HUNG TSZ YAN, ECOF (2019)  

Texas A&M University, College Station  Exchange Report (Fall 2017) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Part 1- Monthly Activity Log 

Aug 2017 - Arrival and Start of School 

I arrived at Texas two days before the mandatory orientation events, but as the on-campus                             

hall had not opened for check-in yet, I spent a night at my exchange buddy’s place and                                 

learnt about some traditions of the school and Texas. Apart from hall check-in and                           

orientation events held by the exchange organization and the business school, there were                         

also plenty of things to be settled down in the first week, such as banking, mailing box and                                   

student ID registration in order to enjoy on-campus services. Most of the laundry lists could                             

be done in one or two days with the efficient procedure. The first week would be a great                                   

one to meet friends from all over the world with different international student conference,                           

and there were also lots of student association booths for freshmen recruitment, in which I                             

could learn about various organizations and events of the school and get some souvenirs.                           

The school started in the second week, though with the postpone in the effect of the largest                                 

Hurricane, Harvey, in Texas in 12-year time. Syllabus and learning objectives would be                         

discussed in the week, whereas students should settle all the academic issue in one-week                           

time. Before the school started, I had spent my weekend in Austin, the capital of Texas,                               

which is a more metropolitan area compared to College Station. Some spots worthy to go                             

could be the Graffiti Park, Texas Capitol Museum, University of Texas at Austin campus and                             

Zilker Park. As there is not any public transport in College Station to Austin, I used the                                 

ride-sharing system of the school, Zimride, to find rides to Austin or Houston. 

 

Traveling to Austin Graffiti Park and Texas Capitol Museum 

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Sept 2017 - School Events and Organizations 

This is a relatively relaxing month with the introduction of courses, there would be plenty of                               

time to enjoy the activities at school. The top two would be MSC Open House event and                                 

Midnight Yell. Firstly, on the open house event day, there were over 400 large-variety                           

organizations holding booths for members recruitment, with informational sessions held in                     

the following two weeks. Albeit some of them require full-year commitment, I was still able                             

to join some desired clubs, such as the Alternative Spring Break, TAMU Consulting Club, 3                             

Day Startup and Aggiecru. Alternative Spring Break provides some local voluntary work                       

opportunities, for instance, I had gone to replant and warehouse store events; the                         

consulting club matches group members with different personalities for case interview                     

practice and there were also guest speakers from Accenture or other consulting firms                         

occasionally; 3 Day Startup would be a 3-day event to develop business plans and study                             

customers feedback towards the entrepreneur ideas; Aggiecru is a relaxing club for                       

knowing more about the God as Christianity is a popular religion in America. Secondly,                           

Midnight Yell is a tradition held before the night of every football home game in the season                                 

at Kyle Field to cheer for our team by following the yell leaders. I went to the first Midnight                                     

Yell of the season, it was an amazing and united experience with more than 40,000                             

participants.  

 

 

The Midnight Yell Event 

 

 

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Oct 2017 - Mid-term Examinations 

As I took 5 courses in the institution, there were a lot of exams and assignment dues in the                                     

month. Most of my time had been spending on revision and group projects. Apart from                             

that, I had also spent a few-days time in traveling to Los Angeles with the great weather.                                 

Apart from the weather, California is quite a different place comparing to Texas, with more                             

shops and tourist spots in the state, I spent most of my time in the Universal                               

Studio-Hollywood, and the Hollywood Avenue. It took around 3 hours for the flight from                           

Texas to LA whereas there is a 2-hours time difference between the two places. In                             

weekends, I also participated in the 3 Day Startup and ASB voluntary events as mentioned                             

above. There were also regular gatherings for Hong Kong Student Association and                       

meetings for the consulting club, such as guest speaker from Accenture Management                       

Consultant, Myers-Brigg workshop and Grupo Modelo case.  

