EXCHANGE REPORT University of Exeter, UK - Joyce Wu Spring 2019

EXCHANGE REPORT
University of Exeter, UK

Joyce Wu
Spring 2019

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Part I                                          P. 3

Monthly Activity Log

Part II                                         P. 5

General Exchange Information

Part III                                        P. 7

Items to Bring

Part IV                                         P. 8

Useful Links and Contacts

PART I – MONTHLY ACTIVITY LOG

January 2019
I arrived James Owen Court in Exeter on 14th January,
2019 and started settling in. During the orientation
day, I met my flatmates and other exchange students,
including those from HKUST. The first month was not
that busy as there was no quizzes and tests. I went to
the Quayside, Cathedral and museum in Exeter, and
nearby cities like Bath and Bristol, which took around
2-hours bus to get there.

February 2019
                                        Some courses started to have quizzes and tests, but I
                                        still managed to travel around UK like visiting York
                                        and Exmouths during weekends. During Chinese
                                        New Year, we went to the university as it celebrated
                                        with fireworks, dragon dance and related game
                                        booths.

March 2019
At the beginning of March, with similar workload as in
February, I went to London to watch musical and visit
Cambridge. Since the air tickets were cheaper during
March, I stayed in Iceland for 5 days. However, most
of the projects and presentation were held during late
March, which required physical attendance, so I did
not travel around.

April 2019
                                        The best thing about studying in the UK is that there
                                        is spring break in April which lasts for a month. I
                                        travelled to Europe like Croatia, Italy, Denmark, the
                                        Netherlands, Switzerland etc., but since exams and
                                        essay deadlines were approaching, I went back to
                                        Exeter in late April.

May 2019
During May, exams were held. Since business school
exams usually ended earlier, I went to Germany and
Prague after the exams before the visa expired. This
is also the month where most exchange students left,
so I farewell them before travelling to Europe.

June 2019
If you have applied for James Owen Court, you can stay until 22nd June, 2019, but I chose to
travel back to Hong Kong on 13th June, 2019.

PART II – GENERAL EXCHANGE INFORMATION

Visa Procedures
For HKSAR passport holders, you will not need to apply a visa to enter UK. However, you
must bring along the university acceptance letter to get through the immigration. Please
note that you can only stay for 6 months in UK. Remember to bring along the letter
whenever you leave UK during exchange or else you may be expelled. If you would like to
travel to places outside UK, it is highly recommended that you travel before the end date
stated in the letter, as you may not be able to go back to UK after the end date.

Orientation Activities
During the orientation week, you will need to attend campus tour, documentation checks,
study abroad coordinator meetings, introduction to British culture and quiz meal (optional).
Remember to upload your student ID photos before arrival in order to get the student card
in the first week. Gift pack will be distributed to business students with things like coupons,
calculator, Giraff SIM card and so on.

International Services & Activities
Global Chums Mentoring program is offered to exchange students where you will be
matched up with a mentor according to your preference to help settling into university life.

Accommodations
James Owen Court is the only dorm provided by the University of Exeter, where single en-
suite (self catered – 23 weeks) is your only option, costing £3,163.20 in total. If you would
like to live with your friends, you can state that in the application form. One flat is usually
shared by 8 students. Laundry is provided by the Circuit.

It is located in the Sidwell Street, where you can find supermarkets like Tesco Express,
shopping centre with stores like Superdry, restaurants like iThai, easily within 15-mins walk.
However, it takes around 30-mins walk uphill to the university (Exeter-based Streatham
Campus).

Course Registration
A study plan will be sent out before exchange and you will need to list out your preference,
which you are required to take exactly 60 credits per semester. On average, one module
bears 15 credits. Nevertheless, enrollment is not guaranteed. If you are not satisfied with
your arrangement, please contact the Education Support Team of the university before
arrival and visit timetable clinic personally during the add/drop period.

Teaching & Assessment Methods
Most of the modules provide online videos for lectures so it is not a must to attend it.
However, for tutorials, attendance will be counted so you are not able to skip them.
Remember to check in with your iExeter app, which is similar to Canvas. There are various
assessment methods like quizzes, projects and exams, which depends on the courses that
you choose.

Sports & Recreation Facilities
Sports is strongly encouraged in this university and there will not be any classes on
Wednesday as it is “Exercise Day”. You can find one sport centre in the Streatham Campus
on the top of the hill. It is more convenient to visit gym centres that are located around the
city, costing around £20 per month.

Finance & Banking
As E-payment is widely accepted in the UK, it is highly recommended to open a student
bank account in Santander or Barclays, which takes around 1 week to apply. You will need
to request a bank letter from student record system (SRS) through the iExeter app in order
to open a bank account.

