Amazing Past Review
By A student (BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT, MARKETING, AND RELATED SUPPORT SERVICES., Brandeis University) - abroad from 01/05/2012 to 08/01/2012 with
Chinese University of Hong Kong: Hong Kong - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I learned a lot about other people's cultures. I had a diverse group of friends from all over the world and it was just nice to be able to have cultural exchange with them plus I was able to experience other cultures through traveling. I gained a more open mind. It was kind of new to be in another country where everything was not America-centric. I think growing up in America you are expected to think that America is the best country in the world but I see some things that I feel America can improve on compared to other countries. It provided me with more of an international mindset. I always pictured myself working in America but now I am open to job opportunities in other parts of the world as well.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Classes were slightly easier than classes at Brandeis. It is said that professors don't grade exchange students as harshly as they grade local students. The bad thing with classes is that the curve works against you. Only a limited number of As can be given out. The style of teaching is different from teaching at Brandeis. Most professors do not try to engage the students and tests are for the most part purely memorization. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Administration very helpful |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Some students were assigned to the older dorms and some were assigned to the newer dorms. The newer dorms were very nice state of the art but the older dorms lacked heating and the rooms were quite small. The nicest dorms were Sh.ho and morningside college. |
| * Food: |
Campus food is very cheap and affordable but there have been instances where people got sick from eating the food. Some places on campus lack variety and serve the same things over and over again. Do not expect to get good western food on campus except for maybe in the Cheng Yu Teng building. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
School provides free healthcare. You can go to the clinic and get free medication for your symptoms. The downside is that the doctor only spends about a few minutes with you. If the clinic is closed, the only other option is to go to a hospital to see a physician. Sometimes the queues are really long. Its relatively cheap to see a physician about 100 hkd. |
| * Safety: |
Hong Kong is very safe. Low crime rate. |
| 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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| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * 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? | $200-300 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | There are many local places that offer really cheap and good food much better than campus food. Try not to eat out too often in places like TST or Central because those will be more on the pricey side. Since most of the dorms are equipped with kitchens you can always buy groceries from the supermarket on campus and then cook in the dorm. Whenever you go to the airport take the airport shuttle bus from shatin it's much cheaper than taxi and the airport express. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
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| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Beginning Intermediate Chinese |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 0 |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Take Cantonese. I took a putonghua class but in Hong Kong they don't speak putonghua. |
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
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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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| 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? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I wish that I knew that morningside and sh.ho were the newer nicer dorms. They generally have more international students in them. I also wish that I knew that Hong Kong people do not like it when you speak with them in putonghua and would much rather you speak in cantonese. |
