Exchange Report

University of Alberta, Canada

Alberta School of Business

Ben Szeto

Year 3 - ACCT & OM

Spring 2017

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Table of Contents

I. Monthly Activity Log P.3-4 II. General Exchange Information P.4-8 III. Items to Bring P.8 IV. Useful Links and Contacts P.9

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Part I – Monthly Activity Log December 2016 On 29th December, I flew to Vancouver to travel around there before U of A winter semester officially kicks off. In the first couple days, I visited places like Downtown, Chinatown, Grandville Island and University of British Columbia. It turns out that Vancouver wasn’t as cold as I expected, yet it did snowed and the temperature fluctuated between -5 to 5 Degree Celsius. On New Year’s Eve, people were celebrating the arrival of 2017 on streets around downtown. January 2017 During the 2nd part of my trip in Vancouver, I visited more tourist attractions including Vancouver Lookout, Port of Vancouver, FlyOver Canada, Stanley Park, Vancouver Aquarium and Lynn Canyon Park. Stanley Park was so big that I couldn’t walk through every part of it. The most memorable experience was crossing the suspension bridge in Lynn Canyon Park and watching the waterfall there very closely. On 4th January, I took an early flight to Edmonton. I had contacted my exchange buddy in advance and he was in the airport picking me up with his car. The Edmonton International Airport was quite far from downtown and U of A, so I was glad to have him driving me to U of A. My buddy also assisted me in moving into my dorm in HUB. On the next day, the International Services Centre (ISC) had an orientation for international students. I met another Hong Kong student from CUHK and other exchange students from Korea, China Singapore, Thailand, Germany, Austria and Finland. The ISC also organized a trip to IKEA for us to buy stuff. Another highlight of my exchange journey in January was the ski trip organized by the Business Exchange Association (BEA). The BEA is an association that organizes events for business exchange students, including the aforementioned buddy program and several outdoor trips. For example I joined the trip to William Hawrelak Park for ice-skating and seeing the Ice Castles. The ski trip was the annual highlight event of BEA, it was a 3 days short trip to Banff and Lake Louise Ski Resort. I haven't ski before, so this was a great opportunity to try skiing in Canada. Although I fell over a couple times and hurt my butt, skiing was so fun that I fell in love with this activity since then. February 2017 Unlike HKUST, there are two mid-term exams every semester in U of A, February is the first mid-term period of winter semester. After taking three mid-term exams in early February, finally it was the Canadian Family Day and Reading Week. I had planned ahead for a trip to Calgary and Banff during this 10-day break. Interestingly, Downtown Calgary was a financial district full of tall commercial buildings, which made it looked similar to Hong Kong. Apart from Downtown, I also went to Prince’s Island, Calgary Tower, The Military Museums, Heritage Park Historical Village, Fort Calgary, Calgary Zoo, Glenmore Reservoir and Stampede Park. Some attractions were closed during winter so I could only take pictures outside at the entrance. Then, my friend from CUHK, who was having exchange in the U.S., flew up to Canada to join me and we went to Banff together. I ski for the 2nd time in Norquay Ski Resort, this time I took the cable car up the hill and ski down. The view on top of the hill was amazing and the speed when going down the slope was fascinating. We walked around Downtown Banff, a small town with some shops and restaurants and surrounded by huge mountains. We travelled to Canmore, a 30-min bus ride from Banff. Then, we joined a local tour to Johnston Canyon and Lake Louise. Since it was winter, we were able to walk on the lake. It was my first time walking on a lake!

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March 2017 March was the second mid-term period. Apart from that, there were a number of assignments and projects undergoing this month. Yet, I did spare a weekend heading North to Yellowknife. Yellowknife is a city famous for watching aurora, I was really excited to see aurora for first time in my life. Lucikily, I was able to see aurora dancing in the sky, it was really amazing when u could see it with your eyes. The Old Town in Yellowknife was also worth visiting, you could see airplanes taking off from the highest point in Yellowknife, the Pilots’ Monument. In winter, you could even see cars driving along a snow road that connects Yellowknife with another town on the other side of the lake. I met lots of Hong Kong immigrants in Yellowknife, seems they were able to cope with the freezing weather there. -36 Degree Celsius was the lowest temperature when I was watching aurora outside. April & May 2017 April was the final month of my journey in U of A. After finishing project presentation, assignments and final exams, I left Edmonton on 26th April for my U.S. West Coast Trip with my friend. We went to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Antelope Canyon and Yosemite National Park, before returning to Hong Kong on 16th May.

Part II – General Exchange Information

1) Visa Procedures Although a study visa or study permit is not required for Hong Kong students having academic exchange in Canada (unless you are not holding a HKSAR passport), we do need to apply for an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) to fly to any Canadian airport. The application can be completed online (http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/eta.asp). It only costs $7 CAD and lasts for 5 years unless your passport expires within that period. It is probable to travel around the United States during our exchange in Canada. Try to apply for the U.S visa in Hong Kong, or else you have to travel to the Calgary U.S Embassy for attending the visa interview in Canada. To travel from Edmonton to Calgary, it requires a 3-hour greyhound bus ride or 50-min flight.

