.Itwouldbenicetotakearestintheinnergardenwithfountainsandplantssurroundingyou,providingasenseofcomfort.

EarlyApril2017–Examinations

3 exams took place from 27thMarch to 7th April. Asmentioned earlier, the 100% exam-weightedgradingaddedabitmorepressureonmyexampreparation.

**TheexamformathereinCBSisverydifferentfromthatinUST.Firstofall,manyexamsareopen-book,whichmeansyoucouldtakeallthelecturematerialsandyourownnotestoexam venues. Second, most exams are taken electronically, instead of handwritten.Therefore,youcouldsaveallyourlearningmaterialsinanUSBdriveandcopythemtotheexamcomputerforyourreference.TheexaminCBSusuallylastsforfourhours,whichallowssufficienttimetothinkandorganizeyouranswers.Itisadvisedtobringsomesnacksalongsoyouwouldnotfeeltoohungryordrainedinthecourseofexaminations.

**Examresultswouldusuallybereleasedonemonthafterwards.Ifyoufailforthefirsttime,youwouldstillbegiventworetakeswhichtheformatandtimewillbeannouncedinthebeginningofthesemesteraswell.However,ifyourexamstakeplaceinJune,itisadvisedtogetthempassatfirsttry.OtherwiseyouwillhavetoaskUSTstufffortheirsupervisiontoretaketheexaminHongKong.

TherearealsooralexamsinCBSwhichyouhavetosubmitawrittenreporttoprofessorsfirst,andpreparefortheQ&Asessionbasedonyourpaper.Sometimespowerpointslideswould

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beneededtosupplementyourpresentation.IdidnottakeoneinCBS,butIheardthatitwasquitechallengingtothinkofagoodansweronthespot.

Mid-April2017–TravelingaroundEurope!!

Examswereover!Astherewasonlyonecourseleftformysecondquarter,Ihavefivedaysinrowfreetotraveleveryweek.However,youhavetoplanyourtripsamonthearlierinordertogetcheapairticketsoraccommodation.Airbnbisagoodchoiceasitprovidesmanyniceandcheapapartments inEurope–someevenhasabalconyorgarden! Inthefollowing2months, I have travelled around15 cities, ranging fromNorthern European countries likeNorway,andwesternoneslikeGermanyandFrance,toeasternoneslikeRussia.Itishardtotalk about them one by one in detail, but I would highly recommendMoscow and SaintPetersburgaspartofyourEuropeantrips.Thecitieswereverycleanandnice-looking,andpeopletherewerefriendly.Thesetwo largestcities inRussiaalsohavethedeepest,mostundergroundmetrosystems,withthemostawesomeandartisticinteriordesigntoo.

Vienna

NorwayinaNutshell

Netherlands

Moscowbelow(SaintBasil’sCathedral,leftandMetrostation,right)

Europeisacontinentwithgreatheterogeneitywhereyoucanfeelthedifferenceinlifestyles,artsandcuisines.Treasureyourtimehereandplanmoregoodvisitstoenrichyourexchange!

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GENERALEXCHANGEINFORMATION

1. VisaProcedures

CBSwillsendyoudetailedguidelinesandapplicationformforvisaapplication.

If youareaHongKongpassportholder, youhave toapply for residencepermit fromtheDanishembassyforstayinginDenmarkformorethan90days.YouhavetosubmitanonlineapplicationtoDanishembassyfirst,andthengoinpersontovisaapplicationcentertohaveyour biometrics recorded. The nearest center will be in Guangzhou. Upon successfulapplication,yourresidencepermitwillbesentviaemail.

2. CPRandresidencecard(VERYIMPORTANT)

Uponarrival,youhavetogotothelocalmunicipality(eitherFrederiksbergtownhallorInternationalOffice)toobtainyourpersonalIDnumber(“CPRnumber”).Theauthoritieswillmailyouayellowcard2weekslater,withyourCPR,addressandyourpersonaldoctor’sinfo.onthecard.Youmusthavethisyellowcardtogetmanyofthethingsdone,e.g.,getaSIMcard,openabankaccount.

Anotherpinkcard,residencecard,willbemailedyouautomatically.YouhavetopresentthiscardattheborderswhenleavingorenteringtheSchengenZone(forexamplewhenIenteredRussia).

3. Accommodation

StudentresidenceprovidedbyCBSisVERYLIMITEDanditisonafirst-comefirst-servedbasis.CBS will send you the information and application procedures via school email so keepcheckingyourmailboxandmustnotmissthetimeopentoapplication.Youhavetosubmityourapplicationonlinethroughadesignatedsystemandcompleteitwithin10minutes.Makesureyouhaveagoodwificonnectionatthattimebecausesecondscanmeanwhetheryoucangetyourfirstchoiceornot,evenwhetheryoucangetthestudentresidenceornot.

