Guidelines for Student Report

STUDENT REPORT

Student Report

Name of the University: WHU Otto Beisheim School of ManagementExchange semester: Fall 2013

I. PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Before leaving NorwayAll information about the exchange semester with the following online application was sent by e-mail from WHU IRO within the month after official acceptance by BI. I received detailed guiding through e-mail, filled in online application including housing application and application for WHU e-mail and online platform access. Everything went smooth and IRO was very fast with replaying or helping with any possible problems.After my application had been approved, I received an official letter of acceptance on the address I filled in in the online application.

Applying for a visa (if applicable)As a Norwegian citizen or EU citizen you do not need to apply for any visa. You just register your official stay in Germany with local authorities. This is handled by IRO during your first day at WHU.If you are holding other citizenship, here is a list of countries which do/do not require visas to Germany: http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/EN/EinreiseUndAufenthalt/StaatenlisteVisumpflicht_node.html

TravelI travelled with AirBerline from Oslo-Gardermoen till Cologne. Now there is also direct flight through Norwegian Oslo-Koln/Bonn. I was so lucky that my study buddy picked me up with car directly at the airport and brought me to Vallendar, where is WHU campus located. However, there is a direct regional train going from the Koln/Bonn airport to Vallendar and when you come there, you are basically 5 minutes walk from the campus.

I had a very complicated moving in, since I missed my morning flight and the other available was at the evening. However, I contacted my study buddy and IRO and they fixed everything for me (possibility to pick up my apartment keys later in the night, etc).

HousingSince Vallendar is very small, the whole housing process is handled by the school housing coordinator who is very helpful. Housing is offered on a first come first serve basis and application for housing is a part of the general online application. You can choose from different housing options and put their preferences (3x) and as soon as you submitted the application you will be contact with housing offer. If you want to have a nice housing, I advice you to do this as soon as possible because differences between housing standards are very high. I personally applied very early and got a room in a very new housing complex where most of the exchange people lived at Hhrer Strae 34 and I highly recommend this complex. On the other hand, some late applicant got their apartments even outside the Vallendar which is very complicated and inconvenient if you are not planning to bring a car to Vallendar.

If you know some students at WHU already, it is also possible to rent private housing, a lot of students is offering their apartment while they are on exchange themselves. Those once are usually very big and nice apartment close to campus, however, in my opinion it is nicer and more social to live with other exchange students.

CostsRent350-550eur

Copies10-50eur

Food100-200eur

Transport10-100eur

Traveling0-100eur

Living in Germany is very cheap compared to Norway. Rent price depend on location and with how many people you share your kitchen/bathroom. Books are not required to buy at WHU, you just need to print the slides before every lecture.Food depends on your preferences, but in general it is very cheap. Most of the student are eating at local Menza where you can choose from 3-4meals every day costing approx. 2,50-4,00eur.

Culture and languageEveryone at the campus and in Vallendar in general speak English perfectly so there is no problem with the language. Experiencing proper German culture you can through the trips organized through IRO or during the travels.

Cultural and social effects from the exchange experienceExchange semester at WHU is very international with more then 60 nationalities so an exchange semester enriches you a lot with new perspectives and helps you to understand different nationalities. WHU is the best business German school giving a large amount of possibilities for exchange student. They have company presentations almost every week, career days as well as online career platform. After completing exchange you can become a member of WHU Alumni to stay in touch with other graduates and gain valuable contacts.

II. ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Please describe:Vallendar, where the school is located is very small city so everything is about campus life. School by itself is very small, all together with approx. 1000 students including bachelor, master, MBA Phd, and ca 150 exchange students. Thus, everyone knows everyone by name, so dont be surprised when someone greets you on the street.

Studies are divided into two quarters; therefore you have just 3-4weeks of lectures and then directly exams. I thought about this system as very practical since you have intensive workload and can remember lectures much better within such a short time.

Course registrationYou are not able to register for the course in forehead, however, you can do it right at the beginning online through mywhu.edu, to which you get access right after registration first day. However, some courses are limited and thus registration works on the first come first serve basis. I was lucky and I got all the courses I wanted. However, I recommend being online at the time of the registration and having fast internet. You can add and drop your courses within the first two weeks without any problems as soon as there is a space in the other course. But I recommend visiting all the possible classes at the beginning because already during the first lecture you might have to form study groups and be assigned for the cases which might be problematic if you decide to join the course later.

Academic calendarArrival date:29.8.

First day of the semester:3.9.

Last day of classes:4.12.

Examination period:15.-28.10. & 10.-23.12.

Any special events/holidays:Depends on your courses

Other:Semester divided to quarters

ArrivalThe school was very well prepared for the arrival. Everyone got assigned one person among students and one from the academics who helped you with the orientation etc. Second day after my arrival we had an introduction welcome ceremony for exchange students with dean, whole IRO and housing office employees. Afterwards we were divided into the small groups and were gotten campus tour. Following welcome week was full of teambuilding and tours around the neighbourhood.

