The UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA - Chen Jui Ning FINA & ECON, Year 3 Spring 2020
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The UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA
Chen Jui Ning
FINA & ECON, Year 3
Spring 2020
1
TABLE OF CONTENT Content Page Part I Monthly Activity Log P. 2-6 Part II General Exchange Information P. 7-11 Part III Items to bring P. 12 Part IV Useful Links and Contacts P. 13
Part I Monthly Activity Log
December 2019
Before flying to Vancouver, I visited New York for 7 days with my friends and I Ｉ
experienced my first Christmas in the United States. It is the best time for travelling
because you do not have any stress and workload from your exchange university. I
would recommend that whoever goes to Canada the US for exchange should spend
their Christmas holidays in New York.
We went to the Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge, Chelsea Market, The Vessel,
Rockefeller Christmas Tree, and a lot of Christmas markets. I also watched the first
NBA game in my life.
New York is a cultural melting pot, and you can always see people with different
cultures. It is interesting to speak with people from different countries and this trip
was a start to train my skills in making small talk with complete strangers.
2
January 2020
Arrived in Vancouver during early January, I went straight to UBC and met my
housemates in Fairview Crescent. I had three housemates, and they are from Mexico,
Italy, and Philippian. There were 300 – 400 exchange students in UBC, which was one
of the things that I liked UBC very much because I met people from different
countries and knew more about their culture.
I did the grocery and applied for the necessities in the first week, i.e., bank accounts,
phone plans, U-Pass. In the next few weeks of January, my friends and I travelled
around the downtown, Granville Island, Gastown, Grouse Mountain, and Vancouver
Lookout. We also rode the bicycle around Stanley Park, which took about one and a
half hours. Still, it was relaxing and beautiful on sunny days.
On the Orientation Day, GoGlobal, the organization taking care of and dealing with
the affairs of exchange students, divided exchange students into different groups and
assigned a student ambassador to be the group leader. It was an excellent way to
meet new people and to know more about UBC.
3
February 2019
The workload in UBC was really light compared to the one in HKUST. Even though you
did not get a good grade in the exams, the final grading was more generous than UST.
Most of the courses I took had two midterms and I had many midterms in February.
The atmosphere and approach of the lectures were very different from the one in
HKUST. Students were willing to answer questions and ask questions during lectures.
All the professors I met were kind and helpful, and the relationship between the
students and the professors was like friends.
After midterm, my friends and I drove from Vancouver to Kelowna, Banff, and Calgary.
We had a wine tasting workshop in Kelowna; I learned how to ski, and we tried the hot
spring in Banff. Additionally, we have seen the famous Lake Louise and ended our trip
in Calgary. My lovely friends and the stunning scenery made my first road trip
memorable and unforgettable.
4
March 2020
The trip to Yellowknife for the aurora was the best
in my exchange semester. We have seen the aurora
dancing and changing its color from green, pink, to
purple. It was breathtaking and amazing to see the
northern lights because the color and the shape
changed every second. We drove one and a half
hours to a chalet that had no light pollution and
waited for the northern lights. Despite the cold
weather and the long drive, everything was
worthwhile once we saw the aurora.
After the trip to the Yellowknife, I went to Seattle
and visited my high school friends. We went to Pike
Place Market, Space Needle, the first Starbucks, and Kerry Park. It took only 4 hours
bus ride from Vancouver to Seattle, so it was the right choice for a weekend trip.
My friends and I spent more time outside in green and natural spaces in March while
we were in Vancouver. We went to Cypress Mountain for ice tubing, Capilano
Suspension Bridge, Horseshoe Bay, and Buntzen Lake. Canada was famous for its
natural landscape, and most of them could arrive within one hour. If you do not know
where to go on weekends, these places are also good choices. Last but not least, I had
a picnic with my friends and delicious Indian food at UBC before I left.
5
April 2020
Not much information can be provided due to COVID-19 because I went back to my
home country on March 20th. All the courses went online in late March and the
semester ended on April 30th.
