HOW TO BE A BUDDY GUIDEBOOK TO THE BUDDY PROGRAM AT THE ...

HOW TO BE A BUDDY – GUIDEBOOK TO THE BUDDY PROGRAM AT THE INTERNATIONAL OFFICE IN CBS SPRING 2006 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION – BEING A BUDDY IN A NUTSHELL WHEN, WHO, HOW CONTACT BUDDY PRIOR TO THE STUDENT’S ARRIVAL WHY DOES CBS NEED BUDDIES? THE INTERNATIONAL OFFICE I AM BUDDY FOR… GETTING IN TOUCH WITH THE EXCHANGE STUDENT EXCHANGE STUDENT’S HOUSING ROOM KEY PICK UP IMPORTANT THINGS BEFORE STUDENT’S ARRIVAL OTHER PRACTICAL INFO BUDDY TEAM WHY DO I NEED A BUDDY TEAM LOCAL DINNER RESIDENCE PERMIT WHO NEEDS IT WHERE, HOW AND WHEN TO GET IT BUDDY DURING THE INTRODUCTION WEEK PICK UP RESIDENCE PERMIT CPR NUMBER WHERE, HOW AND WHEN TO GET IT EXCHANGE STUDENT’S SURVIVAL KIT BIKE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION MOBILE PHONES CREDIT CARDS INTERNET HOUSING RULES PARTIES NEIGHBORS, LANDLORDS PLEASE CHECK 2 SCHOOL LIFE @ CBS BRIEFLY ABOUT CBS PRACTICAL INFORMATION ABOUT COURSES AND TEACHING STYLE STUDENT UNIONS SPORTS CLUBS NEXUS AND LA CABLE CRASH COURSE WEEK INTRODUCTION WEEK EXCHANGE CREW BUDDY AFTER THE INTRODUCTION PERIOD KEEP IN TOUCH EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE SEMESTER 3 INTRODUCTION – BEING A BUDDY IN A NUTSHELL Welcome to the Buddy Program. In this guidebook you will find a lot of information that hopefully will provide answers to all the questions you might have to answer while being a Buddy. In order to make it clear and concise we have divided this guidebook into three main parts, and each part is further divided into sections. They refer to everything you should know prior exchange student’s arrival, as well as during and after the introduction period. WHEN, WHERE, HOW Most students will arrive between 13th and 22nd January 2006 but there might be individual cases of students coming before or after these dates. In the Spring 2006 semester you will be a Buddy for one student • • • • • • Your duties: Contact the student prior to his/her arrival in Copenhagen and arrange pick up Pick up keys for student’s residence room or contact landlord if the student is staying in private housing Welcome the student at the airport, ferry terminal, railway station etc. and guide him/her to the residence or private housing Give some advices on shopping, mobile phone opportunities, bank account, getting around Copenhagen etc. Help in getting the residence permit and/or the CPR number Arrange the Local Dinner together with other Buddies in your Buddy Team Detailed information on the above-mentioned is included further down in this guidebook CONTACT Buddy Coordinators: Anna Ryl & Chris Ng Dalgas Have 15 room 1.V 013 2000 Frederiksberg 38153084 buddy.intoff@cbs.dk The Reception of the International Office Dalgas Have 15 room 1.V014 2000 Frederiksberg 38153006 rec.intoff@cbs.dk Please note that from January 1, 2006 the International Office is moving to new location. The new address will be: Porcelænshaven 26 2000 Frederiksberg HAVE A GREAT SEMESTER!!! 4 BUDDY PRIOR TO THE STUDENT’S ARRIVAL In this section you will find all information you need to know from the moment of contacting your student until his/her arrival in Copenhagen. WHY DOES CBS NEED BUDDIES? Internationalisation is an important element of CBS policy. The Buddy Program is one of CBS’s flagship products and that is why the role of the Buddy is so important for the International Office. During the time of their assistance Buddies are ambassadors of CBS and Denmark, which helps CBS to maintain and establish partnerships with the best schools in the world. THE INTERNATIONAL OFFICE The International Office is responsible for the coordination and implementation of all activities related to establishing and maintaining exchange agreements with universities abroad. The International Office also takes care of all matters relating to the exchange of students to and from CBS. In case you don’t know much yet about the International Office below is a brief information about the people that exchange students will definitely communicate with prior and after their arrival to CBS. Camilla Rønning Vestergaard, Niels Henrik Larsen and Stephanie Hadler take care of all academic-related matters concerning incoming exchange students. Hanne Grand, Eva Thomsen and the office trainee work at the Reception, which is the first place where exchange students turn up with all of their questions. Charlotte Simonsen Nelson is responsible for all issues related to students’ housing. If you would like to find out more about the International Office or other staff members please follow this link http://www.cbs.dk/cbs_international/menu/international_office I AM A BUDDY FOR… GETTING IN TOUCH WITH THE EXCHANGE STUDENT When you are assigned an exchange student you will receive an email from the Buddy Coordinators informing you about his/her name, university and contact information. We encourage you to contact the student via email as soon as you find out who you are Buddy for. Exchange students also receive all information about their Buddies, so there might be cases where the exchange student will contact the Buddy first. In the case when you are not able to communicate via email and the student doesn’t contact you either, you can use the telephone at the Reception of the International Office in order to contact