Exchange Report - HKUST Business School

Fall 2013 Exchange Report: SKEMA Business School, Sophia Antipolis Yoky Ku | Exchange Report
Yoky Ku (IS)
Fall 2013 Exchange
1 Fall 2013 Exchange Report: SKEMA Business School, Sophia Antipolis Yoky Ku Table of Content
Part I – Activity Log
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Part II – General Exchange Information
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Visa Procedures
Orientation Activities
International Services & Activities
Accommodations
Course Registration
Transportation
Climate
Communication
Expenses
Part III – Checklist
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2 Fall 2013 Exchange Report: SKEMA Business School, Sophia Antipolis Yoky Ku Part I: Activity Log
August 2013
I arrived at Nice Airport on 14 August with my family since we had planned to travel
around France before the school started. We visited Nice, Paris, Avignon and some other
small towns, and all of them were merely stunning. The gorgeous beaches in Nice, great
architectures in Paris and historical heritages in Avignon simply blew me away. After that,
my family returned to Hong Kong while I arrived in Antibes, where the apartment my
exchange-mates and I rented located in, on 28 August. The owner of the apartment was
nice; however, she cannot speak English at all so I did encounter some communication
difficulties during the check-in. In such situation, Google Translate helped a lot. My two
exchange-mates arrived on 29 and 30 August respectively. We spent some time to unpack
our luggage and explore around Antibes to familiarize ourselves with the surrounding
environment.
September 2013
The school orientation day was on 5 September, which provided us some basic information
about SKEMA (including the location of canteen, course registration procedure, course
detail, useful email and websites, etc.). We got the opportunity to chat with numerous
exchange students from all around the world as well. As all of our schedules were not too
tight this month, my exchange-mates and I had gone on day-trips to Cannes, Monaco, Nice,
Grasse, etc. before the semester began and during our day-offs. The sea view was
breathtaking and the climate was moderate. You do have to tour around the French Rivera.
Simply wandering around was far more than enough. In late September, I went to London
with another friend from HKUST (who went on exchange to Germany). The 5-day trip was
also enjoyable, the tourist attractions were never disappointing and the fish and chips
tasted really well!
October 2013
I finally managed to open my bank account at LCL in October (which we had come across
extremely many obstacles beforehand). Do NOT go to BNP for your bank account since
they would not open a bank account for customers who only stayed in France for several
months. They informed us after let us finishing a lot of application procedures and waiting
for more than half a month. LCL or HSBC would definitely be a wiser choice. Concerning
the classes, the courses in SKEMA were rather intensive. It was not rare to have the same
lesson from 8.30 am to 5.45 pm. However, they seldom last for many days. Hence, I still
had pretty plenty of day-offs (and also the semester break) during October. I therefore
went to Austria with my friend. Vienna was of course great but where I highly recommend
would be Hallstatt and St. Wolfgang. The scenery was beautiful beyond description.
3 Fall 2013 Exchange Report: SKEMA Business School, Sophia Antipolis Yoky Ku November 2013
Life was much busier this month and I had little time to go on day-trips. Having lengthy
lessons for consecutive days was absolutely exhausting and I often slept till dinnertime
after the packed day. The course approval stuff was eventually done this month and there
were a lot of issues to deal with (I will explain afterwards). Fortunately, I still manage to
plan a trip to Switzerland during mid November. I went up the Jungfrau with my friend
and I was so lucky that the weather condition was perfect that day. I guess it was the best
snow view I have ever seen. The two nearby towns, Grindelwald and Wengen, were worth
a visit as well. Since I planned to travel alone in late December, I went on a day-trip to Bern
on my own as a ‘practice’ and I found that it was an exciting experience. I gained far more
chances to make new friends, as people tend to be more willing to and interested in
chatting with individuals.
December 2013 and Early January 2014
As the final exams took place in December, I had no regular lessons. Concerning the
courses I took, I did not have a lot to study. My last exam was on 16 December. Then I
headed to Strasbourg on my own on 18 December and stayed there for five days. Among
the small towns nearby, Riquewihr, a tiny, fairy-tale-liked town, impressed me the most. I
then joined my friends in Munich and spent another five days there. Nonetheless, Schloss
Neuschwanstein was not as awesome as I expected. After that, I traveled alone to Berlin.