The International OfficeIRO is amazing at WHU, they will help you with everything. You will get to know your respective coordinator pretty well already through e-mails before arrival. At the beginning they are very helpful and basically organizing everything for you. All the information are of course in English and every employee at the campus speak perfectly English.

Promoting BI and NorwayWe had a promotion of the countries in front of the all exchange and other students and then organised welfare dinner where everyone cooked or brought their national food. In addition, every Tuesday is a Tauschie Tuesday in Korova, Tauschie-how they call exchange students at WHU, Korova-student pub at the campus. Every Tuesday it is a different topic and you again promote your home country and sell food you prepared to other student for symbolic price in order to raise money for a final Exchange/Tauschie party organised only by exchange students.

Social activitiesWHU is full of different actives in which exchange students can participate. For exchange students it is as well created own exchange government, TGV, who organised mentioned Tauschie Tuesdays at Korova and is in charge of the final Tauschie party. Also Integration@Vallendar is another activity where you can participate as an organiser, volunteer or participate in the program or different competitions. One of the biggest sport events in Europe is also taking place in October in Vallendar, called Euromasters, and is organised by WHU students. You can participate in organizing or as a player in the teams or just simply share your floor/apartment with other incoming students from all around the world. I definitely had a very busy semester with different kind of amazing activities.

III. ACADEMICS

In the classroomAll the classes at the master level are in English, there are some German classes just on the bachelor level. Teaching style is very different comparing to BI, much interactive, live, you do not need to buy any books just print the slides and follow the lectures and prepare for cases.

Practical or theoretical teaching depends on the classes, but comparing to the MSc at BI, MSc at WHU is much practical and not as academic as at BI. I solved around 30-40 cases within one semester at WHU and read maximum 10 academic articles while at BI is it vice versa.

Workload is approximately the same as at BI on the master level, however, everything depends on you, how good grades you want to have. However, since there is a lot of group works be prepared that you have to participate and spend a lot of your studying time with your team, even though most of the German students do not expect exchange students to sit 14hours a day on the case as they do. Relationship with professors is more formal than at BI, however, it is more open for discussions, everyone knows you by name, if you have some difficulties you can still contact professor or his/her teaching assistant who are always willing to help you.

Course materialsAt WHU you are studying from PowerPoint slides or cases, no books are needed. All materials are upload in forehead on mywhu (like itslearning) or distributed through e-mail. Everything is in English.

ExamsSome exams are exactly based on the slides, some are more practical based on the cases and group works. You can be evaluated on the class participation (which is really very important since classes are very small compared to BI), group assignments, cases followed by presentation and final exam. I personally did not have any mid-terms.

Library and technologyAll the students have access to the library and study rooms. The study rooms have a very high standard. However, the library is very small compared to BI. Most of the students are studying together in the study rooms which are working on the first come first serve basic so you do not need to book them in advance. Big advantage is that whole campus including library (and gym as well) is open 24/7, so casing whole night is not a problem. Some computers are provided in the library as well, but I recommend using your own, since they are a bit old and slow.

Description of courses

Course code & nameMaster/ BachelorExam formPrerequisitesApproved asComments

B2B Price Negotiation and CalculationMasterNo exam, evaluation based on the casesNoneCoreAmazing practical course, full of interactive cases, negotiation and live classes.

Managing the Family BusinessMaster100% written 60mins exam.NoneCoreA lot of guest lectures, practical examples of failures and successes of family business, live discussions and analyses.

Exchange Rates and International FinanceMaster

50% term paper 50% written 60mins examAdvanced FinanceCoreVery interesting course, however a lot of workload, and needed satisfactory financial background since topics are very advanced.

Strategic Intellectual Capital ManagmeentMaster

25% case and class participation, 75% written 90mins open book examNoneCoreThe best course in my semester taught by American professor from the Kellog MBA program in US. Seats are limited so you have to register among the first. The course is very intensive within one week, teaching every day for 4hours, followed by the afternoon group case solving and written exam week after.

Leading the Sales ForceMaster

No exam, evaluation based on the casesNoneCoreThe course is very practical, based on the individual cases followed by the group discussions.

New product DevelopmentMaster

50% case and article presentation, 50% written 60mins examNoneCore

Germany in EuropeMaster

100% 60mins written examNoneCoreThe course is open just for the exchange students, contains a lot of history background and position of Germany in Europe together with economic position within EU.

German Language IVJust for exchange studentsGerman language placement testElectivesThere is a selection process for different German level during the first day.

Any other experiences/comments about your exchange experience?:

Exchange semester at WHU enriched my life with new inspiring people from all around the world resulting in a vast number of strong relationships. Exceptional business knowledge taught from different perspective brought to my future career new international dimension supported by many unforgettable experiences from travels, teambuildings or just coffee breaks between lectures! BIG thank you to WHU and BI for an AMAZING time!