Exchange Report University College Dublin, Ireland - BBA (OM & IS) Spring 2020 Wong Yee Nok, Enoch

Exchange Report

University College Dublin, Ireland

        Wong Yee Nok, Enoch
          BBA (OM & IS)
           Spring 2020

Part One – Monthly Activity Log

January
After more than 18 hours, including 4 hours of
layover, I finally arrived Dublin on 13th of
January. Ireland is always well-known for the
rainy weather and it was also how I started my
first day in Europe, getting wet with my two
luggage while losing my way to find the office to
check-in.

There was a lot to prepare in the first two
weeks. There were a lot of orientation activities
offered by UCD, so I can meet some friends there, especially those who
                                     also came from Hong Kong. I have also
                                     spent an afternoon in joining the IKEA
                                     tour, so I can buy some utensils and
                                     other things that I needed during the
                                     exchange. I also spent some of my time
                                     in applying IRP & Leap Card, which are
                                     two important things you should apply
                                     as soon as possible.

Before the semester started, I have grabbed some time in exploring Dublin
with other students from Hong Kong. Guinness
Storehouse, Phoenix Park and Howth are some of
the places we have spent our time in January.

Class started on 27th January and I planned a
short weekend trip to the UK on the first week
since the workload was light. I have spent my
time in London and Manchester, where I got the
chance to watch a football match in Old Trafford.

February
I always describe UCD as the UST in Dublin,
not because of the high level of stress and
tension, but the long distance from the city
center. Therefore, we did not spend a lot of
time going to the city center, due to the high
transportation cost as well. Besides, the
academic workload was becoming heavier in
this month, as there were presentations and
quizzes to prepare before the semester break.

Even though there were some work to do in different courses, I still got
some time in travelling as I got two day-offs on Monday and Friday
respectively. In February, I planned two trips to the Netherlands, France
and Belgium. Netherlands is one of the countries which I have been looking
forward to going for a long time. The view of windmills in Kinderdijk is so
fascinating where I have also got more information why windmills were
built in the Netherlands.

                                    The weekend I went to France was also
                              the week that the number of confirmed
                              Corona Virus cases started rising rapidly in
                              France. Although there are a lot of great
                              places in Paris, including the Lourve Museum,
                              Effiel Tower, etc. I also discovered the cultural
                              difference between Asians and Europeans by
                              finding out no one really care about the virus
                              at that time.

March
As the study break started in the second week of March, there was a lot
for me to do before the break. There were mid term tests to revised as
well as a number of project meetings to attend. The week before the
break was the busiest week I had in
UCD, but also the last week I had
lessons in UCD. This was something I
have definitely not ever thought of
before I travelled to Northern Europe
during the break.

I went to Denmark first and enjoyed
some relaxing days there. Joining the
                           canal tour during a sunny day was so enjoyable.
                           I started understanding why people always say
                           Northern Europe is great for living after
                           retirement. Afterwards, I have travelled to
                           Stockholm in Sweden by train. Although there
                           was not much to visit in Stockholm, except
                           churches and museums, I still think it was
                           worthy to spend 2-3 days to enjoy the slow
                           pace there.

The last country I visited in Northern Europe was
Iceland. That was definitely the greatest place I
have ever been to in my life. The glacier, the
waterfalls are unforgettable to me. I have also
decided to travel to Iceland once again in summer
one day to see a different view. During my visit in
Iceland, the number of COVID-19 cases rose
rapidly all around the world. The unexpected
situation had led to the cancellation of my trip to Norway, as well as the
decision of getting back to Hong Kong in late March.

Part Two – General Exchange Information

Visa Procedures
For Hong Kong Passport holder, you do not have to apply the
visa for going to Ireland. However, as you will be staying in
Ireland for more than 90 days, you have to apply for Irish
Residence Permit (IRP) instead. As the booking is always free, I
encourage you to make the appointments before you arrive Hong
Kong, even though UCD have a limited number of places
reserved for exchange students. Remember to bring all the
documents needed as well as a credit/debit card for the
application. The whole application can take you more than 3
hours.

Orientation Activities
There are quite a number of orientation activities offered by
UCD. There are talks help you in preparing your life in UCD,
including introducing the application of IRP and other important
information you may need to know. There are also some tours
going to IKEA and city center of Dublin as well.