The historical associations, architectures, museums and street arts together formed an
amazing city. And I do think it was very suitable for solo travel. You can truly enjoy the
museums and historical atmosphere and stop for whatever you are interested in. But do be
careful of people approaching you near the tourist attractions, there were not a lot of
thieves but people did think of some tricks to seek for your financial assistance. Also, if
you decide to go on a trip during December, make sure you book everything A.S.A.P. The
price of train and air tickets skyrocket during this period. Bus is always a cheaper choice in
Europe but there is no long-haul bus service near Nice. My last station was Frankfurt,
which I thought was rather dangerous. Do not wander around the main train station at
night (not only limited to Frankfurt but also other places), there were a lot of suspicious
people. It was utterly a fun, great, exciting and valuable experience to travel alone, but do
pick some safe cities, especially for girls. Eventually I returned to Hong Kong on 3 January
2014 after the long journey.
4 Fall 2013 Exchange Report: SKEMA Business School, Sophia Antipolis Yoky Ku Part II: General Exchange Information
Visa Procedures !
To stay in France for more than three months, students must obtain a long-stay visa. The
procedure contains (1) an academic interview (which is conducted in simple English) and (2)
the visa application. For the former step, a complete set of required documents is needed.
It is suggested to apply for the academic interview via email RIGHT AFTER your received
the documents (e.g. official transcript and admission letter from SKEMA) since the queue is
long while the delivery time of documents cannot be accurately anticipated. After the
interview, you have to make online appointment for the latter step. It is recommended to
arrange the two meeting at the same day so you do not have to travel twice. Normally, the
visa will be available around 2 weeks after the appointment.
For details, please visit http://www.consulfrance-hongkong.org/Study-long-stay-morethan-3-months
Apart from the application procedure done in Hong Kong, the French government also
requires all individuals staying in France more than 3months to apply for an OFII resident
Permit. The school is very kind that they will help us to fill in the application form, check
all documents needed and submit our application. All we have to do is to prepare the
documents, meet with the advisor (no appointment is needed, just queue up in front of her
office) and wait for the letter of medical appointment. We have to purchase the OFII stamp
(€ 58) in tobacco shops before attending the appointment. All details will be provided on
the orientation day.
For me, I submitted my application in the beginning of October, received the letter in midNovember and attended my appointment on 2 Dec.
Orientation Activities !
On the Orientation day, we received a folder of documents, which included the detailed
course schedules and syllabuses, contact of the student advisors, your student account, and
some other useful documents. We were briefed about the course registration procedures,
sports classes and IT systems in SKEMA. We also received our respective timeslot to meet
our academic advisor in order to register for our courses.
International Services & Activities !
There is a student association named “Interculture”. It organizes a wide variety of
activities, including weekly parties, French classes, buddy scheme and trips, targeting
international students in SKEMA. Parties are mainly held in clubs in Juan Les Pins on
Thursdays, which the theme and entrance fee varies. Details of all activities can be
obtained from their invitation emails.
5 Fall 2013 Exchange Report: SKEMA Business School, Sophia Antipolis Yoky Ku Accommodations
As the dormitories of SKEMA were not located conveniently, most of the exchange
students rent an apartment in Antibes or Juan Les Pins. While most parties are held in Juan
Les Pins, Antibes appears to be more convenient in terms of daily supports (banks,
supermarkets, etc.), accessibility to SKEMA and transportation. Most long-haul trains stop
at Antibes but not in Juan Les Pins. Anyway, it is just a fifteen minutes walk among each
other.
SKEMA provided an online database of apartments in the area where students can search
for apartments based on their own requirements. The database provides the contacts of the
landlords while students have to contact them directly via email. Students can also search
for apartments via search engines since there are also plenty of housing agencies or
independent landlords advertising their properties online. Interculture’s Facebook Page
also offers a platform for students to look for housemates. For me, I shared a very well
equipped and centrally located three-room apartment in Antibes with the other two
exchange students from UST and it is a great experience.
Do check VERY carefully during the check-in process (including any unfunctioning devices
or even scratches on furniture) since you will be responsible for all damages discovered
during the checkout process. If you found out any problems during your stay, do not
hesitate to send them an email.
Courses Registration
SKEMA would ask students to pre-select 10 courses online before any course details
(timeslot, syllabus, etc.) are provided but these choices can be easily modified during the
meeting with academic advisor. Students will receive the respective timeslot to meet their
academic advisor during the orientation day.
