Unforgettable Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

On-site administration of your program

The international office was so helpful and friendly. After orientation, they continued to offer events throughout the semester like a cooking class, a field trip to the flower market, and a talent competition. HKBU teachers were pretty responsive to emails and some had office hours.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

There are two people to a room and four people share a bathroom. There is one common room for each floor with a table, fridge, stovetop, and kitchenware. I gave only three stars because the local students were very disruptive at night. They would run up and down the hallways screaming, singing, and laughing up until 2 in the morning. I was informed that this is just part of the "local culture" in Hong Kong, and it happens at all the universities.

There is no meal plan. The canteen food was not great, even the local students thought so. However, there is a Starbucks and Pacific Coffee on campus and a pop-up Ebeneezer's that are good. Lok Fu Place is a short walk away and there are a ton of good food places there!

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I had local students in three of my classes, but because most of my classes were lecture-based, we didn't get much time to socialize with each other. I became friends with two local students in my classes and my HKBU buddy. I felt very comfortable with my surroundings and the culture probably a month in.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I didn't have any experiences with healthcare, but a rating is required.

Hong Kong is extremely safe! I worried about going out by myself at night since I'm a small female, but I never felt scared or harassed.

I loved my experience in Hong Kong and at Hong Kong Baptist University. The location of the school was great. It's on the Kowloon side so it feels less crowded and fast-paced than the Hong Kong Island side. Our school is also walking distance from two MTR stations, a beautiful hiking trail, and a shopping center with bedding, toiletries, groceries, and restaurants.

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

I spent about HK$500 on food each week, which is about $64 USD. That was me eating comfortably and eating out every day and getting a meal from a nicer restaurant once or twice a week. There are many food places that are really cheap and still healthy. I could easily find a filling meal for under $4. Transportation using the MTR was also very affordable. Most trips cost less than $1. If you want to budget exactly how much money it'll cost, there's a trip planner on their website which says the exact cost. There are also MTR fare savers all around Hong Kong if you really want to save some cents.

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

It was not required but I took a Cantonese class and enjoyed it. It definitely improved my experience being able to somewhat understand and communicate with local people who couldn't speak English.

Select all that apply

• Dorm

Select all that apply

• Local Students
• Americans
• International Students

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• Local Students
• Americans
• International Students

• Most of my classes were only once or twice a week so I had a lot of free time to explore Hong Kong

• The teachers should give back assignments so students have a better sense of their grades. I only got graded homework back in two of my classes, and I had no idea how I was doing in the other two until the end of the semester.

The Outright Urbanite