International Service & Activities
There are two international societies providing activities for
international students like us. They are International Student
Society (ISS) and Erasmus Student Network (ESN) respectively.
They organize some gatherings and tours for students. You can
also buy a ESN card to enjoy some discounts.

Accommodations
The accommodation in Dublin is extremely expensive, while on-
campus accommodation is more expensive than off-campus
accommodation. It is not easy to find off-campus accommodation
if you are having exchange in Spring Semester, and I also think

it is a better choice to live on-campus as you can easily seek
help from residence office.

Courses Registration
For course registration, the procedure is not a complicated one. I
suggest you to do the mapping as early as possible so you can
know what courses are suitable for you earlier. Although you
may have chance of failing to register the courses you want, you
I place.

Teaching and Assessment Methods
The teaching method in UCD is a little bit different to HKUST.
The class size in UCD is smaller and emphasize the interaction
between students more. Although there are fewer tests for each
course, the projects in UCD are more demanding.

UCD Courses           UST Courses
BMGT 20130            MGMT 2130
BMGT 20150            ISOM 1700
BMGT 30210            ISOM 3740
MIS 30070             IS 3000 level
MIS 30120             IS 3000 level

I am not sharing the grading assessment as the outbreak of
COVID-19 has led to changes in some assessment methods. I
think BMGT 30210 and MIS 30070 are more difficult comparing
to other courses.

Sports and Recreation Method
There are sports facilities in UCD, but I did not have a chance
to pay a visit to any of them. Besides, there is a cinema in UCD
Campus, where you can watch new movies. It is a pity that I
have never gone to the cinema to watch a movie before I came
back to Hong Kong

Finance & Banking
Although most of the exchange student will consider opening a
bank account in Dublin, as a bank called AIB has a branch in
UCD Campus. I do not recommend you doing so as it requires you
to spend some time in doing the account opening process during
the beginning of the semester, not to mention there is
transaction fee when you transfer money from Hong Kong.
Instead, I suggest you open an account in Hong Kon that can
allow you to get money from the ATM in Europe. I have chosen
Citi Bank which has no extra transaction fee needed.

Social Clubs & Networking Opportunities
Not much information can be provided due to COVID-19

Health & Safety
Not much information can be provided due to COVID-19

Food
It is quite expensive to dine in Dublin. Therefore, I recommend
you cook by yourself or with your friends. There is a small
supermarket in UCD campus but there has a limited choice of
ingredients and a higher price. I suggest you go to the
supermarkets in the city center or Blackrock.

Transportation
You should apply for Leap Card when you arrive in Dublin, which
can be done in SU Office. It has similar functions with Hong
Kong’s Octopus Card. With the Student Leap Card, you can enjoy
student discount in transportation and even some other shopping
discounts. There are daily cap and weekly cap respectively for
Student Leap Card. For transportation between UCD and Airport,
I recommend Aircoach. Although Leap Card is not accepted in
Aircoach, there is discount when you book the ticket online.

Climate
It is quite cold and windy in Dublin during the spring semester. I
have even seen snow and hail sometimes in February. Besides,
please also expect there are always rain in Dublin. However, you
seldom see an Irish using an umbrella when it rains, most of
them like to wear a water-proof jacket instead. Perhaps you
should also bring some summer clothes if you are staying a bit
longer after the semester ends, or even travelling to other
countries that may not be as cold as Ireland.

Communication
Three Ireland has a booth set up in UCD Campus in the
beginning of the semester. There is an “All you can eat” plan
provided, so you get get unlimited data in Ireland and 10 GB
data in Europe. It costs 20 euro and lasts for 28 days. You can
even top up online.

Part Three – Items to Bring

l Acceptance Letter from UCD

l Confirmation Letter from HKUST

l Financial Proof

l Insurance Proof

l Ireland Address Proof

l Laptop

l Adapter

l Cash

l Credit Card

l Debit Card

l Clothes

l Food that you think you may miss during exchange

l Medicine

Part Four – Useful Links and Contacts

Useful Links

SIS:

https://sisweb.ucd.ie/

Brightspace:

https://brightspace.ucd.ie

UCD Residence

https://www.ucd.ie/residences/

IRP Booking:

https://burghquayregistrationoffice.inis.gov.ie

Important Contact

Esther Sanz:

esther.sanz@ucd.ie