the student. Please inform the Buddy Coordinators about any problems regarding contacting the exchange student. EXCHANGE STUDENT’S HOUSING Exchange students are either staying in residences or shared apartments administered by the International Office or in private housing arranged also through the International Office. Please be advised that in the spring semester almost all exchange students live in residences and shared apartments. In the autumn semester half of the students stay in residences and shared apartments and the other half in private housing. All students who live at a residence hall or in a shared apartment have to make rent and deposit for the semester payable in three installments. First installment has to be paid before August 1st for the fall semester and before January 1st for the spring semester – that is before the foreign student leaves his/her home. The students who are going to live in private housing have to pay 1½ moths rent plus a deposit (amount equal to one month rent) at arrival. 5 Most students have signed a residence contract for the period they are to spend in Denmark. If the student violates this contract (remember that they always have a one month notice of termination) the person who lets the place might easily feel stood up. This often results in the fact that we do not have the residence at our disposal anymore, and the incoming students the following semesters will not have as many residences as previously. The entire rental period is binding. Many of the private apartments are owned by CBS students who need to use the money from the rent to cover their expenses for their own exchange stay abroad. Therefore exchange students can only move out earlier than agreed in extreme cases when their residence is very unacceptable In addition, it is very seldom that The International Office is able to offer alternative residences because there is usually no extra housing opportunities available. The fee for changing a residence is 300 DKK. ROOM KEY PICK UP Keys for rooms at residences and shared apartments can be picked up at the Housing Department at the International Office at Porcelænshaven 26. More detailed information on the time and date will be provided later in the email with information on the exchange student you are going to be Buddy for. IMPORTANT BEFORE STUDENT’S ARRIVAL Since a lot of people are using mobile telephones even when they are travelling, it is a good idea to exchange telephone numbers so that you can sms or call each other in case of changes in the travel schedule, finding each other at the airport, etc. If possible try to check the arrival status before going to the airport or central station. Links to some of the websites are available in the next section. OTHER PRACTICAL INFO Since some of you are not Danes and therefore might lack some information, we put together some useful links that will hopefully help you to prepare to welcome the exchange student. For the rest of you, we still hope you find these links helpful as well. www.dsb.dk This website shows arrivel times at the Central Railway Station. To see the arrival information please search under ‘Trafikken lige nu’ and type København H in the requested field. Unfortunately it’s only in Danish. www.cph.dk This website shows arrival times at the Kastrup airport. It’s a good idea to check this website before you actually go to the airport. A lot of long distance flights tend to have delays and it’s much better to know it in advance than sit at the airport for hours. www.denmark.dk Website with general information with a lot of links www.krak.dk Website with maps and driving directions. Partly in English www.rejseplanen.dk Website with schedules for buses, S-trains and metro. English version available. 6 BUDDY TEAM WHY DO I NEED A BUDDY TEAM The Buddy Teams are formed of 3-4 other Buddies. The main purpose is to help each other out when you are not able. This can include picking up from the airport or helping to arrange the CPR number. For example, you can divide the team and agree that some of you take the students to the Folkeregister and the rest of the team shows them around the city etc. LOCAL DINNER The purpose of the Local Dinner is to give the exchange students an opportunity to try some of the Danish traditional food and to experience the Danish “hygge” first hand. The Local Dinner will be on Tuesday January 24th 2006 (week 4), so mark your calendar already now! Time and place needs to be agreed among Buddy Team members RESIDENCE PERMIT WHO NEEDS IT If the exchange student will stay in Denmark longer than 3 months, he/she needs a residence permit. Students who are citizens of USA, Asia, Australia, Canada, Latin America, non-EU countries already have a residence permit (stamped in their passport) upon arrival in Denmark. Students from EU countries have to apply for their residence permit once they arrive in Copenhagen. WHERE, HOW AND WHEN TO GET IT For exchange students from an EU country, living in the Copenhagen municipality, residence permits are issued at: Københavns Overpræsidium Copenhagen main governing board Hammerensgade 1 1267 København K Phone number: 33 12 23 80 Opening hours: Monday – Wednesday 10-14 Thursday – 13-17 Friday – 9-13 For exchange students from a EU country, living in Frederiksberg municipality, residence permits are issued