 

 

Traveling to Universal Studio Hollywood 

 

 

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Nov 2017 - Thanksgiving Week 

As the American values a lot about the Thanksgiving celebration and most of the TAMU                             

students study away from home, there was barely somebody on the campus during the                           

Thanksgiving week. I traveled and spent my holiday in Chicago for experiencing the                         

Thanksgiving turkey dinner and the Black Friday Sales. Shops opened early on the Black                           

Friday and sales is common for every shop for up to 50% off and Christmas decoration or                                 

window display had also been ready. Apart from shopping, Chicago, the windy city inspires                           

me with the fabulous architectural monuments, such as the Cloud Gate and Willis Tower. It                             

is also a city which values aesthetic and historical development with the presence of                           

diversified museums. In addition, before the thanksgiving week, most of the important                       

materials for courses were wrapped up and assignments were done. Everyone would be                         

preparing for the final examination and some of the project dues in the thanksgiving break                             

whereas enjoying the family reunion.  

 

Thanksgiving Holiday in Chicago 

 

Dec 2017 - Final Examination and Wrap-up Party 

Final examinations took place in the last five days of the Fall semester, and all grades were                                 

out after a week. There were three reading days before the final exam for revision or                               

appointment with professors to clarify concepts. For Christmas celebration, most of the                       

clubs held gift exchange or Christmas Party in their last general meeting before the final                             

examination and reading week. For instance, there was a holiday barbecue party for the                           

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consulting club in Park West while ASB had a Christmas caroling event. Nevertheless, I did                             

not join all the events due to the tight studying schedule. In addition, I was able to                                 

experience the rare snow in Texas on the day before my first exam. After the end of the                                   

final examination, I traveled in New York City with my friends in US and Canada.  

 

 

Part 2- General Exchange Information Visa Procedures 

After application on the TAMU system, the staff at international student office would send                           

an email regarding the DS-2019 form issue of J-1 Visa application, and I received the form at                                 

around June through SBM. Before that, there was an online orientation program regarding                         

the visa application procedure and noticeable items held by the exchange institution. After                         

obtaining the DS-2019 form, submitting the electronic visa application and paying the SEVIS                         

fee, it took about a morning for the consular appointment, and I was able to collect the visa                                   

with my passport a week later at my selected location. I-94 should also be obtained online                               

after arrival in case there is any identity checking.  

 

Orientation Activities 

There were mainly two orientation events, one specifically for exchange students while one                         

for international students held in the first week after I arrived. In the required reciprocal                             

educational exchange program orientation, there were ice-breaking and networking                 

sessions for knowing students from all around the world. Also, there was a briefing from                             

the student abroad program office for guidelines of removing the registration blocks,                       

maintaining the J-1 status, obtaining student ID card, and other miscellaneous items, a                         

checklist was also provided for detailed guidance. For the international student conference,                       

it was a voluntary event, but there was a wider range of activities to attend. For instance,                                 

there were talks about dating, driving and finding jobs in the United States; there were also                               

souvenir packs and free food given out throughout the event. It was also a valuable                             

opportunity to know more about different organizations in and out of the school, such as                             

the career centre, library and the amazing recreational centre.  

 

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International Services and Activities 

The main organization responsible for international services would be the ISS (International                       

Student Services), where international students meet advisors for the US stay, updating                       

contacting information and removing class registration block. Another organization taking                   

charge for exchange students would be the Student Abroad Programs Office for releasing                         

the important information and acting as the major contact person. In addition, I have                           

joined the international student association which people communicated through a                   

Facebook group to organize events like football watching or carpool party. Moreover, from                         

time to time, there would be cultural exploration trips held by the Department of                           

Multicultural Services outside College Station in Texas, such as San Antonio in October, at                           

an economical price.  

Accommodations 

After indicating the choice for choosing on-campus accommodation at the online                     

application stage, I received an email of on-campus housing registration in early June                         

regarding the dorm choosing guideline. To login the TAMU housing portal, UIN and Net ID                             

should be settled first, after that there would be huge range of hall choices with different                               

facilities available and located at different areas of the school, and it might be better to                               

choose the ones near to the business school. After paying the deposit fee, I was allocated to                                 

the Moses Hall, which is 15 minutes (walking) away from the Mays Business School. And as I                                 

know, most of the exchange students who indicate that they preferred on-campus housing                         

were matched for one, but also, there are lots of off-campus options along the shuttle bus                               

route in the community with larger space or more facilities. Nevertheless, there was not                           

mailing service for the hall address, a mailing address should be registered from the                           

mailbox office, and any package should be taken from there.  