Social Clubs & Networking Opportunities
There are many societies that you can join during the fresher week, but most of the
societies require you to pay a minimum fee of £10. You can join events organized by
Erasmus society as they do not charge upfront fee, you will just need to pay for food and
beverages. If you would like to travel within UK in a cheaper price (i.e. £2-10), you are
highly recommended to join short trips organized by the university, which you can apply it
through iExeter email.

Health & Safety
Clinics and NHS health centre can be found in Exeter. Nonetheless, you must register
through the university website before visiting the doctors. Medicines can be found in
pharmacies like Boots, which is located at the Sidwell Street. Royal Devon and Exeter
Hospital (Wonford) is the nearest hospital that you can found in case you are having serious
injuries.

Food
There are many restaurant chains located in Sidwell Street and Princesshay Shopping Mall
like Nando’s, Domino’s, Bella Italia and so on, costing you on average £8. Cooking is a
cheaper option, with meal on average £2, where you can buy ingredients in supermarkets
like Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Marks and Spencer, ALDI, Lidl, Waitrose etc. Chinese food stores can
also be found in Summerland Street and the King William Street. Quayside is a nice place to
hang out as it is near the river with high-quality restaurants.

Transportation
Buses, trains and bikes are the available transportation. To travel within Exeter, you can
travel through Stagecoach buses or ride a bike. For those who are going to London or
airports, trains are faster option, where you can purchase through Trainline, with £1 service
charge; while buses are cheaper option, where you can take it at bus stop 31, which is just
5-mins walk from James Owen Court. You are strongly suggested to buy a 18-25 railcard or
National Express youth card in order to reduce transportation cost.

Climate
Weather is unpredictable in the UK. It can be cloudy, rainy and sunny. It is cold during the
exchange and it can still be around 11°C in June. If you cannot stand the cold, you should
bring more clothes as the heater in the dorm may not work properly.

Communication
There are numerous telecommunication services provider in the UK, for students, you can
choose from Three, Vodafone, Giraff, Lebara, Lycamobile and so on, costing you on average
£10 per month. In general, it can be used in European countries.

Insurance
Since the HKUST insurance does not cover travels outside your exchange destination,
remember to buy another insurance in Hong Kong as it is very difficult and expensive to buy
travel insurance outside Hong Kong.

Other notes
Unlike HKUST, printing budget is not provided in the University of Exeter. You will need to
print in the Streatham Campus as printer is unavailable at the dorm. Top-up can be done
through the university website.

PART III – ITEMS TO BRING

Identification Proof
    HKID
    Passport
    University acceptance letter
    HKUST student ID

Necessities
    Cash
    Credit card
    Medicine
    Warm clothes
    Laptop
    Charger
    Bedsheet, pillow cover, quilt cover (optional)
    White shirt (for business presentation)
    Adapter (for Europe travellers)
    Small suitcase (for Europe travellers who are going to take cheap airlines like Easyjet)

PART IV – USEFUL LINKS AND CONTACTS

University of Exeter
iExeter – Student Portal
https://i.exeter.ac.uk
Module List (Business)
http://business-school.exeter.ac.uk/study/international/modules/
Accommodation
http://www.exeter.ac.uk/accommodation/
Pre-arrival Information
www.exeter.ac.uk/internationalstudents/prearrival/
Healthcare
https://www.exeter.ac.uk/internationalstudents/livingintheuk/healthcare/
Societies and Groups
https://www.exeterguild.org/societies/
Short Trips
https://store.exeter.ac.uk
Global Chums Mentoring Program
http://www.exeter.ac.uk/internationalstudents/newstudents/globalchumsmentoring/

Visa Check
https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa

Transportation
Trainline (UK)
https://www.thetrainline.com/
Great Western Railway Train (UK)
https://www.gwr.com
National Express Coach (UK)
https://www.nationalexpress.com/en

Omio (Europe)
https://www.omio.com
Skyscanner (Europe)
https://www.skyscanner.net
Eurolines (Europe)
https://www.eurolines.eu
Flixbus (Europe)
https://global.flixbus.com/index
ALSA (Europe)
https://alsa.com/

Finance & Banking
Splitwise
https://www.splitwise.com/
XE Currency Converter
https://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/
Barclays
https://www.barclays.co.uk/
Monzo (Europe)
https://monzo.com/

Luggage
Send My Bag
www.sendmybag.com/
Bagbnb
https://bagbnb.com/

SIM Card
Lebara
https://mobile.lebara.com/gb/en/

Discount
International Student Identity Card
https://www.isic.hk/home/apply/isic
Rail Travel
https://www.railtravel.com.hk/
UNiDAYS
http://www.myunidays.com/
Tesco Clubcard
https://secure.tesco.com/clubcard/about

Insurance
World Nomads (Global)
https://www.worldnomads.com/row/

Travel Apps
Visit a City
https://www.visitacity.com/
Culture Trip
https://theculturetrip.com/