Exchange  report  

Maastricht  University  

Spring  2017  

Chan  Kai  Him  

ACCT&FINA    

Part 1 Monthly Log

January

I arrived Maastricht in the late January that are one week before the semester start. Before

the semester start, I have walk around Maastricht and familiar the city that I would live for the

following six months. Also, I have participated the orientation activities and met people from

different parts of the world.

February

The first semester period started on the first week February. I need some time to cope with

the different teaching method in Maastricht. It need lots of reading and preparation before

each tutorial and I spend most of the time in reading those material. Luckily, there is a short

break for me in the last week of February ad there is a one-week holiday for the carnival.

People in Maastricht will have carnival party in the city center and the square in Vrijthof. I was

glad to see the party and explore the local culture. Apart from watching the carnival , I went to

Rotterdam in the vacation and visit the home ground of Feyenoord, a famous football team in

Netherland, and different landmark in Rotterdam.

March

March is a busy month for me on study as there were many presentations and needed to

prepare for the exam in the early April. So I did not go to travel this

month but I still manage went to Roermond for buying clothes as the

clothes in the outlet there would have a huge discount.

 

 

April

After the two exams in the first week of April, there were a two weeks Easter break. During

the break, I went to Germany to watch of Bundesliga game in Gelsenkirchen. I also visit

Amsterdam and Den Haag. Furthermore, I watch one more football game in Southampton. It

is the most exchange most enjoyable moment in the exchange as I was being amazed by the

atmosphere and chants of fans for both teams. After the two weeks break, the second period

in my exchange period start.

May

In this month, I did not go to much travel as the material and reading of the course in this

period was complicated. Still, I went to travel during this month to Brussel. Also, I went to

watch the football matches played by MVV, a Maastricht football team to enjoy the football

atmosphere in Maastricht.

June & July

In the beginning of June, I visit Manchester and watch

Michael Carrick Testimonial match. I was very excited

because I can see those players that I watch in TV when I

still in primary school. After the trip, it was the time for

exam for period 5. After the exam, I went to London and

visit different stadium and landmark. After the trip, I back

Hong Kong in Early July.

     

 

   

   

General exchange information

1) Visa Procedures

The information of Visa Procedures will email the procedures in the middle to late October. It

will be fine if you follow the procedures well. If you need the prove of financial sufficient during

the application, use an account statement plus business card from the bank is better as the

bank in Hong Kong will not write the exact wording require by the Dutch Immigration for the

banking statement. Make sure that you meet all the requirements and material as the visa

office in UM need 3 -4 working days to reply your email. Also, you will need to book a meeting

to the Dutch Consulate and wait around a week to receive the Visa.

2)Orientation activities

There will be a two days orientation event before period 4 starts. There will be a city tour and

a PBL learning style lesson in order to familiar the learning method in Maastricht University.

3)Accommodation

I lived in the guesthouse same as other exchange student as it is convenient. It only need a

30 minutes work to the SBE building. It is located near the court of Maastricht and you can

ask the people on the location of the “old hospital” and the court and the people will be able to

show you where it is located.

I lived in the P building in the guest house as there is a private kitchen and more comfortable

to stay although the rent is more expensive which cost for around 700EURO per month when

compare to the M&C building.

4) Course registration

You are restricted to register at most 2 course per period. You will receive an email in early

December on the procedures of course registration. You will be fine when you following and

not missed the deadline. If you do not want an evening class ( classes after 6 pm and ended

around 8pm) , make sure you have checked the boxes of you are not available for the

evening class.

5) Teaching & Assessment Methods

Maastricht University adopt a different teaching method (Problem Based Learning), you will

need to read the material in textbook in advance and all thing are just like self study. During

the tutorial, the tutor will not teach much as they are mainly responsibly for answering student

questions and guide the discussion of the tutorial.

I registered 4 course during exchange.

EBC 1017 Strategy

This is a very easy course for the year on student there. If you have studied MARK2120 and

ISOM 1380 in UST, most of the content content will not be new to you. Although the content is

easy, the workload is high. It need to prepare 6-10 discussion question in each tutorial. Also,

you need to do a 20 minutes presentation once, being the discussion leader once and two

group presentation and you need to pass all of these in order to pass the course. Luckily, my

tutor was more lenient to exchange student and it was not hard too pass these component. I

would advise you could choose to do the presentation and discussion leader in the beginning

of the course as those topics are more easy to present and you can have free time to do the

group presentation and tasks from the other course.

For the exam, you need to score 40 MCs out of 60. The questions are easy and test the

application of the theory, it is easy to pass.