Courses Registration 

It is required to submit the course selection form during the online application stage in                             

March, about the same time when I submitted the credit transfer assessment form                         

(Form-GR22). After receiving the feedback and modifying my course plan for the semester, I                           

emailed my updated course selection form to my business school advisor. Albeit he had                           

already got me enrolled in the initial classes by the time I emailed the updated form, I was                                   

able to enroll in all of my preferred classes after arriving the school and meeting my                               

department advisor. It was also feasible to arrange the classes via the Howdy portal by the                               

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end of the add-drop period, which is one-week time after the semester had started. In total,                               

I have taken 5 courses with 15 credits, which in practice, 15 credits would be the highest                                 

number of credits that exchange students are able to take. My courses are as follows with                               

the relevant courses in HKUST that I am able to transfer credit back putting in brackets: (i)                                 

FINC 445 International Finance (FINA 4403), (ii) FINC 443 Valuation (FINA 3404), (iii) ECON                           

452 International Trade Policy (ECON 4364), (iv) ECON 418 Economics of Labor (ECON 418)                           

and (v) PSYC 107 Introduction of Psychology (SOSC 1980). All of the detailed course                           

information and syllabus can be found on the online class searching platform-                       

https://compass-ssb.tamu.edu/pls/PROD/bwckschd.p_disp_dyn_sched.  

Teaching and Assessment Methods 

Most of the classes I attended are lecture-based with regular quizzes, assignments and                         

several exams in MC and long-questions level. Except for the psychology course, there was                           

only one lesson per week, whereas the course expects some self-learning process through                         

the online lecture materials. Also, there is a project to be submitted in the semester end                               

regarding an article and concepts learned in the course. All the assessment methods of the                             

course could be found clearly on the syllabus whereas personally, I think there are more                             

assignment and quiz dues at TAMU compared to UST. Also, as the textbooks are pretty                             

expensive there, book-renting, online book or borrowing from the library could be better                         

options.  

Sports and Recreation Facilities 

The main building for on-campus sports facilities would be the Recreation Centre, there are                           

gym room, basketball or badminton court etc. Apart from this, all of the football home                             

games would be held in the Kyle Field, which can accommodate more than 100,000                           

audience. Watching football games or participating in the Midnight Yell are the important                         

events at TAMU with great atmosphere, food, songs and fans. Nevertheless, sports pass                         

were all sold out upon my arrival, it may be useful to borrow friends’ ones to get tickets for                                     

the games.  

Finance and Banking 

I chose to open my checking account at Wells Fargo, with ATM all around campus and office                                 

just opposite to where I lived. It took around half hour for the process with a bank                                 

consultant, bringing along passport, student ID and mailing address. Despite opening a                       

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local bank is required by the school for refund purpose, it was useful for me as debit card is                                     

highly used and more convenient for purchase, compared to the clumsy cash and coins.  

The estimated living expenses from the institution is US $7,655, which is around HK$60K,                           

and it is required to provide the financial proof on the online application platform before                             

DS-2019 could be issued. Also, this is also an applicable estimate amount for the living                             

expenses that I have used in the semester exchange, excluding health insurance, flight                         

ticket to HK and deposit amount for on-campus housing. For my travel, I first exchanged                             

some US cash before departing at local exchange store, upon arrival, I performed online                           

overseas transfer to my Wells Fargo account with the local bank exchange rate.  

Social Clubs and Networking Opportunities 

There are many social events, for instance, the ones held by International Student                         

Association, like carpool and football watching party, which enabled me to know cultures                         

from people around the world. Also, most clubs held regular gathering events, such as                           

bible reading for the Catholic, hence, it depends on which clubs are joined among the                             

over-400 students organizations. In addition, there were career network events and                     

mentorship program for international students in order to know more about the local                         

culture. 