6
Part II General Exchange Information
• Visa Procedures
For Taiwanese, we do not have to apply for the study permit for staying in
Canada for less than 6 months. We only need to apply for an electronic Travel
Authorization (eTA) online and it only needs 200 NTD. If you want to visit the
United States, the Taiwanese also can apply for the visa online, which only
costs little money.
• Orientation Activities
UBC had an Orientation Day for the exchange students. Exchange students
were divided into groups and were led by a student ambassador. There was a
campus tour led by the student ambassador and we had a Facebook group for
us to ask questions. UBC also held an introduction session allowing exchange
students to know more about the facilities and necessities that we might need
in Canada or UBC.
• International Services & Activities
GoGlobal is the office for exchange students, so go to GoGlobal if you have any
questions during your exchange semester.
UBC has an Exchange Student Club (ESC) and they also have a Facebook group.
They hold a lot of activities, i.e., trips, parties, movie nights, sushi nights. It is a
good chance to meet other exchange students by joining those activities.
• Accommodations
Fairview Crescent and Walter Gage are the two residences that exchange
students can live in. Fairview Crescent is an area lined with townhouses, and
Walter Gage is a collection of several buildings, similar to the TKO Jockey Club
Hall in HKUST. I lived in Fairview Crescent and I had three housemates. It takes
20 minutes to walk from Fairview Crescent to Sauder Business School, which
is uncomfortable in windy or snowy days. Walter Gage is much closer to
Sauder Business School, and it is more convenient because it is close to the
UBC Exchange that has a lot of bus stops. However, as far as I know, more
exchange students are living in Fairview, so it depends on your choice.
7
• Courses Registration
GoGlobal will send the exchange students an email and ask you the top 10
courses that you want to enroll in. They will help you to enroll in the courses
according to your survey, but not every student can get 5 courses before the
semester starts. After the semester begins, you could go to GoGlobal and ask
the advisors to help you enroll in courses you like. There are a lot of courses
for credit transfer at UBC. I would recommend everyone take 5 courses
because the grading is more generous than the one in HKUST.
The following is the list of the courses I took:
UBC Course UST EQUIVA. COURSE CONTENT
ECON 355 ECON 4364 International Trade and Trade Policies
International Financial Markets and
COMM 377 FINA 4403
Institutions
COMM 474 FINA 4303 Fixed Income Markets and Management
Introduction to Developmental, Social,
PSYC 102 SOSC 1960
Personality, and Clinical Psychology
POLI 321 SOSC 1350 Chinese Politics and Development
• Teaching & Assessment Methods
UBC Course Assessment Methods Review
Class Participation: 10% Professor Emrul is the best
Problem sets/Assignments: 25% professor I met at UBC. You
ECON 355 Term exam 1: 15% can learn useful International
Term exam 2: 15% Trade concepts and theories
Final exam: 35% (Cumulative) in his class.
This course consists of the
Class Participation: 10%
broad concepts of
Midterm I: 20%
COMM 377 international finance and only
Midterm II: 20%
touches the surface of every
Final Project: 50%
field in finance.
Assignments: 20% It is a beneficial course if you
COMM 474 Midterm Exam I: 20% are interested in fixed-income
Midterm Exam II: 20% markets because it is detailed
8
Final Exam: 25% and combines many business
Class Participation: 15% cases and macroeconomics
events.
class Participation: 5%
Online Quizzes: 5%
Every aspect of this course is
Article Critique: 10%
PSYC 102 similar to the common core
Midterm I: 25%
course (ccc) in HKUST.
Midterm II: 25%
Final Exam: 30%
Think Piece 1: 35%
Light workload and it is
Think Piece 2: 50%
POLI 321 suitable for students who want
Class Presentation: 10%
to transfer their ccc credit.
Class Participation: 5%
• Sports & Recreation Facilities
UBC has free ice-skating rinks, indoor swimming pools, sauna, and gyms for
students. You can also register for the fitness classes, but they might need
some entry fees. Be sure that you watch the ice hockey game in UBC because
it is exciting, and you won’t have the change to watch it in UST.
