Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Great Personal Development Journey in the International Asian Studies Programme Past Review

By (Chinese University of Hong Kong / CUHK) - abroad from 01/01/2012 to 05/31/2012 with

Chinese University of Hong Kong: Hong Kong - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
It was definitely worthwhile. I gained so much in personal development, professional networking, and learned so much about Hong Kong. The opportunity to be in an environment where you can create yourself again because no one knows who you are is a pretty liberating.

Personal Information

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.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

I think the IASP faculty was pretty organized and I would trust them to look into the details of things and make sure your stay is accommodated.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I stayed in Morningside College (dorm) in Chinese University. The dorm is relatively new compared to the other colleges (dorms) and close to the MTR (train station). There's also S.H. Ho College which is newer and right next to Morningside but I'm sure they serve better food at night, so I would recommend S.H. Ho and then Morningside for dorming.

* Food:

Food in the university's canteens is very cheap. Food outside can range. The legal drinking age in Hong Kong is 18, so the exchange students are always hitting up Lan Kwai Fong (LKF), this bar & club scene area of Hong Kong.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Hong Kong people are conservative people. I consider the attitude of the students at CUHK slightly arrogant. Hong Kong people definitely aren't as giving and caring people as Hawaii people are. I find there's a lot of tension between girl and guy relationships. Hong Kong is a very fast, competitive, and international place.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I got sick about 2 times within the semester. Hong Kong is a very populous place where not everyone there practices good hygiene and mixed in with the really bad pollution there, it's very easy to get sick. The Hong Kong diet also lacks in fruits and vegetables, so even the bad food diets prevent the typical Hong Konger to get the proper nutrients. If you're someone who's allergic to a lot of foods, seafood, peanut oil, etc. Hong Kong most likely be hard to find good cheap food without those contaminants. If you're not allergic to any foods, then you'll be okay.

* Safety:

Hong Kong is very safe even in the wee hours in the night.

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)

Food is very cheap in Hong Kong compared to Hawaii in my opinion. There's a lot of McDonalds and an ice cream cone is approximately 10 U.S. cents. Housing at most is USD600 because it's subsidized by its government. Clothes is also cheap if you shop in Mong Kok, the shopping district, especially on Flower Garden Street.

* Was housing included in your program cost? No
* Was food included in your program cost? No
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? I don't know about each week, but total I spent was USD2,000 and that includes food, shopping, housing expenses, transportation, and everything except travelling to Taiwan, which I did.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? If you're buying stuff on the streets, bargain or get ripped-off.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Hostel
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • International Students
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • International Students
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with?

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • I liked how it's a big program, so there's a lot of other international exchange students to mingle with.
  • I like how organized they were, so I didn't have to worry about anything.
* What could be improved?
  • If there was more information about the colleges we could choose from because not all colleges are same.
  • If there was more information about how the grading system would be like. Only a certain percentage of students can get A's B's C's and D's
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I wish I knew about the grading system better before going into this study abroad.