Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

An amazing experience Past Review

By (Finance And Economics, Bentley University) - abroad from 09/24/2012 to 01/03/2013 with

University of Hong Kong / HKU: Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I learned that an experience is what you make it. You have to be willing to put yourself out there to be accepted or rejected. And it was

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 6 months+

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

It is tough, the courses are graded much harder than the home uni

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

It was poor at best. Although they have an office that helps you out, it became increasingly difficult when they would send you in circles to different offices when you were looking to drop an enrollment form, only to miss the time deadline because the person who was supposed to accept it turned it to a different person

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

The photos online made it seem like the accomodations were nice with a kitchen and adequate space. But the buildings were old, littered with bugs and animals, broken down wall pieces and dust.

* Food:

You are on your own, so you can find great restaurants for noodles and sushi, and every corner has a McDonalds or KFC if you really need it. But be careful, we had several boughts of food poisining throughout the semester

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I didn't, the locals didn't want to accept you or weren't willing to really assimilate you into their culture. So instead we bonded with the international abroad students studying as well

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Had not issues

* Safety:

It is super safe, the city is well protected and the police are always close. just beware of pick pockets and leaving things out because they will disappear

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)

Hong Kong is super expensive. Condisering you can't cook your own meals, we ended up spending upwards of 850 USD a month in living costs. Granted that included travelling to the city, taxis etc but it adds up very quickly

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? 200/week
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? you don't need to get starbucks everyday and experiment with different restaurants to keep meal costs low

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Direct Enrollment/Exchange

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

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
* 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?
  • The friends I made
* What could be improved?
  • Communication between the host and new institutions
  • grade transfers- make it a pass/fail
  • preparing the students for the semester
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? the grading scheme and the STYLE of class. I knew they were lecture based but they are once a week and there are tutorials, something we don't have in the states

Reasons For Studying Abroad

To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you.
The Avid Adventurer
The wardrobe you packed was better suited for a semester of camping than club hopping. Outdoorsy, you might forgo a crazy night out for an early all-day adventure. You'd rather take in the rich culture of an old town than the metropolis of a modern city, but for you getting off the grid is ideal.