• Finance & Banking (including currency / expenses)
Scotia Bank has a branch and ATMs in UBC, so I opened my banking account
there. The accounts for students do not need any monthly fees. You can use
your debit card for online shopping and paying bills in restaurants; The
payment records will be stored on the app, and you can also do the money
transfer on the app. I spent around 7000 CAD in three months, including
housing, daily expenses, trips to New York, Seattle, Yellowknife, and Banff.
• Social Clubs & Networking Opportunities
Exchange student Club is the best choice if you want to meet more exchange
students and hang out with them. They organize a lot of activities and trips for
exchange students, which provides a lot of networking opportunities. There
are 350+ clubs in UBC and you can look for any club you like from the link below.
• Health & Safety
For health, all international students are required to apply for iMED, student
insurance that is effective if you are sick or injured in Canada. The insurance
9company will send you your iMED card via email before the semester starts.
Reach out to GoGlobal if you haven’t yet received it after the semester begins
and keep the e-version of your iMED card on your cellphone just in case.
UBC is a safe area and it offers Safewalk for students feeling unsafe to walk
around campus alone at very late nights. They will accompany you to your
destination if you call them.
• Food
In terms of food, UBC offers a wide variety of options for students. Almost
every building has a coffee shop, and I nearly tried all of them. I love JJ Bean the
most and whoever likes to drink coffee should try their coffee. Vancouver has
many immigrants, so this city has a lot of wonderful and authentic restaurants
that feature cuisine from different countries. High-quality restaurants are
usually concentrated in the downtown area, which is easily accessible by
public transportation from UBC.
• Transportation
Compass Card in Vancouver is similar to the Octopus Card in Hong Kong. U-
Pass BC Program allows students to pay the monthly fee for 4 months in
advance, and you can get unlimited rides of the bus, Skytrain, and Seabus in
these 4 months. To activate your U-Pass, you have to buy a compass card at the
UBC bookstore or some particular Skytrain stations. After that, connect your
compass card and your U-Pass online and remember to reactivate it every
month.
• Climate
Vancouver is rainy and gloomy in January and February, but it started to have
more sunny days in March. The temperature can go to -2°C on Jan. and on Feb,
but most of the time, it is between 2°C to 10°C. It seldom snows, and it only
snowed twice when I was there. Therefore, umbrellas, waterproof boots, and
waterproof coats are enough.
• Communication
You can access the WIFI when you are on campus, but you have to buy a router
for connecting to the WIFI at your dorm. To dial and access the WIFI in Canada,
I chose Koodo’s data plan around 65 CAD per month for 8 GB of data and
10unlimited calling. The staff told me that exchange students who are not holding
a student permit could only apply for the prepaid plan.
• Cautionary measures
Be careful when you go out alone at night and do not go to East Vancouver and
Chinatown at night because it is the most dangerous area in Vancouver.
Tipping culture is common in Canada and the US. Usually, the tips are 15% and
range from 10% to 18%, which depends on the services, the restaurants' level,
and each individual.
11Part III Items to bring
• Personal Clothing
• Waterproof Jacket
• Waterproof Shoes
• Thermal Wear
• Umbrella
• Beddings
• Adapter
• Passport
• UBC Acceptance Letter
• Router and Cables
• Personal ID
• Laptop
• Charger
• Medicine
• Wallet with Cash
• Calculator
• Stationaries
• Lotion
12Part IV Useful Links and Contacts
• GoGlobal
https://students.ubc.ca/about-student-services/go-global
• UBC Student Housing and Community Services
https://vancouver.housing.ubc.ca/
• UBC Clubs
https://www.ams.ubc.ca/get-involved/clubs/
• UBC Exchange Student Club Facebook Page
https://www.facebook.com/ubcexchange/
• eTA Application
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-
citizenship/services/visit-canada/eta/apply.html
• UBC Student Service Center
https://ssc.adm.ubc.ca/sscportal/
• UBC Campus Wide Login (CWL)
https://cas.id.ubc.ca/ubc-
cas/login?TARGET=https%3A%2F%2Fssc.adm.ubc.ca%2Fsscport
al%2Fservlets%2FSRVSSCFramework
• UBC Courses
https://courses.students.ubc.ca/cs/courseschedule?pname=subj
area&tname=subj-all-departments
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