On June 4th, the ACT Global Program held an online pre-departure seminar. The invited speakers were Kevin Hsieh, a student on the Health Care Management master’s degree, and Riva Tsai, a student on the Business Administration master’s degree. Both are currently participating in the Austria module at the Johannes Kepler University (JKU). Kevin and Riva overcame the time differences to share their education journey in Canada and Austria, and provided many tips for preparation before departure.
Previously, the ACT program always started with the Canada module at the end of August at the University of Victoria, Canada. However, due to COVID-19, every aspect had undergone some transformation, such as the course arrangement, the way classes were conducted, and daily life in general; even the program itself had been delayed. For the Canada module, Kevin gave the participants helpful advice on food, clothing, accommodation, and transportation. For example, delivery apps like Skip the Dishes and Funtuan Delivery have continued throughout the quarantine. Another tip was that in the ACT program, there are many opportunities to present to corporations, so it is useful to have a suit or business casual outfit on hand in case of a last-minute group presentation. Moreover, the seniors explained that UVic is an academic-oriented school, and the workload there is very different from NSYSU. To quickly adapt to that teaching pace, it is better to preview and prepare while still in Taiwan.
In the second part of the seminar, Riva talked about the students’ current life in Austria and their experience of studying in JKU. For accommodation, JKU provides student halls, known as Raab Heim, for the students, so participants do not need to find their own place to stay. Riva and Kevin provided photos of the hall and showed how it is configured just for students. They also suggested buying a sim card on arrival in Austria, due to the epidemic situation. Sim cards make it more convenient to contact people and purchase items during quarantine. The other seminar participants, all students embarking on the ACT program, asked enthusiastic questions towards the end of the seminar and seized the opportunity to make through preparations.
Finally, the International Relations Office of the College of Management reminded students of the necessary administrative procedures. The office asked everyone to pay special attention to their transportation arrangements during the three modules and reminded them to confirm their plane tickets and ensure that they could participate in the ceremonies of the three schools on time. “Work hard, play harder!” was the exhortation of the International Relations Office to the participants. It is hoped that through this seminar, students who are travelling to Canada to embark on their ACT journey will have a better understanding of the local situation. With a prepared mind and good health, they will be well set for their year-long challenge in the future.
Contributor LAI YAN-ZHU, IBMBA / Edited by College of Management