university of alifornia, erkeley · 2020. 3. 4. · part i: general information visa application:...
TRANSCRIPT
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University of California, Berkeley
Walter A. Haas School of Business
Fall 2019 Exchange Report
Angus Cheung Wing Long
IS & MARK
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Part I: General Information
Visa Application:
Before applying for the visa, you have to submit your online NIF form to UC Berkeley
International Office to receive the DS-2019. The DS-2019 will be sent to you by direct
mail. Once you received the DS-2019, you should apply for the J-1 visa as soon as
possible. Usually, you need to wait for two to three months after the application to
meet the US consulate. So, please make sure everything is on schedule!
Tips: Always check the email for the latest information from UCEAP, a complete guide
will be provided once you admitted to UC Berkeley as an exchange student.
Visa Guide: https://internationaloffice.berkeley.edu/visa-application
NIF Details: https://internationaloffice.berkeley.edu/students/nif
SEVIS Fee: https://internationaloffice.berkeley.edu/immigration/sevis-fee
Visa Application: https://www.ustraveldocs.com/hk/hk-niv-typej.asp
Orientation Activities:
UC Berkeley offered a bunch of orientation activities (e.g. Golden Bear Orientation,
Haas Orientation) for students in mid of August. Some of these activities include
campus tours, parties, sightseeing and student induction programs, etc. I highly
encourage you to participate in all the orientation activities to make more friends, to
know more about UC Berkeley and the Berkeley community!
Golden Bear Orientation: https://orientation.berkeley.edu/
International Services & Activities:
All international students are welcome to participate in events organized by the
Berkeley International Office. Events will be held at I-house Berkeley. If you have any
inquiries, you can either send an email to the Berkeley International Office or meet the
International Student Advisers in person.
Berkeley International Office email: [email protected]
https://internationaloffice.berkeley.edu/visa-applicationhttps://internationaloffice.berkeley.edu/students/nifhttps://internationaloffice.berkeley.edu/immigration/sevis-feehttps://www.ustraveldocs.com/hk/hk-niv-typej.asphttps://orientation.berkeley.edu/
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Accommodation:
Finding accommodation at UC Berkeley is competitive. It is difficult for international
students to apply for in-campus housing. I-house would be your second-best option.
Other than the previous two, you can also try to apply for off-campus housing. I highly
encourage you to check the price of all the available options before applying for the
accommodation, because some of them are really expensive!
Available options:
I-house: https://ihouse.berkeley.edu/
The Berk: http://www.theberkoncollege.com/
Wesley House: http://www.wesleyhouseberkeley.com/
Telegraph Commons: http://www.telegraphcommons.com/
Casa Cedar: https://www.casacedar.com/
The Regent House: http://www.regenthouseberkeley.com/
Course Registration:
Course registration is easy at UC Berkeley. Some courses, especially the one offered by
the Haas School of Business, would reserve seats for EAP Students. To play safe, I highly
encourage you to find at least four courses of which seats are reserved for EAP
Students.
Courses Catalog: https://classes.berkeley.edu/
HKUST Credit Transfer Database: https://crtran.ust.hk/credit_instit
Teaching and Assessment Method:
The teaching and assessment method are similar to HKUST. Generally, for a business
course, it will include group project, individual assignment, presentation, midterm, and
exam. Students are expected to read a lot of readings each week and the workload is
a bit heavy.
Sports & Recreation Activities:
There are three sports facilities opened for students at UC Berkeley, which are the
Recreational Sports Facility (RSF), Memorial Stadium Fitness Center and Hearst Gym.
In addition, swimming pool and tennis court are also opened for reservation. If you are
interested, you can also join the physical education program where you can learn
different types of sports.