at: Københavns Statsamt Copenhagen chief administrative authority Hejrevej 43 2400 København NV Phone number: 38 17 06 00 Opening hours: Monday – Wednesday 9-15 Thursday 9-17 Friday 9-13 Students need to bring the following: 7 • • • Passport (or other form of picture identification) Two passport sized photographs Invitation letter from CBS (included in the student welcome package) Students from EU countries usually receive their residence permit 14 days after applying. BUDDY DURING THE INTRODUCTION WEEK PICK UP Before going to the airport or the train station please make sure to check whether the schedule of the flight or train is the same as given by the student. If the student is arriving by bus, ferry or car, try to contact each other through mobile phones so that you don’t have to wait in vain. Please check precisely where the student is going to stay. It is also worth considering the route from the airport/train station to the student’s residence before picking up the exchange student, since many people who are going to live for a couple of months at one place usually brings a lot of luggage. After a long plane/train ride carrying heavy luggage in the wrong direction is not fun. RESIDENCE PERMIT If the student has not yet received his / her residence permit please revert to the previous section. CPR NUMBER In Denmark, you have to state your CPR number to almost all institutions. Banks, libraries, hospitals and several other institutions use the CPR number to register all “customers”. CBS also needs the CPR number for the Student ID card, which is used for the exams. Therefore, it is very important that you as a Buddy help your foreign student(s) with getting a CPR number. This should be done as soon as possible after the student’s arrival! The Civic Personal Registration number is issued at the national registration office in the municipality where the student is living. Residence permit is a condition to apply for the CPR number. After receiving the CPR number students receive the so-called ‘yellow card’, which works as the Danish Health insurance during their stay. Nordic students are not required to have a medical card, but since more or less all government authorities require CPR number as identification it is highly recommended for them also to apply for one. WHERE, HOW AND WHEN TO GET IT Exchange students living in the Copenhagen municipality should apply for their CPR number at the Københavns Kommunes Folkeregister Copenhagen municipality national registration office Dahlerupsgade 6 1640 København V Phone number: 33 66 33 66 Opening hours: Monday – Wednesday 9.30-14.30 Thursday 9.30-17.30 Friday 9.30-13.00 Exchange students living in the Frederiksberg municipality should apply for their CPR number at the Frederiksberg Kommunes Folkeregister Frederiksberg municipality national registration office 8 Frederiksberg Bredegade 11 2000 Frederiksberg Phone number: 38 21 21 00 Opening hours: Monday – Wednesday 10-15 Thursday 10-18 Friday 10-13 If the exchange student is going to live in another municipality, you can find the address in the phone book. Students need to bring the following: • Passport • Rental agreement • Documentation for residence permit EXCHANGE STUDENT’S SURVIVAL KIT BIKE The exchange students will probably need help with buying a bike, since it is practically impossible to survive in Copenhagen without a bike. There are several places to find a used bike at a reasonable price: Den Blå Avis – a paper with lots of low-priced, used goods This paper is published once a week Københavns Hittegods – lost property in Copenhagen Slotsherrensvej 113 2720 Vanløse Københavns Hittegods – has a bike auction approx. every 14th day. For further information call 38 74 88 22. Olympic Cykler – store which sells used bikes H.C. Ørstedsvej 59 2000 Frederiksberg Phone: 35 36 47 66 It is possible to rent a bike, but since this often costs between 500 and 1000DKK a month, it will be too expensive to rent a bike for one semester. Sometimes you can buy a new bike at a fair price in supermarkets like Kvickly, Super Brugsen and Føtex. You could perhaps check the bike shops located close to the school on Finsensvej in Frederiksberg. *** Please make sure to tell the student about the biking rules in Copenhagen: lights on the bike at night, good locks on the bike etc. Please tell them also about the rules for cyclists including the following: 9 it is illegal to turn right at a red traffic light every violation of the traffic rules costs approx. 500DKK in fine when turning left, do not do that in one turn, but cross the road and wait for green light to cross left • stop for bus passengers who get off the bus. In previous semesters we had several students injured bike accidents. Therefore it is very very important that you tell them to watch out for the cars, and especially for taxis and bike safely (it’s better to stop at the crossing then bike through it and risk being hit by a car) *** PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION Those of the students who want to use public transportation should purchase a monthly pass, which can be obtained at bigger train stations. They will most likely need a pass for 2 zones. In order to get the monthly pass they have to pay 300 DKK for 2 zones monthly pass and give a passport size photo. TELEPHONES AND MOBILE PHONES