Prepared by Michelle Kwan BBA in Global Business and Management | Year 3

Exchange Report Spring 2017

Part 1: Monthly Activity Log

January It was freezingly cold when I first arrived at Madison, a week before the official commencement of the semester. I took a direct flight to Chicago and a 3-hour Van Galder Bus Coach to Madison. After 20 hours of intense travelling, I finally arrived at Adams Hall, which is 15 minutes walk from Grainger Hall – the Wisconsin School of Business. I spent the first couple of days to settle down including opening a bank account with UW-Credit Union, getting a phone plan with AT&T and stocking up necessities from Target. I explored the neighbourhood and familiarized myself with the surroundings. There were a couple of orientation events organized by the International Student Services (ISS) and the Wisconsin School of Business, including social events, a shopping trip and an informative briefing from the business school, wherein I met my closest exchange friends. Social events include a bowling night, orientation week for clubs and societies and a basketball practice, it is highly recommended to join all of them to meet new people and get a feel of the Badger’s Spirit! The workload of the first two weeks of school was manageable so I flew to New York to reunite with my batch-mates during a long weekend for Chinese New Year. Ultimately the first month in Madison is about adapting to the freezing climate, exploring the place and making new friends – I would recommend you to save your travelling plans to the final few months. It would leave you with ample time to relax, settle down and accommodate any ad-hoc activities for exchange students such as the Buddy Program which basically pairs up a local student and an exchange student for various social events.

Basketball Practice New York Trip Kohl Centre, UW Madison Empire State Building, New York

February As the semester kicked in, I started to explore different activities ranging from outdoor sports activities to Broadway Shows. Business students generally have no lectures on Friday apart from tutorials, which leaves us with a long weekend to pursue our own interests. As a music lover, I was thrilled to watch the Phantom of the Opera, a Broadway Show staged in the Overture Centre of Arts on State Street with student tickets. It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience and the performance left me in-awe with stunning vocals and engaging stage effects. If you are a strong lover of music and arts, I recommend you to cross-check if student tickets are available for the respective shows. Student tickets are usually obtainable on the day with a limited supply at the box office, so keep an eye out for it! Outdoor sports-wise, it is definitely a good idea to take advantage of the heavy snow in Madison for a skiing trip! I joined one organized by a Church at Devils Head Resort and skied for the first time in my life. It takes a lot of courage to master the art of skiing through trial and error. A tip for beginners would be ‘prepare to fall for numerous times’ until you learn. For ‘risk-seekers’ though, it would be the best weekend getaway activity for you. I also attended my first Women’s ice hockey game in Wisconsin, which was a 7-0 win against the Mavericks. I witnessed the unity of the Badger Spirit especially when they sang the school hymn and still vividly remember the excitement when the Badgers scored every single time.

Broadway Show Ski trip Women’s Ice Hockey Game Overture Centre Devils Head Resort LeBahn Arena, UW Madison

March Academic-wise, March was the season for midterms, project assignments and I spent much of my first week in the Grainger Library. Fueling the excitement of the ice hockey season, I attended another Men’s ice hockey game at the student section and cheered for the Badgers. Although the Badgers lost, I could not forget the strong sense of Badger identity till the last minute. I personally recommend attending any sports event of your choice for at least once in the student section to immerse yourself into the UW Madison spirit. March also signaled the much-awaited spring break. I headed off to somewhere much warmer – Orlando to enjoy the warm and breezy weather. I met up with a friend studying in the University of Chicago and visited the four parks in Disney, a waterpark and the Universal Studio. A recommendation for theme-park travelling would be spacing out the 7 days of fun with at least a day of rest as it can be pretty intense. We also managed to get student tickets for a Broadway Show in Chicago called Circus and toured around a bit before heading back to Madison.

Men’s Ice Hockey Game Disneyland Fireworks Universal Studio Kohl Centre, UW Madison Florida Florida

April Realising exchange is coming to an end soon, I made the most out of the month by grasping every opportunity available. I was fortunate enough to get free first-row tickets for the Varsity Band Concert, which is an annual event showcasing the talents of Wisconsin Band Members. Seas of red engulfed the entire stadium as generations dressed in red pullovers and sang to the UW-Madison School Hymn, and I was deeply struck by the Badger spirit once again. I also attended the one and only American Football Practice of the semester at Camp Randall stadium. On weekends, I dropped by the Children’s Museum on State Street coincidentally and discovered it was definitely worth visiting. There were different zones with quirky performances and interactive activities to recreate childhood memories and reminisce the old times. It is a place you would not want to miss out on. April is also the official ‘Party week’, which consists of a variety of bonding and social events throughout the entire week, including chalk-painting and food tasting outside memorial library. Another highlight would be the Mifflin street block party, one of the largest annual events held by students of UW-Madison. When the weather was warm enough, I also visited picnic point to enjoy the gorgeous sunset and spectacular view.

American Football Practice Party Week Camp Randall Stadium State Street

Varsity Band Concert Picnic Point Kohl Centre, UW Madison UW Madison

May As final exam kicked in and the semester came to an end, May was a month filled with bittersweet memories. As much as I couldn’t believe, I had to bid farewell to my exchange friends and floor mates which I have spent the past 4 months with. Before heading back to Hong Kong, I took a trip to Seattle and Vancouver to visit my friends and relatives.