EBC 2070 International Financial Management

This course ‘s workload is the highest among the 4 courses. You need to do group bi-week

presentation and hand in weekly group assignment. You need to pass both components apart

from the exam. It will be easy to pass for both task if you have good group mate. My group

mate are knowledgeable and helpful so I pass it easily.

For the exam , is 40% MC and 60% Long Question. For the MC , it just copy the question in

the question bank which is available in the study drive , so make pure you practice those

questions well. For long question, it is difficult that mainly focus on asking the derivatives

parts and they will also ask theoretical questions also and make sure you know the theory

behind. Overall, it is not difficult to pass

EBC 2056 International accounting management

It is a low work load course as you just need to 5-6 accounting question which will be

discussed in the tutorial. Those question could be finish with in one hour. But you may need

to exercises in the textbook in order to familiar with the accounting practice. The tutor will not

provide those answer so you may need to ask the classmate who has studied ACCT3020 for

it. For the exam, make sure you studied the article well and the accounting principle (no just

computation) as the take about 25% of the exam.

EBC2053 Options and futures

It is the lowest workload course among all. Although you need to finish a case each tutorial

but it is ok for not finish it as not all student could solve the case and it would be not be

assess. The tutor would discuss the answer in the tutorial. Make sure you know and follow

the case as they will ask in the exam. For the exam, the questions are similar those with the

case and understand all the assumption behind.

6) Sports and reaction facilities

There are not much sports facilities in the university but there are a basketball court and

tennis court in the guest house but I do not use it much

7) Finance and Banking

I opened a bank account in ING bank. For opening it, you need to go to ING bank with a

statement from the student service center , your passport and rent contract. After it, you need

to wait the letter send from ING. You need 3 letters in total. As the letter are all in Dutch, you

need to wait you receive 4 letters as some of the letters are just promotion material. For the

last letter you need, you need a letter that has a barcode in the bottom of the paper. When

you received all the letter, you can go to the ING bank in Brusselsepoort (if you live in the

guest house) and activate the account.

Items HKD

Flight ticket 13000

Visa 3000

Accommodation 40000

Food 6500

Travel 25000

Miscellaneous 1500

Total 89000

8) Social clubs and network opportunities

There are a social club called ESN and they will organize social activities for exchange

student regularly. It is a good opportunity to meet new friends.

9)Healthy and safety

Maastricht is a safe place and mainly only retired people live in here. I feel sick in Maastricht

twice and bought medicine in Etos.

10) Food

I mainly bought food from supermarket to cook by myself as it is expensive to eat in

restaurant. I would buy food in albert heijin in brusselsepoort as there is a more variety of

food. I would also buy instant noodles in 東方行 located in the city center which sells Asian

food.

11)Transport

For going to the city center and Maastricht station, you can take bus 1,2,5,6 near the guest

house. For train, there will be a train every 30 minutes to Amsterdam.

You can buy an OV chip card in the train station as it will be cheaper for bus fare. You need

to check in and check out when using the card as the card will deduct you 4 euro and 20 euro

respectively when you check in in bus and trains. And refund back part of the fare when you

check out. When you forget the check out, you need first go to the website to indicate you

forgot check out. Then go to a machine in the station to refund. You can ask the staff in

station on how to refund as the machine there are all in Dutch.

There are two kind of train in Maastricht that are sprinter and intercity. As those two kind of

train are operate by two company, you need different machines for check in. For intercity

( yellow train), you need to check in by yellow machine and Sprinter ( white train ), you need

to use the white machine.

12) Weather

For January and February, the degree are around 0 but it would be feel like 5-6 degree in

Hong Kong. For March and April, it will be around 14-26 degree and normal winter clothes

would be suitable. For May and June, it has 20-36 degree. But the temperature change a lot

with in a day.

13)Communication

Almost every Dutch welcome and able to speak and communicate in English, except for

those elderly and teenagers. For the telecommunication, I use the free SIM card provided by

ISN and it can be used for the instruction they provided. It cost 5 EURO 500 MB. But as in the

late exchange period, there is a promotion that 15 EURO for 6GB and I choose this plan.

Items to bring

- Thick jacket -Laptop

- Passport

- Adaptor

- Few summer clothes

- Chopstick

- Large Backpack

- Credit card

Items no need to bring

- Calculator( you need have a specific model of calculator for the exam)

- Cooking tools

- Pillow, Bed sheet

Useful link

1.Netherland trip advisor:

https://9292.nl/en

2.Study drive ( Sources for the course)

https://www.studydrive.net

3. Refund on OV card

https://www.uitcheckgemist.nl/

If more information is needed, get my contact from SBM Exchange Team by emailing at

bmugexch@ust.hk.