Both undergraduate courses (M1) and master courses (M2) in SKEMA are available for
exchange students. It appeared that more M2 courses are available that all courses I took
were M2 courses (as well as my two fellow UST schoolmates). As courses offered in two
semesters are significantly different, students are suggested to look into the previous course
lists provided on SKEMA’s website beforehand.
Keep in mind that in every course, students must attain at least 50% to pass it, and two
absences will result in an F. In SKEMA, students can take courses with time clashes, given
that you will not miss more than two sessions (one whole day class usually refers to two
sessions).
6 Fall 2013 Exchange Report: SKEMA Business School, Sophia Antipolis Yoky Ku Transportation
- From/To Airport It is a 30-minute-ride between Nice Cote d’ Azur International Airport and Antibes/Jaun
Les Pins. There is a direct Airport Bus (No. 250; € 10) originates from Airport Terminal 1
while local TER train serves as a cheaper alternate (€ 2.7; Youth Ticket). The Nice St.
Augustin Gare (i.e. nearest train station from airport) is a 15-minute-walk from the airport.
The indication signs on the way are not so clear but following the direction on the official
website of Nice airport will be perfectly fine. Just keep in mind that there is no elevator in
the train station which you will have to carry your luggage down and up the stairs.
It is also possible to arrive at Paris airport and connect TGV trains to Antibes. Train tickets
can be conveniently booked online.
- From/To SKEMA Bus is the only public transportation connecting SKEMA and downtown. It takes around
30 minutes from Antibes to SKEMA and the detailed schedule is provided on the official
website of Envibus. The following is the most common routes that students will take.
100 Express
1
230
From/to Antibes (Mon-Fri)
From/to Antibes & Juan Les Pins (Mon-Sat)
From/to Nice
Students can purchase a Yearly Pass for bus 100 Express from the Bus terminus in Antibes
which costs only € 5 for unlimited travels on the route. However, on Saturdays, it is
necessary to take No.1 (Single Journey € 1).
Food
SKEMA offers catering service in a canteen and a café. The school canteen offers lunch
from 11 am to 2 pm and a combo set that consists of Entrée + Bread + Main Dish + Dessert
costs € 3.15. The food selections vary from time to time and the quality is rather acceptable.
Both restaurants do not accept cash. Instead, they take only local bankcards or a pre-paid
point card give on the orientation day. The point card can be recharged with a local credit
card via a machine in the canteen. If you do not have a local bankcard yet, ask the canteen
staff to help recharge your point card with cash during non-peak hours.
Since dining out is rather expensive in France, we normally cooked on our own inside the
apartment. Fresh ingredients can be bought in the major supermarkets like Caourffeur,
Supermarche and Monoprix in Antibes. There is also an Asian supermarket near the train
station. Be aware that many supermarkets close early or do not operate during weekends
so you’d better marked down their opening hours.
7 Fall 2013 Exchange Report: SKEMA Business School, Sophia Antipolis Yoky Ku Communication
French are very nice and helpful, but normally they speak very little English. Always start
with a kind ‘Bonjour’ and they will be more than willing to help. Even staff in local banks
might not speak English but if you mention ‘Anglais’ (which stands for English in French),
they will find someone who speaks English to assist you.
Cost/Expenses !
Category
Price in HKD
Air Ticket – Lufthansa
Travel Insurance
Visa
Accommodation
Food & Grocery
Local Transport
OFII Stamps
Travelling
Total
Price in EUR (1EUR = 10.2HKD)
12000
2000
500
2700
450
100
58
3500
HK$ 84000
Part III: Checklist
Passport (with Student Visa)
Passport Photos
Laptop
HKID card
HK credit card
Europe Adaptors
Umbrella
Cosmetics/hairbands/etc.
Stationary
Calculator
Cash (EUR)
Gloves
Sunglasses
Copies of documents
Money Belt
Sewing Kit
Medicines
Mirror
Folders
Torch
Lock
Hair Dryer
USB Cables
Memory Stick
Since the presentations in SKEMA are rather casual, high-heels and suits are not at all
necessary (unless you would like to apply for internships that interviews are needed).
Feel free to contact me if you have any further enquires. I love to share more tips to you.
Get my contact from SBM Exchange Team by emailing at bmugexch@ust.hk!
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