Sports & Facilities Details: https://recsports.berkeley.edu/facilities/
https://ihouse.berkeley.edu/http://www.theberkoncollege.com/http://www.wesleyhouseberkeley.com/http://www.telegraphcommons.com/https://www.casacedar.com/http://www.regenthouseberkeley.com/https://classes.berkeley.edu/https://crtran.ust.hk/credit_instithttps://recsports.berkeley.edu/facilities/
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Finance:
Expenditure USD
Accommodation $7500
Food $1500
Academic Expenses $250
Transportation (within the Bay Area e.g. Uber and BART) $500
Miscellaneous (including souvenirs, sim card) $100
Travel (A trip to Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia and Washington
DC)
$2700
SHIP Insurance $1300
Total $13,850
*Note that the expense excludes the upfront cost (e.g. Visa Application Fee, Golden
Bear Orientation Fee and the Air ticket to San Francisco.) Also, you are required to pay
an 8.5% tax rate for everything you purchased. Remember to prepare more than
enough money for the exchange!
Banking:
Each year, a local bank will come to UC Berkeley helping students to create a bank
account. In Fall 2019, the Bank of America was the partner of UC Berkeley. After you
have transferred the money from Hong Kong to the US bank account, you can withdraw
the money from the ATM near the campus. My top three preferences on American
banks will be:
Bank of America: https://www.bankofamerica.com/
Wells Fargo: https://www.wellsfargo.com/
Bank of West: https://www.bankofthewest.com/
Social Clubs and Networking Opportunities:
There are over 1200 student clubs and organizations at UC Berkeley. You can get into
as many social clubs as you want depending on your interest, schedule, and talent.
Most of the social clubs required an interview (just to get to know more about you).
For consulting clubs and sports teams, they only admit students on a full-time basis.
However, you can still join the seminars organized by these societies.
Student organizations: https://www.berkeley.edu/campus-life/student-organizations
https://www.bankofamerica.com/https://www.wellsfargo.com/https://www.bankofthewest.com/https://www.berkeley.edu/campus-life/student-organizations
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Health and safety:
Student Health Insurance Plan(SHIP) is mandatory for all exchange students. It covered
basic clinical services, hospitalization expenses, dental and vision services, etc. Safety
is a major issue at Berkeley. If you need a night walk at Berkeley, I would encourage
you to utilize the Night Safety Services (e.g. Bear Walk) or simply to call an Uber.
Student Health Insurance Plan: https://uhs.berkeley.edu/insurance/ship-benefits
Berkeley Night Safety Services: https://nightsafety.berkeley.edu/
Food:
Food in the US is relatively expensive compared to Hong Kong. The average price,
except for McDonald's, is around 10USD per meal. Therefore, I would encourage
students to buy a meal plan offered by UC Berkeley. Most of the dining hall at UC
Berkeley provide buffet catering of around USD 8 per meal. Besides, cook by yourself
is also a good option.
UC Berkeley Dining Details: https://caldining.berkeley.edu/
Useful Apps: Yelp
Transportation:
If you want to travel from town to town (e.g. from Downtown Berkeley to Downtown
San Francisco), the best option will be using the Bay Area Rapid Transit system (BART).
Students would need to buy a clipper card before getting into the BART. However, if
you just want to travel around Berkeley, UC Berkeley will provide a Berkeley Clipper
Card for you and you will be free of charge for the shuttle bus services at Berkeley. For
a long-distance trip (e.g. from San Francisco to Los Angeles), I would prefer you to take
a domestic flight or a night bus.
How to buy a clipper card?: https://www.clippercard.com/ClipperWeb/getTranslink.do
BART Information: https://www.bart.gov/
Useful Apps: Uber, Lyft
Climate:
The climate at Berkeley is cold. The lowest temperature in winter can be down to 3 to
5 Celsius degree while the average temperature in summer is around 22 to 23 Celsius
degree. Winter is the rainy season at Berkeley. Besides, California is located in one of
the most dangerous earthquake zones.
https://uhs.berkeley.edu/insurance/ship-benefitshttps://nightsafety.berkeley.edu/https://caldining.berkeley.edu/https://www.clippercard.com/ClipperWeb/getTranslink.dohttps://www.bart.gov/
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Communication:
I used the Mint Mobile Service in the US. It is a company that cooperated with UC
Berkeley in 2019 Fall. For a 3-month 12 GB plan, it costs 25USD per month with an
unlimited text and talks. It is recommended to have a US mobile number in case you
encounter an emergency. Moreover, most of the services in the US such as the Night
Safety Services are only available for tel.