A variety of calling cards can be bought at the grocery stores. The owners are best experts in finding the cheapest for particular countries. There is a number of companies offering both contract and prepaid services. Students can purchase them in specialized shops or in many kiosks. Please advice the student which one you personally think is best. CREDIT CARDS Please inform your students that it is much better to have cash ready when buying their groceries since they cannot pay with their regular Visas or MasterCards at Nettos etc. They can use them in most of bars and big shops in the centre of the city. ATMs are located all over the city. INTERNET Almost all of CBS residences and shared apartments have a broadband internet installed. Wireless internet is also available on campuses, where computers with internet connection are also widely available. • • • HOUSING RULES - ‘GOOD TO KNOW’ THINGS PARTIES Since the exchange period is mostly treated as the ‘once in a lifetime experience’, exchange students love to go out and to throw parties. For students living in residences and in shared apartments it is very important to tell them to pay attention to their neighbors and co-neighbors and respect silence during the evenings. No matter how tempting it might be the consequences may be that the exchange student is thrown out of the room and has to live at a youth hostel the rest of his/her time in Copenhagen. Such a notice will furthermore result in the fact that The International Office looses the opportunity to rent the place to future exchange students. NEIGHBORS, LANDLORDS, HOUSE RULES Especially in the case when the exchange student is staying in a private apartment please check what kind of person is renting the place, so that you can tell the exchange student what to expect from the landlord. For instance, hardly any elderly women will enjoy singing Italians at three o’clock at night. Please also let the student know that it is customary to chat once in a while with a landlord, whose primary reason for renting out the room was to get to know people from different countries. 10 Everyone will benefit from the student knowing which behavior is suitable here in Denmark – and which behavior is not. To avoid any problems tell the student to arrange from the beginning the rules about phone usage, kitchen, bath, laundry machine, guests, overnight guests etc. Not all landlords are good in foreign languages and, therefore, they might need your help as a translator to explain practical stuff and rules when the student moves in. PLEASE CHECK As something new we would like you to check the residence before the arrival of the student. This way we should be able to catch – and change – a bad accommodation situation. If there are some minor shortcomings or things are not exactly as you had expected (you probably know yourself what a student must make do with) we ask you to keep calm and not simply advise him/her to find a new residence. Remember that the rooms are for rent in somewhat short periods and that they are very hard to find at a reasonable price, which may be the reason that some rooms cannot live up to your own residence. However, if you find that the place has serious shortcomings, which should be discussed with the landlord, you are welcome to contact The International Office. Of course we want to know if anything is really wrong, in order for us to take care of it. However, consider the fact that YOUR attitude might influence the exchange student in a negative way. The students might end up focusing on something that is hard to change instead of merely having a good time. Those of you who have spent time abroad know yourself that the residence during a study period is something temporarily. In Denmark the period is 4½ months during the fall semester and 5½ months during the spring semester. This might result in a slight slackening of residential demands. Perfect student residences in the inner city at 1000 DKK/month simply do not exist! SCHOOL LIFE @ CBS BRIEFLY ABOUT CBS The CBS is a state-owned university. The Danish students are accepted into the university according to their grade point average. Danish students receive financial support from the state while studying. PRACTICAL INFORMATION ABOUT COURSES AND TEACHING STYLE Our lessons are 45 min. long and there is a 10 min. break between all lessons (in the US for instance lessons count clock hours). Teachers have the right to teach for 90 min straight and after you get a 20 min. break. Students do not have a say in this matter. Classes start when the teacher arrives and the room is accessible. So the students do not have to wait for the teacher to arrive and open the door. It is the student’s own responsibility to find his/her classroom. In the major part of the courses, class participation is not compulsory, and no one will check if you’re in class. The students are treated as independent adults, who are capable of deciding for themselves when they need to join class. However, we need to point out that it is expected that exchange students participate actively in the lessons. Even though Danish students sometimes decide to cut class, the foreign students are asked not to do the same. In most courses there will only be one final exam (no screening examination or mid term report) and thereby one grade, which