EXCHANGEREPORT

UNIVERSITYOFCALIFORNIA,BERKELEYSpring2017ZoeNgGBUS&MGMT

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TableofContentsPART1-MONTHLYACTIVITYLOG.............................................................................................2Part2–GeneralExchangeInformation...............................................................................3Part3–ItemstoBring........................................................................................................7Part4–UsefulLinksandContacts......................................................................................7

PART1-MONTHLYACTIVITYLOGJanuary2017IarrivedUSAon6JanuaryandtravelledwithmyfamilyinLosAngeles,LasVegas,DeathValleyand Grand Canyon before the attending the orientation program held by the BerkeleyInternational Office on 12 January. The orientation program was compulsory for allinternational students to fulfill the US government’s visa requirement and was a valuableopportunitytomeetotherexchangestudents. Ispentthefirsttwoweeksofschoolattendinginformation sessions held by student clubs and teams to explore the various academic andculturalopportunities inBerkeley.Alongwitha coupleof friends, I touredSanFranciscoandSiliconValleyduringthefirstmonth.AnotherhighlightwasthebasketballcompetitionbetweenBerkeleyandStanford,Berkeley’srivalschool.Thestudentcommunitywasveryexcitedaboutthematchandweboughtticketstojointhefun.February2017DuringthefirstweekofFebruary,aprotesteruptedinBerkeleyasMiloYiannopoulos,aright-wingcommentator,wasinvitedtogiveaspeechaboutculturalappropriation.Someprotestorsevensetfiresnearthecampusbookstore,althoughitwasbelievedthattheattackerswerenotaffiliated with the university. During the second weekend, we rented a car and went toYosemiteNationalPark(a3.5hrdrivefromBerkeley)foritsamazingscenery.WealsospentaweekendinSantaCruzonthebeachsideandtookpartintheAnnualClamChowderCook-Off&Festival,wherewetriedavarietyofclamchowdersandvotedforourtopchoice.March2017Mid-termexamsbeganduringthefirsttwoweeksofMarch.Ispentmostofthetimerevisingand completingmid-term projects. After that, we travelled to Lake Tahoe (a 3hr drive fromBerkeley)tospendtheweekendskiinginthesnowmountains.SpringRecessbeganattheendofMarchand I joinedmy friends in LosAngeles for a10-day trip indifferentnationalparks,includingAntelopeCanyon,BryceCanyon,Zion,HorseshoeBend,MonumentValleyandArchesNationalPark.April2017There were a lot of readings assigned during April and I studied diligently to catch up withcourse assignments.We celebrated Songkran – the Thai New Year Festival, which coincidedwithBurmeseandCambodian’sNewYear–andlearntBurmesedanceandtriedexoticThaiand

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Cambodian dishes. Another highlight was the annual “Sail Away” event presented by theResidenceHallAssembly,whereresidentsenjoyedanightofdancing,bondingandgamingaswesailedonabigboatundertheGoldenGateBridgeintheBayArea.May2017Duringthefinalreadingweek,alsoknownasthe“DeadWeek,”Ipreparedforfinalexamsandcompletedallmyprojectsandessays. Spring semesterendedon12Mayand Iwasasked tomoveoutof the residenceunit on14May, afterwhich I travelled in theEastCoast and theYellowstoneNationalParkfortwoweeksbeforeleavingUSAinthebeginningofJune.

Part2–GeneralExchangeInformation1)VisaProceduresFor local students, once you have completed the Non-Immigration Information Form (NIF)online,yourDS-2019willbeprocessedanddeliveredtoyourhomeaddress.YouwillusetheDS-2019toapplyforyourJ-1studentvisa.AfteryouarriveUSA,youwillneedtocompleteanonline form to confirm your arrival and validate your J-1 immigration records. The BerkeleyInternationalOfficewillprovideyouwithdetailedguidelinesviaemail.2)OrientationActivitiesTheBerkeleyInternationalOfficeorganizedanorientationprogramon13JanuarybeforeSpringsemesterbegan.Theorientationprogramwasmandatorytofulfillvisarequirements.3)InternationalServices&ActivitiesTheBerkeleyInternationalOfficewastheresponsibleunitthatyouwouldapproachforqueriesrelated to visa, employment authorization, housing, peer mentoring and anything thatinternationalstudentsmightneed.Also,ithostscoffeebreakseveryWednesdayatJulie’sCafé–itwasagreatplatformtomeetinternationalstudents.4)AccommodationCampus residencehalls and apartments offer a variety of housing thatmay comewithmealplanoptions.

• TheInternationalHouse:Aresidencehallontheeastsideofcampus5minsofwalkingdistancefromHaasBusinessSchool.AmealplanisincludedforstudentstodinewithinI-House.Manyinternationalstudentsandexchangestudentslivethere.Itorganizesalotofactivitiessuchascoffeechatandweekendretreatstofacilitateculturalexchange.

