Details

• China
• MAEXINT-24
• Graduate
• WS 2025
• Time spent at the partner university: 4 months

1. Preparation

If possible, I would arrive 2-4 weeks early to use the time on site to acclimatize and travel. Be sure to download Alipay and WeChat in advance. Everything else can be handled locally within these apps.

2. Accommodation

Although I didn't want to at first, I ended up staying in the student dorms. 99% of all international students booked a room there too. If you live off campus, you'll miss out on a lot. The rooms were really small, but very modern and clean. Taxis are incredibly cheap. So don't let the location scare you off. The campus also has everything you need. Several multi-story buildings, several supermarkets, hairdressers, opticians, and so on. The costs quoted were actually the total costs and not monthly costs. The dorm is extremely cheap. If you leave early, you will also be reimbursed for a proportion of the costs. When booking rooms, I would recommend that you look at the building plan before the deadline so that you can navigate quickly.

3. Academic life at host university

Some courses require more work than others. In general, there will be a lot of group work and individual reports. The level has been adapted to European exchange students. I particularly enjoyed the McKinsey Leadership course, as it always featured guest speakers who were senior partners as well as well-known personalities from various industries (e.g., Head of Marketing at SMART). Finance Theory was very abstract and included a short online quiz and other assignments every hour. If you like the subject, this is the right course for you. If you find it difficult, you should avoid this course. All the other courses I took were fair in terms of level, and the exams were also reasonable in terms of complexity and content.

5. Every day life in the host country

Public transportation is extremely cheap and works extremely well. As is well known, there are cameras everywhere, which makes you feel watched but not controlled. There are several security checks on public transportation, but they really don't take long. There are tons of events, either organized by the university or elsewhere, that you can participate in. There is a gym on campus that you have to pay for, but it's really good. I paid €50 for three months.

6. Testimonial

For me, it was the most exciting six months of my life. The people are extremely open and warm. The country is extremely diverse (from desert to skiing, it had everything). If you have any questions, feel free to write to me on Instagram: matthias__zgl