HousinginDenmarkcanquiteexpensive,fromthelowestpriceofaround3000dkk/monthto 7000 dkk/month, depending on the size, place and single/shared room. Therewill bekitchens in student residence, with basic cooking utensils provided. Bed linens will beprovidedinthewelcomingpackaswell.

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4. Courseregistration

Therewillbe2roundsofcourseregistration,withthefirsttakeplaceinlateOctober/earlyNovemberandsecondoneinDecember.Youcantakeupto30ECTS(7.5ECTSacourse)inonesemester.Ifyouwishtooverload,youhavetowritearequestletteranduploaditonthecourseregistrationsystem.

Afterthesemesterstarts,youcanstillchoosetochangeyourcoursesinanadd-dropperiod.However,youhavetoemailtheInternationalofficeforyourrequestandtheywillputyouinthewaitlist.

5. Financeandbanking

DanishkroneristhecurrencyusedinDenmark,which1DKK=1.2HKDasof2017/7/30.

Denmarkisacashlesssocietywhichmeansyoucanpaybycredit/debitcardineveryshop.YoucanopenaDanishbankaccountwithyourCPR,CBSofficialacceptanceletterandthebankaccountinformationofthepersonwhosendyouremittance.DanskeBankandNordeaBankwillbethetwolargestbanksinDenmark.Theyalsohavemobilebankingforyourtocheckyourtransactionsreal-timeandtransfermoneytoothers.Forexbankiswhereyoucangetforeigncurrencieswhentravellingaround.

6. SocialclubsandNetworkingOpportunities

You are welcome to join any clubs and societies in CBS, e.g., chess club, managementconsultingclub,financelab.Ifyouareinterestedincasecompetitions,youcanalsojointheannual CBS Case Competition OPEN and be the audience for CBS International CaseCompetition.ItisabigeventforCBS.

7. HealthandSafety

Youcanenjoyfreehealthcareservices inCopenhagenonceyouhaveyourCPR.Regardingsafety,CopenhagenisaprettysafecityinDenmark/Europewithalmostnoterroristattackheardduringmystay.However,mindyourpersonalbelongingsasthereareseveraltheftshappenedonexchangestudents.

8. Transportation

PublictransportisconvenientinCopenhagenandyoucanusethesamesingletickettotakemetro, bus or train within 2 hours. However, it is recommended to get a travel card,Rejsekortet,asearlyaspossiblesoyoucanenjoygreatdiscounts.YoucanalwayschecktheroutesonGooglemapandthetimetable.Copenhagenisasmallcitywhichyoucantraveltoairport(metroM2lineLufthavnen)fromCBSmaincampuswithin20minutes.

YoucanalsochoosetobikeasCopenhagenisabikecitywithoverhalfofthepopulationrideabicycle toworkor schooleveryday.Youcangeta second-handbikewith fewhundreddollars.

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9. Communication

TheDanesspeakEnglishverywellsotherewillnot languagebarrier livinginCopenhagen.However,itisstillbettertoknowsomebasicDanishasthepricetagsinsupermarketareallinDanish.

MobiledataissupercheapinDenmarkwhichyoucanget30GBof4Gdataamonthwithonly99kroner!IfyouplantotravelaroundEurope,youcanbuyaninternationalcardin3(tre.dk)whichcanbeusedinEuropeandevenbackinHongKong.CallsdialingbetweenDenmarkanddesignatedcountries(includesmostoftheplacesinEurope)arefree.Datausagewillalsobefreeinthosecountries.

10. OthernotesTapwaterisdrinkableinDenmark,however,asitcontainsquitealotofminerals,itisnormaltoseewhitepowderinwaterafterboilingandstoredforalongtime.

THINGSTOBRING• Danishkroner• Warmclothes,includingheavyjackets/coats,gloves,knittedhats• Water-proofshoes(avoidgettingwetinsnow)• Medicine• Personalcarestuff

• EuropeanAdapters(2-roundpins)• Electronicdevices,e.g.laptop,camera,USBdrive• Cabin-sizeluggage(fortravellingonbudgetairlines)

USEFULLINKSANDCONTACTSEmailaddressofGuangzhouVisaApplicationCentre:cangklvisa@um.dk

CBSInternationalOffice:rec.io@cbs.dk

YOUREXCHANGEBUDDY!