Health and Safety 

Health insurance is required by the school with the provider BlueCross BlueShield for the                           

student health insurance plan. At the stage of online application, evidence of vaccination                         

against Bacterial Meningitis should be provided for the process. Upon arrival, some may                         

also have to undergo tuberculosis screening at the Beutel Health Centre, where the student                           

health services located at the institution. 

Food 

Dining plan is available for one semester, but the on-campus dining choice is limited to                             

fast-food restaurants, like the Panda Express, hence, it might not be a wise choice to buy                               

the plan. Outside the North Gate, there would be more dining choices and most are around                               

US$8-10 per meal. Sometimes I prepared the meal by myself with food bought from the                             

nearby CVS store or HEB supermarket by the bus route 27.  

 

 

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Transportation 

Shuttle bus would be the main transportation mean on the campus. Nevertheless, there is                           

not any public transportation in the city, off-campus traveling choice could be Uber and                           

Lyft. In addition, as mentioned, Zimride, the school-community car sharing platform would                       

be a useful way to find rides to other parts of Texas, such as Austin and Houston. I would                                     

highly recommend the system with its efficient matching, updated ride status and relatively                         

cheap cost, it is also a relatively safe traveling method with drivers from the same school.                               

Also, as I have my flight at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston instead of                               

the one in College Station in terms of cheaper cost, Groundshuttle can provide ride from                             

the IAH airport to the community together with luggage transport. Moreover, for traveling                         

among states, I used the platform Kayak, Hipmunk and Kiwi for fare comparison, and I                             

usually made my own traveling schedule with the airlines suggested but purchased at the                           

airline website directly for cheaper costs, some economical airlines would be Spirit, United                         

Airlines and Southwest Airlines. 

Climate 

The weather in Texas is quite similar to Hong Kong, with 20-30 degree Celsius in the Fall                                 

while 0-20 degree Celsius in Winter. California would have warmer weather while the                         

Eastern part is cooler. Most of the time, it is very sunny in College Station, with some rainy                                   

days in a month.   

Communication 

I bought my SIM card in Hong Kong of 90-days plan from the mobile provider Lycamobile.                               

Then, I extended the plan online as most of the local communications are through texting                             

or mobile calling. In addition, most social clubs and class groups’ communication are                         

through the app GroupMe or the Messenger group.  

Cautionary Measures 

In my stay in the US, there was Harvey, one of the worst hurricanes in 20-year time in                                   

Texas, when we were suggested to stay indoor and classes were canceled. It is essential to                               

pay attention to the weather forecast and safety measures in order to stay safe. Also, it is                                 

also useful to stay tune at the school system, Code Maroon, for any safety alert and                               

updated school arrangement. Besides, there were also several cases of terrorist or shoot                         

attacks, it is suggested not to go out at night and be alert when with strangers.  

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Part 3- Items to Bring ● Clothing for summer and winter  

● Business casual/ formal dressing (for class presentation or interview) 

● Passport, DS-2019 and I-94 form 

● Some cash, and debit/ credit card 

● Electrical converter 

● Portable charger 

● Medicines  

● Personal care and skin care products  

● Stationery/ class materials  

Part 4- Useful Links and Contacts Howdy portal - https://howdy.tamu.edu/uPortal/normal/render.uP 

My eCampus - https://tamu.blackboard.com/webapps/login/ 

Housing portal - https://oncampusaggies.tamu.edu/StarRezPortal/Default.aspx?Params=L9ezxPcQnQuRGKTzF%2b4sxeNblvAA%2b26c 

Class catalog - http://catalog.tamu.edu/undergraduate/course-descriptions/ 

Class syllabus - https://compass-ssb.tamu.edu/pls/PROD/bwckschd.p_disp_dyn_sched 

Zimride - https://www.zimride.com/tamu/ 

Visa Application - http://www.ustraveldocs.com/hk/hk-niv-typefandm.asp 

International Student Service - http://iss.tamu.edu 

Student Abroad Programs Office - http://studyabroad.tamu.edu 

Contact: Katy Lane, Associate Director, Study Abroad Program - klane@tamu.edu 

 

 

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