Maymester Hong Kong: One Month in the International City of Asia. Past Review

By (Biology, General., The University of Texas at Austin) for

Study Abroad Programs in Hong Kong

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Yes, and I learned that our world is becoming an increasingly smaller place. However, the diversity that one observes from flying to the other side of the world does much to broaden one's understanding of the world we live in and the people who make it up.

Personal Information

If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: Chinese University of Hong Kong
How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The classroom component was not the focus of our program. The true education lay outside the classroom in our wanderings, our experience of a foreign culture, our adaptation to a foreign environment and how it differed from our own. Application of this newfound understanding of cultural norms allowed us to better apply these experiences to future projects and endeavors.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

The program administration seemed under-prepared to welcome us. We had dorm rooms at the Daisy Li hall, but they only had one key for two dorm mates. It took them a few days before we could access their internet, as well as lack of true ID cards printed out for our use (we had library cards instead). However, they worked diligently to enroll us into their system and make us few comfortable, and were understanding of hiccups we had on our end (lost keys, lost key cards, etc).

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Reminded me of Jester Dorms. In fact, they were Jester dorms, just set in Hong Kong.

* Food:

Food was amazing. Highly recommended that you visit the surrounding area and look up destinations to set up group outings. However, keep the groups to be no larger than around 8 people, as any bigger becomes unwieldy.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Dragon Boat Festival, World Expo Shang Hai, the Big Buddha, night markets, malls everywhere, the food...there's just too many to name!

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

As long as you keep your head and avoid unnecessary risks, the danger was no different than that of a typical urban city in the United States.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

Finances

* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? I would not have made any changes.

Language

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? None

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans

A Look Back

* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Those who do not mind stepping outside of their comfort zone!!

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

International Advertising

Course Department: ADV 334
Instructor: Professor Wei-Na Lee
Instruction Language: English
Comments: There were no exams. There were a number of assignments (about 4 total) but were mostly graded on completion rather than merit, the final project being an exception. Our last project consisted of data gathering and interviewing local Hong Kongers on their specific purchasing habits, and then taking our findings to devise a new effective marketing strategy for an assigned company. This was the only true "work" during our stay, with the majority of the program focused on cultural immersion, and independent exploration.
Credit Transfer Issues: Nope. It counted as UT credit rather than CUHK credit since it was taught by a UT instructor. Therefore, the course counted toward my GPA.