2) Orientation Activities As mentioned previously in part I, the International Services Centre (ISC) will organize an orientation session for international students. It would provide information about Canada and U of A. A campus tour would also be arranged to let us familiar with the U of A North campus. It is a good chance to meet other exchange through this event. To join this event, we need to register ourselves from the ISC website (http://www.iss.ualberta.ca/), as it isn’t compulsory, but I do recommend exchange students to attend this event.

3) International Services and Activities The International Services Centre (ISC) will provide a Campus Check-In pack for international students to help us settle down ourselves upon arrival in U of A. Afterwards, if we have questions or concerns about areas like housing, health insurance, banking, life in campus and academic matters, we can make appointment with ISC advisors, who are very willing to assist us. Activities for international students include volunteer work, English conversion group, writing workshop and free yoga. The ISC also offers peer program for international students to pair up with senior students.

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4) Accommodations The U of A Residence Services offers on-campus housing for exchange students. HUB, East Campus Village, International House and Résidence Saint-Jean are housing choices for exchange students (https://www.residence.ualberta.ca/prospective-residents/exchange-student). During my exchange, just like most exchange students, I stayed in HUB. As I know, International House was also a popular choice. HUB is actually a shopping mall inside the campus, with apartments below and above the shops level. Most international students chose to stay here because it is very convenient. It connects LRT University Station with U of A Business Building, and has a wide range of food options. Those who stay in HUB don't need to walk outside to classrooms in business building, so it is especially popular in winter semester. For myself, I stayed in a Furnished Studio Apartment (a type of single room, refer to website for details, with a bedroom, self-owned kitchen and bathroom. 5) Course Registration The U of A course registration system is called Bear Tracks (https://www.beartracks.ualberta.ca/). In fact, Bear Tracks is very similar to the SIS system adopted by HKUST. One significant difference is that there is no waitlist function in Bear Tracks, students can only receive email notification when seats are available for courses that are fully enrolled at the moment. Try to enroll courses once receiving the CCID and password, as course registration for winter semester actually already started in May, and Accounting courses are particularly competitive to enroll. Please also note that unlike HKUST, U of A would not pre-register courses for exchange students.

6) Teaching and Assessment Methods Classes in U of A are more or less the same as those in HKUST, lectures as the dominant teaching method with some in-class group discussions. In U of A, I took a total of 4 courses (ACCTG 415, ACCTG 426, MUS 101 & SMO 402). For MUS 101, I sent an email to the professor of HUMA 1102 to ask whether the two courses are equivalent to each other. He confirmed they are equivalent, but formal approval still need to be done by ARO. For the other 3 courses, the Course Equivalence Database (http://arr.ust.hk/ust_actoe/credit_overseas.php) shown that previous HKUST exchange students in U of A have successfully transferred credits before. Among the courses I took, ACCTG courses adopt curving system, while the non-ACCTG courses adopt absolute grading system. Course Course equivalent to

HKUST (if credit transfer approved by ARO)

Professor Assessment

ACCTG 415 ACCT 3020 Jason Lee Mid-term Exam 1 – 25% Mid-term Exam 2 – 25% Final Exam – 50%

ACCTG 426 ACCT 3210 David Cooper

Group Intro Case Report – 6% Group Case Reports x 3 – 39% Individual Participation – 15% Final Exam – 40%

MUS 101 HUMA 1102 (or HUMA-1000 level)

Brenda Dalen

Assignment 1 – 5% Assignment 2 – 5% Assignment 3 – 10% Mid-term Exam 1 – 20% Mid-term Exam 2 – 20%

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Final Exam – 40% SMO 402 MGMT 1120 F.W. Brick Team Assignment:

Written Report – 20% Presentation – 20% Mid-term Exam – 20% Final Exam – 40%

7) Sports and Recreation Facilities U of A value exercising and healthy lifestyle very much, so sports and recreation facilities are very well equipped. Most of them are located in the Butterdome, including the gym, in-door swimming pool, in-door basketball court and even in-door running track. Students can have free access to these facilities with their ONECard. U of A Campus & Community Recreation (CCR) also offers recreation, sports, exercise, instructional and wellness programs, however most of them are paid classes. Details can refer to the CCR sports program catalog distributed during the ISC orientation session.

8) Finance & Banking I did not open any bank account nor apply for any credit/debit card in Canada.

