Before the semester abroad
Before embarking on the Thailand adventure can fall, a few things have to be organized and taken into account in advance. First of all, of course, you have to put together your application documents and make an initial selection of courses that you want to take during your semester abroad at the CMMU. Ultimately, however, this course selection is not (yet) compulsory, but rather serves for your own planning or the course planning of the university. On site in Bangkok, if necessary and if there are enough free places in the respective courses, these can still be changed. After the application process, with which MicroEDU supports you, has been successful, you will receive from the CMMU, among other things, a kind of confirmation letter about the study semester at the college, which you will then need to apply for a visa. We recommend a multiple entry visa, with which (as the name suggests) you can enter and leave Thailand several times. This will also be necessary at least once, as only 90-day non-immigration visas are issued, but the semester (plus travel time) is more like 4 months. In addition, you should inform yourself in advance (Federal Foreign Office / family doctor) which vaccinations are necessary or recommended for you personally. This should be planned and carried out at an early stage, as some vaccines have to be ordered or injected up to 3 times before reliable protection is available. Visit anycountyprivateschools.com to get information about vocational training in the Netherlands.
Information on the application process
I found the entire application process at the CMMU to be relatively simple and straightforward. Which is why I don’t expect any major complications here in the future either.
Studying at Mahidol University
Overall, the courses at the CMMU are probably below the level of comparable courses at German universities. Nevertheless, crediting at the respective home university should be relatively easy, as there are relatively good course descriptions (content and scope) for the respective courses. In addition to these more organizational things, you should also be aware that the courses here in Thailand are more practice-oriented. This is due, among other things, to the fact that many of the Thai master’s students complete their studies alongside their actual job and the CMMU therefore aims to ensure that its students can quickly put the knowledge they have learned into practice. Personally, I have this as a pleasant change from the more theoretical courses in Germany felt.
I have taken a total of three courses here at CMMU (Derivatives, M&A and Financial Planning & Strategy) – I can recommend all three courses. The level of the individual courses was quite different. I found the M&A course to be relatively easy. Various Excel models (cash flow calculations, business plans, etc. ) are presented here and then “built” themselves. In addition, you learn a lot about various Thai companies in this course. The derivatives course was a bit more demanding. In addition to the theoretical models, particular emphasis was placed on a general understanding of financial instruments (especially options and swaps). In addition, some practical applications were shown here (based on Excel). Unlike expected, the Financial Planning & Strategy course was initially very technical, as the Matlab program was presented and introduced in this course.
The exams (final and midterm) were all set very fairly and the content was limited in advance, so that the learning effort was rather manageable compared to exams in Germany. The time taken to process the exams was more than sufficient with 3 hours.
It should also be mentioned that I had one of my courses on Thursday and two on Saturday, so that there was enough freedom for traveling, which I tried to make optimal use of. (see “Bangkok, Thailand & Co”)
Information on on-site support by the CMMU
The local support here in Bangkok I found very pleasant. At the beginning of the semester there was a general information event for all international students, at which the CMMU, Bangkok and the culture of the Thais were presented in general. We also had a kind of welcoming day that was organized by the International Office of the CMMU. We were shown the Grand Palace in Bangkok and various temples in the city of Ayutthaya (always with an English-speaking guide). In addition, we made a one-hour boat trip in Ayutthaya and in the evening the day ended with a typical Thai meal. Interim conclusion: a really successful start!
In addition, a contact person is always available at the CMMU for questions about studying or organizational matters. We also got a 6-hour Thai crash language course in which we were taught some basics.
Accommodation search in Bangkok
You can find information about various accommodations on the CMMU website. I lived in the C Residence during the semester. I can therefore recommend this residential complex from my own experience. The price is fair, but a little higher because I had rented the property in advance from Germany. If there is good traffic, it takes around 20 minutes to get to the university by taxi, and around 40-55 minutes with the BTS (Sky Train) and the free university shuttle from the Victory Monument. It is a 15-minute walk to the Hua Longphon train station (Bangkok’s main train station).
Bangkok, Thailand & Co
In addition to the university, you can look forward to a very varied life in Bangkok, Thailand and South-East Asia. There is really a lot to discover in Bangkok! The Grand Palace, Wat Pho, Wat Arun and many other temples. You can also indulge in consumption in the Siam Shopping Center and in the MBK.
A visit to the numerous sky bars in Bangkok is also recommended (e. g. in the Hotel Siam & Siam, here the cocktails are still reasonably affordable at around 12 euros).
Also recommended is a ferry ride on the Chao Phraya, which is a pleasant change from the traffic in Bangkok. In addition, this is a lot cheaper at under 50 cents than the tourist boats that can also be booked. It is also worth visiting the River View Guesthouse (http://www. riverviewbkk. com/), from whose roof terrace you can enjoy the hustle and bustle on the Chao Phraya.
Otherwise, a detour to Chiang Mai in northern Thailand is also worthwhile. Here you can visit numerous elephant parks, Thailand’s highest mountain and a national park. Particularly recommendable – albeit a little more expensive – is the Elephant Nature Park (http://www. elephantnaturepark. org/) in my opinion. In this park it is not possible to ride the animals or do other things that are not typical for animals (-> cruelty to animals!).
Rather, you get to know the “gentle giants” in a completely different way during a visit. In addition to feeding, you are also very close to the animals while bathing in the river. Further – especially 5-star – reviews can be found at Tripadvisor. com.
A detour to the numerous islands of Thailand is really worth it! On Koh Tao you can also get the PADI Open Water diving certificate for about 250 euros (I can recommend Ban’s Diving Resort – http://www. bansdivingresort. com/). In most cases, new courses begin every day and are offered in both German and English as well as numerous other languages.
I can highly recommend Vietnam and Cambodia if you want to get to know Southeast Asia better. But Malaysia and Laos are also definitely worth a trip.
What else is there to report
In no case should you insult the royal family in Thailand, as this sometimes has drastic penalties. Political discussion should also be avoided for the sake of simplicity.
The tuck-tuck drivers are quite pushy here in Bangkok and have probably made it their hobby, especially to pull money out of their pockets, especially western tourists. With taxis, you should make sure that they have a taximeter and that they are turned on accordingly. A ride in the city should cost between 40-100 baht (1 – 2. 50 euros) depending on the distance.
At the larger sights – as in many other Asian countries – there are numerous smugglers who want to make it clear to the tourists that the respective sight is closed on that day. The aim is to then lead the tourists into overpriced shops and then pull the money out of their pockets! So be careful!
If you are in Bangkok or Thailand, you should definitely try the many different cookshops! There is always at least one stand on every street corner. From freshly squeezed juice and fresh fruit to soups and other warm dishes, there is almost everything your heart desires.
In Thailand it is also a good idea to enjoy the classic Thai massage for the equivalent of 5 – 8 euros per hour.
The many different types of fruit here in Thailand are also recommended. Mangos, fresh pineapples, lychees and (drinking) coconuts are particularly tasty. In addition, there is a lot more to try!
Not to be forgotten, of course, is traveling! From Bangkok you can get to various places in Thailand relatively easily by coaches, by train or by mini-vans. It should be noted that usually a cruising speed of 50 km / h is not exceeded.
Overall conclusion
Overall, I can personally recommend a stay abroad at the CMMU. I think it’s the mix that made my time here in Bangkok and Thailand so interesting, varied and never boring.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.