• Residential Halls (Units 1,2,3,4,5 andMartinez Commons): These halls are under theuniversity’ssupervision.Theyalsocomewithmealplanoptions.Mealpointscouldbeusedforbreakfast,lunchanddinneratthe4majordininghalls(Crossroads,Unit3,ClarkKerr,Foothill)andsomeretaillocations,e.g.TheDen,GoldenBearCafe.IlivedinTowle

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Hall,Unit 2. Itwasa10-minutewalk fromHaasBusiness School anda2-minutewalkfromCrossroads,thenearestdininghall.Ilivedinmini-suite,whichfeaturedtworooms(1double-occupancyandtheotherwastriple-occupancy)anditsownbathroom.EveryMonday,custodianswillcomeinandcleanthebathroom.

• BerkeleyStudentCooperative:Thesearenon-profitstudenthousingwhicharerelatively

affordable. Residents are required to contribute to the daily life and upkeep of thehouse,whichincludescleaningandcooking.

• Livingoffcampus:Rentingroomsorapartmentsoffcampusisapopularoptionandis

cheapertoosinceuniversityhousingisverylimited.CalRentalsisausefulwebsitetofindflatsavailableforrent.

5)CourseRegistrationThereweretwophasesofregistration.Youwereonlyallowedtoenroll10.5units inthefirstphaseandhadtoregisterfortherest inphase2.Berkeleywillsendyoudetailedinformationviaemail.UGBA155–Leadership(3units)

• Recommended• Theprofessor,DanMulhern,wasaninspiringandempoweringspeaker• Coveredleadershipandmanagerialconcepts,e.g.16personalitytypes,ethics• Influential politicians and alumni were invited as guest speakers to share their

personalexperiencesUGBA104–AnalyticDecisionMakingUsingSpreadsheets(3units)

• Recommended• Taught us how to make optimized decisions based on two decision models:

OptimizationandSimulation.ThesewererunontheAnalyticSolverPlatform,whichwasanadd-intoExcel

UGBA178–IntroductiontoInternationalBusiness(3units)

• Recommended• Coveredbroadtopicsininternationalbusiness,includinginternationaltrade,entry

strategies,globalmarketing• Lightworkloadandafriendlyprofessorwithalotofexperienceworkingindifferent

countriesUGBA115-CompetitiveStrategy(3units)

� Notrecommended� Heavyworkload-alotofreadingseachweek� Lecturewaslargelybasedonstudents’participation.Studentshadtoplayareally

activeroleinclass

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6)Teaching&AssessmentMethodsParticipationinclassaccountedforasignificantportionofyourgradeforcertainclasses,especiallyforsmallclasseswithlessthan50people.Studentsactivelyansweredquestionsandcontributedtoclassdiscussions,thoughthiswaslesslikelyinlargelectureswithover100students.7)Finance&BankingIfyouwouldliketoopenapersonalbankaccountinUS,IrecommendWellsFargoorBankofAmerica.ThesetwobankshavemanyATMsacrossthecountry.TherewereWellsFargoATMseveninthecountryside.It may be more convenient to apply for a debit card. Paying in cash could be confusingsometimes as the US currency contains a lot of coins. Many restaurants and supermarketsacceptdebitcards.However,smalllocalrestaurantssuchasthoseinAsianGhettoonlyacceptcash.8)Health&SafetyIt could be quite dangerous during the night at Berkeley. Homeless people were commonaroundthecity,evenoncampus.Usuallytheyarenotdangerousifyoudonotprovokethem.Ifyouwould like protectionwhenwalking alone in the evening, you could call the BearWalkserviceandtheUCPoliceDepartmentwillsendofficerstowalkyouhome.All Berkeley students are required topurchasea health insurance plan called SHIP (StudentHealthInsurancePlan).ItcostsUS$1,306persemesterin2016-17.TheSHIPcanbewaivedifyourown insuranceplanmetcertaincriteria listedontheUniversityHealthServiceswebsite,yetitisrareunlessyourowninsuranceisbetter.Theschoolclinic is located inTangCenter. IfyouareunderSHIP, it costsUS$15 forprimarycare (this fee only includes seeing the doctor for prescription. It will cost extra when youpurchasemedicineat thepharmacy). Thepharmacyat TangCenteroffersmedicineat a lowprice.Over-the-countermedicinecanalsobepurchasedatWalgreensorCVSPharmacy.SHIPalsocoversfreecleaningattheschool’sregistereddentalclinicsonceeverysemester.9)FoodBerkeley has a lot to offer for Asian food, including Chinese, Korean, Thai, Vietnam andJapanese.SittingonDurantStreet is“AsianGhetto”whereyoucanfindAsianfoodataroundUS$7-8 per entrée. Restaurants on Shattuck Avenue and College Avenue are highlyrecommended as well. Also, Boba (known as Bubble Tea in Hong Kong) is a huge thing inBerkeley!YouwilloftenseestudentsdrinkingBoba!Whenlookingforrestaurants,youcanusethe app “Yelp”, which is equivalent to Open Rice in Hong Kong. If you are dining at finerestaurants,pleasebearinmindtopayatleast15-20%ofgratuity.

