Hong Kong: My Gate to a New Perspective and Southeast Asia Past Review
By Alexandra M (Publishing, Illinois State University) for
University of Hong Kong / HKU: Direct Enrollment & Exchange
Absolutely worthwhile- I probably would have never traveled to Asia just for leisure. Living there for six months however changed my perspective of it and has influenced me to want to return soon.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The workload was manageable and varied by major. At HKU, it is normal to save most of the work until the very end of the semester. I did not enjoy this. I worked during the entirety of the semester but feel like it wasn't acknowledged. There are much fewer grades given. In most of my classes there were only three grades for the entire course: a midterm, a paper, and a final. The grades were not promptly given back (if at all). |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Upon arrival at HKU, many exchange students found the class enrollment system to be very confusing and the faculty offices to be unhelpful. Other than that, the services for students were good. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The hall I lived in (RC Lee Hall) is located in a very nice area. You can see the water from the dorm rooms and the area is safe. It took about 10 minutes to get to the university via bus, and about 25 minutes to get to Central (food, shopping, dining, MTR station). |
| * Food: |
Meals are pretty inexpensive and there are SO many choices. I am vegetarian and found little trouble finding delicious food. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The program did not organize many cultural events, but naturally as an exchange student it is easy to make friends with other exchange students. I made amazing friends and our travels in Southeast Asia are invaluable. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Hong Kong is extremely safe. I never felt in danger. At night the city is lit up and most places are open quite late. Before I left my home university advised me to get vaccines, which I did, and I did not encounter any health problems while abroad. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* 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) |
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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Plan to spend money on plane tickets to other countries. You might as well travel around while you can and are closer to countries than you would normally be. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | N/A |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I learned introductory Cantonese and could practice with floormates. It was fun to use in restaurants and markets. |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Exchange |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Hong Kong is amazing. It is very developed and Western, but is surrounded by rich culture and history. |
