Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Memorable Past Review

By (Trinity University) - abroad from 06/04/2012 to 08/17/2012 with

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

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I learned that different cultures have different ways of thinking. For example, local people in Hong Kong tend to not understand sarcasm. It was definitely worthwhile since it was the first time I had stayed in Hong Kong for more than a week. If I had the time and opportunity, I would definitely return! There were too many places to visit during 1 summer stay. Also, the summer is not as ideal to visit/study as it is during the other times of the year due to the typhoon season (although Hong Kong has many measures implemented to keep its people safe during these times) as well as the heat.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? None

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The class was a bit easier since I knew a little bit of the language already. However, the class had a quiz everyday, so I was required to both study and do homework everyday.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

Answered emails within a 24 hour time period usually.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Housing was offering to students in the summer. The cost was not too expensive. They provided a kitchen as well, but did not provide any pots or pans.

* Food:

Food was reasonably priced, but sometimes the workers in the canteen could not understand if you did not speak in Cantonese. However, not all canteens were like this.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Several of the professors really touched on topics relating to the local culture. This class did not only focus on the basic grammatical sentence structures but also how each situational topic could apply outside of class.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

You could only buy acetominophen from the pharmacy, but not ibuprofen. They required a doctor's prescription before one was allowed to get ibuprofen. However, I did not have any sickness while studying abroad.

* Safety:

Quite safe. There were many police stations and police walking around ensuring everyone's safety. I didn't notice anything dangerous during my stay. However, you should try to avoid to make eye contact with a police officer if you're a foreigner as they see this as a bit suspicious.

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)

Transportation was quite cheap. Especially since you are eligible to apply for a student octopus card, allowing you to travel at half price through any mtr station. Cost of food was also considerably cheaper than the US.

* Was housing included in your program cost? No
* Was food included in your program cost? Yes
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? $60
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Try to go out to places with locals or with friends who can speak Cantonese fluently. Otherwise, some restaurants may try to rip you off and pretend that they can't understand what you are saying.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes

Direct Enrollment/Exchange

* Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? Direct Enrollment

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Other
  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Other
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
  • International Students
  • Other
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?
  • There were several different teachers who taught you each week, which helped me to listen to different ways of speaking Cantonese.
* What could be improved?
  • One of the teachers taught as if we were in kindergarten and could not always understand our questions, but other than that, the other professors were great.
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? That the Cantonese course is not as intense as the Mandarin course. Also that Level 1 is easier than the other levels in terms of content and course load.