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10)TransportationBayAreaRapidTransit(BART)isaconvenientwaytocommutetoSanFrancisco,whichisa45-minuteride.ThepriceofBARTvariesaccordingtothedistance.Aone-waytripfromDowntownBerkeleystationtoEmbarcaderostationwhichleadsyoutotheFisherman’sWharf/ChinatownisUS$4.YouwillneedaClipperCardtocommuteonthebus(ACTransit)andBART.Thecardisprovidedforfreebytheuniversity.YoucanuseitforfreetocommuteonACTransit. ItservesmostoftheEastBayarea,whichincludesOaklandandRichmond.For airports, San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is themajor international airportwithinternational and domestic flights that serves the Bay Area, which includes Berkeley andOakland.SFO isa45-minutecarridetoBerkeleyor1.5-hourrideonBART.Anotheroption istheOaklandInternationalAirport(OAK),whichisclosertoBerkeleyandalsooffersavarietyofdomesticflightsthatmaybecheaper.11)ClimateIf you thinkBerkeley,California is full ofwarmsunshineandbeaches, youmaybemistaken.Berkeley is inNorthernCalifornia,whichiscolderthanSouthernCalifornia.Weathercouldbeunpredictable. It could be very cold in the morning and evening, yet quite hot during theafternoon.ThetemperatureduringJanuaryandAprilrangedfrom9to15degreeCelsius.Itwasslightlyhotterduring summer, ranging from15 to24degreeCelsius. Itwouldbeprudent towearmultiplelayersofclothingorbringawindbreakerwhenyouareout.12)CommunicationAT&T,VerizonandT-Mobilearepopulartelecommunicationcompanies.DataplanisextremelyexpensiveinUSA,soafamilyplanisrecommended.AcheaperoptionistopurchaseaprepaiddataplanfromHongKongifpossible.IntheBerkeleyarea,IrecommendAT&T(aroundUS$45permonth)overT-Mobile,asAT&Toffersbetterreceptionevenwhenyouareindoorsandinruralareas. I tried topurchaseadataplan fromSprint;however, for somereason, itdidnotworkonmyI-Phoneduetotechnicalproblems.13)Remarks

• Drivers’License:TheDepartmentofMotorVehiclesrecognizesanofficialdriver’slicensefrom your home country. However, it does not approve of an International DrivingPermit.

• First day of arrival: Youmay need to purchase pillows, comforters, hair dryer etc onafterchecking in.TargetonShattuckAvenueorWalgreensonTelegraphAvenueofferbeddingitems.Alternatively,youmaypurchasethemonAmazonanddeliverywilltakearound2days(forAmazonPrime).

• UsefulApps:

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- Venmo:ApopulardigitalwalletApp.Itletsyoumakeandsharepaymentswithfriends.

- Yelp:SimilartoOpenRice,ithelpsyoufindratingsofrestaurants.- Amazon:YoucanregisterfortheAmazonPrimeStudentaccountforafree6-month

trialwithyourBerkeleyemailaddress.ThePrimeaccountoffersfree2-dayshippingforover50millionproducts. It alsooffers free video streaming for a collectionofmovies.

- SmartRide:Predictswhenthenextbuswillarrive.- Uber:YougetadiscountwhenyouareusingUberthefirsttimewithanewly

registeredphonenumber(suchasyourUSnumber).- Lyft:LyftisgenerallycheaperandmorecommonthanUberintheEastCoast.

Part3–ItemstoBring

- Powerstrip,adaptors- Cash,creditcards- Traveldocuments(SEVIS,J-1visa,DS2019,Acceptanceletter,HKID,Passportetc.)- Coatsorwindbreaker- Umbrella- Camera- Stationeries- Smart/Businesscasual(aformalsuitisnotrequiredunlessyouareinprofessional

businessclubs.Smartcasualshouldbesufficientforpresentations)- Sunscreen

Part4–UsefulLinksandContacts

1) BerkeleyInternationalOffice:http://internationaloffice.berkeley.edu/

2) UniversityHousing:https://housing.berkeley.edu/

3) Coursesyllabus:http://haas.berkeley.edu/Undergrad/current/course/syllabi.html

4) Pastgradedistributionsandenrolmenthistory:https://www.berkeleytime.com/

5) SHIP(UChealthinsuranceplan):https://uhs.berkeley.edu/insurance/ship-fees-enrollment