Adams Residence Hall Chihuly Garden and Glass UW Madison Seattle

Boeing Factory Visit Victoria, Seattle Vancouver

Part 2: General Exchange information 1. Visa procedures A package for visa procedures will be mailed to the SBM office for pickup, with clear instructions stating the relevant forms and documents and payment required. Remember to cross check that you are applying for a J-1 Visa on the online visa application. Another point to note is that the recent photo has to be taken within 6 months of the application. For the interview at the Consulate General for United States, I recommend applying for the earliest slot at 8:30am or 8:45am, since the waiting time can double or triple as you choose the latter slots. I received my passport within 3 days and it was ready for pick-up in a designated Shun Feng store. 2. Orientation activities Exchange students will be required to attend an orientation session hosted by the International Student Services in the Wisconsin School of Business which highlights the features of UW-Madison, the culture and strengths of the school, as well as the career services for students. It is also a great opportunity to meet your fellow exchange friends from different countries.

3. International services and activities International Student Services, located in the Red Gym, provides comprehensive services to international students. They also organize activities such as the Buddy Program and get-together events to make international students feel at home. Staff members are very helpful so feel free to reach out to them whenever you have problems. 4. Accommodations I have selected Adams Residence Hall as my accommodation since it is the only hall providing single rooms in addition to the International Learning Community in the hall. An advantage for joining the International Learning Community is that you would have an assigned ‘mentor’ on your floor who basically assists you in adapting to the new environment and answers any questions you may have. My mentor and residents on my floor were very welcoming and they definitely made my hall experience cozy and remarkable. 5. Course registration Course enrolment commences in November and you would be able to enroll yourself into the courses at your designated time slots. For courses requiring exceptional approval, you may email your course advisor outlining your request,

who would then submit your request and coordinate with the school. Remember to check your Wisconsin internal email frequently for approval results.

6. Teaching and assessment methods

Course Name Professor Workload Assessment Criteria

Marketing 420: Global Marketing Strategy

Sachin Tuli 3 - 2 Group Presentations - Mid term - Final exam - Class Participation

MHR 628: Negotiations

Jihae Shin 2 - 3 reflection Journals - Class participation

MHR 423: Strategic Management

Philip Greenwood

2 - Midterm - Simulation game - Case studies writeup

MHR 422: Entrepreneurial Management

Martin Ganco

4 - Quizzes - Final project and

presentation - Midterm - Final exam - Class participation

Finance 320: Investment Theory

Roberto Robatto

4 - Midterm - Final exam

7. Sports and recreation facilities Natotorium, situated near Adams Residence Hall and the SERF, situated near the Business School are the two main gyms that students usually go to. Facilities include badminton court, basketball court, swimming pool, squash court, etc, you can also make a call reservation for courts in advance. 8. Finance and banking I opened an account with UW Credit Union, the procedures were all paper-less and the bankers were very nice and friendly. If you wish to close your bank account before leaving Madison, remember not to use your debit card a few days before departure since some of the transactions would not be processed on time and it would complicate account-closing procedures.

Approximated expenditure

Items Costs ($HKD)

Round trip flight tickets 7000

Hall Accommodation 32,000

Food 25,000

Travel (New York, Florida, Seattle, Vancouver) and shopping

26,000

Total 90,000

9. Social clubs and networking opportunities There would be an orientation night for exchange students whereby club members set up booths and answer questions regarding their social clubs. I personally did not join any clubs but it was an interesting experience to explore some of the activities you might be interested in such as skiing. 10. Health and safety UW Madison students are required to subscribe to the Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP). You can apply for it online prior to arrival. International students are entitled to a partial refund by physically visiting the SHIP office near the business school and handing in the relevant forms. Regarding safety, you can also request ‘safe walk’ services if you are walking alone at night after a certain time. 11. Food Hall residents are entitled to a discount for dining in campus cafeterias. Gordons, Dejope and Carsons offer decent food choices in terms of in-campus dining. There are also a variety of cuisines on state street including Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Korean, Italian and western. 12. Transportation I took a direct flight from Hong Kong to Chicago, and took a 3-hour Van Galder coach to UW-Madison. We were dropped off at the Red Gym eventually, which is a 15-minutes walk from Adams Residence Hall. Considering the chilly weather and the heavy suitcases, I recommend calling Uber if you are staying at Adams Residence Hall.

13. Climate The temperature in Madison is generally cold at around -15 to 0 degrees from January to February. However the heaters indoors can make the temperature difference immense. I would recommend layering instead of wearing something thick underneath. It turns slightly warmer in March as it slightly hovers above 0 degrees, and temperature can go as high to 25 degrees (not frequent) in April and May. It is recommended to bring a few t-shirts to cope with the wide temperature range. 14. Communication I subscribed to the USD$40 AT&T phone plan with unlimited data. Wifi is available on campus but I would recommend bringing an ethernet cable since wifi reception in certain rooms can be poor. 15. Cautionary measures Madison is generally a safe place to be in, however, it is recommended not to walk alone on the streets since it can be very quiet when night sets in. Remember to check your Wisconsin email frequently for any updates.

Part 3 Items to Bring: Important items - Passport - HKID - Exchange packet from UW Madison - Cash

School - Macbook/Laptop - Charger - Ethernet Cable - Stationary - Calculator (financial calculator) - Phone - Adapter - USB cord - Portable charger - Phone - Earphones Clothing - Snow-proof jacket - Heat tag - Tshirt - Pants - Socks - Boots (water and snow-proof) Miscellaneous - Cream - Medicine kit - Umbrella - Flip flops - Hair dryer - Deodorant - Sunglasses - Towels

Part 4 Useful links and contacts: My UW Madison: http://my.wisc.edu/ Wisconsin School of Business Exchange Website: https://bus.wisc.edu/bba/mybiz/study-abroad Wisconsin School of Business International Programs Contact: WSoBexchange@bus.wisc.edu Accommodation: http://www.housing.wisc.edu International Student Services: https://iss.wisc.edu UW Credit Union Internet Banking: https://uwcu.org If you would like to know more about my exchange experience or have any questions, feel free to reach out to me through SBM Exchange Team at bmugexch@ust.hk ! All the best on exchange!