counts for the entire course. Many exchange students are also not 11 used to such a large-sized curriculum, and having to read it critically. Staying away from class can, therefore, lead to serious consequences regarding their academic results. STUDENT UNIONS There are several student organizations and unions at the CBS, including FIND (Forum for Internationals and Danes) De Studerendes Råd (the students’ council) and Moderate Studenter (Moderate Students). The exchange students can join the unions by contacting the organizations, which are politically active and are represented at CBS board elections etc. All organizations offer several services, which the student may benefit from. Remember to explain that contrary to most other schools, the CBS does not have private fraternities divided into student clubs according to academic interest. SPORTS CLUBS If the students are interested in sports they can choose from local clubs and the CBS fitness center located at Solbejrg Plads (we are currently trying to get an exchange student discount at the fitness center at the CBS) and in USG (University’s Students Gymnastics), phone: 35 37 61 98. NEXUS AND LA CABLE Students can party in the more disco-like neXus on Thursday evenings or at the chilled out la Cable on Friday afternoons CRASH COURSE WEEK The Crash Course Week is for those students who have chosen to participate in an intensive Danish language course. The students have Danish lessons either in the morning or in the afternoon. Social events such as parties, bowling night etc, will be taking place in the evenings. Exchange students will get further information directly from the Crash Course Coordinators. As a Buddy you are requested to check in advance the class schedule for the exchange student so that you can guide him / her to the right class. Buddies are always invited to the Crash Course party, which is often one of the best parties of the semester. If you are Buddy for a student who is going to attend the Crash Course, you will receive mail stating this. INTRODUCTION WEEK The primary aim with this week is to introduce the foreign students to how it is to live and study in Denmark. The events of the week are split up into daytime activities and evening activities. The daytime activities are only for the foreign students, who will not have to pay for anything outside food, beverages and transportation. Students’ participation in the daytime activities is compulsory. The majority of the evening activities are on the contrary arranged for both the exchange students as well as their Buddies. You will hear much more about these activities later on. You can find the events of the week in the program, which you can pick up at The International Office prior to the Introduction Week. We kindly ask you to thoroughly study the program so you will be able to answer possible questions from the exchange student. Do not forget to tell him/her about appropriate clothing in the ever-changing Danish weather. It is also important that you are able help your student finding the way to the locations mentioned in the program. Even though the social activities play an important role in the Introduction Week, it is also important to focus on the essential academic information, which the exchange students need. We need to give room to academic events as well as socializing. Please note that the number of very late nights are not supposed to take the upper hand. If the CBS gets the rumor of being a “party school”, we risk loosing some of our best exchange agreements! EXCHANGE CREW 12 The Exchange Crew is made up of a number of volunteer students from several study programs. The group cooperates with The International Office, but plans by itself and has the responsibility for the social events in the Introduction Week. The group is administered by two Introduction Coordinators, who are employed as accountable for the Exchange Crew. BUDDY AFTER THE INTRODUCTION PERIOD KEEP IN TOUCH The end of the Introduction Week does not mean that you terminate contact with the exchange student. Some Danes tend to think that foreign students mainly keep to themselves. Maybe this is because it is hard for the exchange students to get contact to other Danes than their Buddies, and perhaps a couple of classmates. Indeed the majority wants to meet Danes outside school, and this is an obvious “task” for you as a Buddy. We hope that you will have a great time with your exchange student and will spend time with him / her occasionally also after the Introduction Week. You can e.g. bring him / her along when visiting friends or family, or go on excursions, so he/she will have the opportunity to experience Denmark as something else than merely a place to study and to hang out with other foreign students. Consider which activities you would find interesting or exiting, if you were in a foreign country. EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE SEMESTER The International Office plans activities for the exchange students and their Buddies throughout the semester. You can get information on these events from the exchange student, who will receive event information in his/her pigeonhole at Dalgas Have or via e-mail, or you can contact The International Office. You can also go to the homepage of The International Office at www.cbs.dk/cbs_international . 13