Summary of exchange expenses:

Items Amount in HKD (6.247 & 7.81 spot rate used for 1 CAD and 1 USD to HKD respectively)

Flight Tickets:

HK to Vancouver & Los Angeles to HK (Round Trip)

Vancouver to Edmonton (One Way)

Edmonton & Yellowknife (Round Trip)

Edmonton to Los Angeles (One Way)

$7,497

$1,581

$3,413

$1,285

Accommodations (HUB) $21,186

Meal $7,331

Groceries $2,234

UPass $885

UAHIP (Health Insurance required by U of A) $800

Textbook $2,700

Laundry $75

Canada eTA $44

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U.S Visa $1,280

Entertainment & Shopping $725

Travelling (Exclusive of Flight Ticket):

Vancouver Trip

BEA Ski Trip

Calgary & Banff Trip

Yellowknife Trip

U.S. West Coast Trip

$4,480

$3,467

$6,039

$6,995

$15,413

Others (Haircut, Postage & Printing) $268

Total $87,700

9) Social Clubs & Networking Opportunities During my exchange, I only joined the Business Exchange Association (BEA). The BEA organized quite a number of activities or events for business exchange students, such as the annual ski trip, trip to see ice castles, ice-skating night and escaping game. The leaders of the association are really nice and helpful. Other than that, students may join other clubs based on their preferences. A club fair would be held during the first few weeks of the semester in the Student Union Building (SUB) to provide students with more information.

10) Food Because of the large number of Chinese and international students in U of A, there are quite a wide range of food options in campus, especially in HUB mall. Since I stayed in HUB and it is nearest to Business Building, I ate in HUB most of the time. In HUB, they have Asian cuisines like Chinese, Thai, Korean, Japanese and Indian, as well as Western cuisines like Canadian, Mexican, Mediterranean and Italian. Most of them only provide take-away food, in which food would be put inside a plastic box. Sometimes, I went to other places with my friends for food, such as West Edmonton Mall (WEM), restaurants in 109 & 112 St NW. Occasionally, I cooked myself after getting groceries from Safeway in Southgate Mall or T&T in WEM. Poutine is a signature dish in Canada, so make sure to try that out as well.

11) Transportation The UPass distributed by U of A made it very convenient to travel around Edmonton. It is a sticker placed on the ONECard, so remember to bring ONECard when travel around by public transportation. With UPass, students will be able to take LRT and Bus for free by paying $141.67 CAD in the beginning of the semester. I downloaded the “ETS Live To Go” app from Google Play, it has the schedule of Edmonton public transportation.

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12) Climate U of A is in Edmonton, the capital city of Alberta Province. It is located in the Northern part in Canada, so the weather in winter is really cold. The temperature can be as low as -30 Degree Celsius and only rise to as high as 5-10 Degree Celsius in winter season. Also, with wind chill, it even feels colder than the actual temperature. During my time in Edmonton, snowy days were all around from January to April. The climate in Edmonton is very dry as well. I wore a couple layers of clothing to cover my body when going outside.

13) Communication I did not purchase a Canadian SIM card during my exchange. The wifi coverage around campus and HUB were quite well that I can rely heavily on it. Hong Kong exchange students holding HKSAR Passport can only buy prepaid SIM cards in Canada, as purchasing monthly data plan ones require a study visa and local credit card to do so.

14) Cautionary Measures As it is really cold during winter season in Edmonton, always make sure that enough clothes are worn in outdoor areas. Also, watch out for slippery and icy surfaces along the road, especially after snowing.

Part III – Items to Bring

HKID, Passport, U of A Offer Letter, HKUST Offer Letter, Personal photo

Bed Sheets, Pillow and Pillow Cover, Blanket, Towel

Razor, Laundry Bag and Hangers

Winter Clothing (Undershirt, Long-sleeved T-shirt, Jacket, Coat, Scarf, Hat, Gloves…) and Heating Packs

Sportswear, Swimming Trunks and Business Suit

Medicine

Laptop & Charger, USB, Camera, Stationery and Calculator

Sunglasses, Sunscreen, Lotion/Hand Cream and Lipstick

Back-up food like snacks and instant noodles and Dining Utensils

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Part IV – Useful Links and Contacts

1) Canada eTA

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/eta.asp

2) U of A ISC

http://www.iss.ualberta.ca/

3) U of A Residence Housing

https://www.residence.ualberta.ca/prospective-residents/exchange-student

4) U of A Course Catalog

https://www.beartracks.ualberta.ca/psp/uahegprd/EMPLOYEE/HRMS/c/COMMUNITY_ACCESS.SSS_BROWSE_CATLG.GBL?pslnkid=ZSS_HC_SSS_BROWSE_CATLG_GBL4&FolderPath=PORTAL_ROOT_OBJECT.ZSS_GUEST_SEARCH.ZSS_HC_SSS_BROWSE_CATLG_GBL4&IsFolder=false&IgnoreParamTempl=FolderPath%2cIsFolder

5) Bear Tracks

https://www.beartracks.ualberta.ca/

6) uLearn (equivalent to Canvas of HKUST – Course materials are uploaded here)

https://ulearn.ualberta.ca/

7) Rate My Professor (A website with comments of courses and professors)

http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/

8) U of A Campus Map

http://www.campusmap.ualberta.ca/

9) Edmonton Public Transportation

https://www.edmonton.ca/edmonton-transit-system-ets.aspx