Semester of Exploration! August 17, 2025
By A student (Media Arts and Science, Wellesley College) - abroad from 01/20/2025 to 05/21/2025 with
University of Hong Kong / HKU: Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I really pushed past my comfort zone with this experience abroad. Before this experience, I was not a very spontaneous person, but during my time at HK, I constantly added things to my bucket list and tried to learn and explore as much as possible, from visiting monasteries to hiking mountains. Even when I got busier with school, I was finding food that I really loved, and going to all of the libraries in HKU.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I really enjoyed my experience! Be aware that it is academically rigorous, and the education system is less transparent and has different expectations. I was luckily able to choose classes that I really enjoyed, so I felt like I learnt a lot of interesting things. However, the stem classes are definitely hard at HKU and some teachers are not so flexible. Most classes are very lecture-style. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Not the clearest, like registration. But there were a good number of orientation events for incoming exchange students, just be proactive and check emails! Besides orientation though, there aren't a lot of events to meet people, and especially coming in during spring semester meant that the club events were really not catered for new people. I had expected to join some interesting clubs but ended up joining none. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Best case is to try to make friends with people in the same housing, since a lot of the exchange and foreign students get grouped together! Also, guest policy is much stricter than America. |
| * Food: |
Of course it's a 5! |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
As an east asian who was able to find a small group to explore Hong Kong with, I was able to wander all over, including so many nature excursions. This was definitely something I had to be proactive with too, including looking for pop-up events and traveling an hour away to places outside the cities. This was not really due to any HKU support (besides one class that had amazing fieldtrips), but more so due to luck and intentionally finding events and places I wanted to go to. I will say that my Taiwanese background also definitely played a little bit of a role in feeling more integrated. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I had to go to an eye doctor while I was here. First did a general consultation that was free through HKU, and then was referred to a specialist, which was relatively easy to make an appointment for, but had to be at a private hospital. |
| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I loved being in Hong Kong and being able to explore so much! Being in the faculty of social science allowed for that flexibility. I don't know how much I would attribute it to the program features, but I am very grateful that I had this opportunity. |
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) |
Food of course was the main thing, and while food in HK can be expensive, there are a lot of cheap options, so it ended up being pretty easy to budget. |
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
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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 I knew some of the more administrative tasks, like housing and course selection. |
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 AdventurerThe 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. |