Cautionary Measures:
There are a lot of homeless people surrounding the campus. It might be a good idea to
walk with your friends, especially at night. During the orientation, you will also learn
more about personal safety at Berkeley.
Packaging Suggestion
Visa & Passport Cash
(both HKD and USD)
Credit Card Air Ticket
Medicine 7-Days Clothes
Portable Charger Notebook
Stationaries Jacket
Thick Quilt or Sleeping Bag Gloves & Scarf
Other Useful Links:
CalCentral: https://calcentral.berkeley.edu/ (Berkeley Student Portal)
bcourses: https://bcourses.berkeley.edu/ (Canvas at Berkeley)
Berkeley Time: https://www.berkeleytime.com/landing (Explore good grade courses)
Confessions from UC Berkeley: https://www.facebook.com/berkeleyconfessions/ (For fun)
https://calcentral.berkeley.edu/https://bcourses.berkeley.edu/https://www.berkeleytime.com/landinghttps://www.facebook.com/berkeleyconfessions/
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Part II: Monthly Activity Log
August:
Although it was my first time spending more than a
week in a foreign country, I found it easy to integrate
myself into the Berkeley community. It gave me a
feeling that people in the bay area were lovely,
talkative and easy-going. 2019 August was a month I
met my first group of friends in the US. Most of them
are local students coming from different parts of
America. We spent all the time together during the
orientation while one of the most impressive events
was the “Silent Disco”. We danced together and sang
along with the music. So much fun!
September:
The semester finally commenced. The workload of the
courses was relatively high compared to HKUST. I
needed to finish the assigned readings before going to
the class while most of the readings were 20 to 30
pages of a case study. It took time for me to adapt to
the new academic environment. In addition, after
getting out of Hong Kong for a month, I missed my
home badly. However, during this difficult time, I met
my relatives in the US. They took me to travel around
San Francisco. We went to the Fisherman's Wharf, the
Golden Gate Bridge and the Palace of Fine Arts. Lastly,
they took me to the Hong Kong-style restaurant
located in the Sunset Area to cure my homesickness.
So warm and touch!
October:
During this month, I already adapted to the pace at UC
Berkeley and I enjoyed the lesson here so much.
Although the workload was still heavy, I learned a lot
from the professors and the schoolmates. At the end
of October, it was my first time celebrating Halloween
in a western country. The atmosphere was great in the
My GBO Groupmates
Traveling around San Francisco
Night Read at the Doe library
Cycling at Google, Silicon Valley
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US. People would pay a lot of effort in decorating their
houses and making their costumes. I also followed my
roommate Edmond to his friend's house for a party!
November:
In November, it’s the best month of my exchange
journey. In one of my courses, I had a chance to give
an elevator pitch regarding my start-up idea to the
prime minister of Meghalaya. It’s a valuable and
unique experience. On 23 November, I went to watch
the big game (Cal vs Stanford). I was so lucky to see my
team defeating Stanford to break the Stanford nine-
year streak. It is a memory I will never forget. At the
end of November, it was the Thanksgiving Holiday. I
spent the time with Auntie Levia and her families. The
events were plentiful. We watched Frozen 2, we had a
hot pot together and we had a mid-night black-Friday
shopping. I was so satisfied.
December:
In December, finally, it came to the end of my
exchange journey. I met all my friends before I left
Berkeley. I walked around the campus for the one last
time. I packed my luggage in the dormitory I lived for
five months. However, my feelings were not as strong
as expected but this journey was definitely the best
experience in my life.
They are my schoolmates. I promised to post them in the report LOL
Thanksgiving Dinner
The Pitch to the Prime Minister
The Big Game at Stanford Stadium