The Best Choice of My Life Past Review
By Matthew Wills (The University of Texas at Austin) - abroad from 01/18/2017 to 05/02/2017 with
University of Texas at Austin: Chinese University of Hong Kong
I think I grew up on this program. You learn how to handle yourself in a variety of diverse environments. It helped me become more confident, more self-assured and it will definitely give you a better perspective on what it means to be a global citizen and will give you a more objective view of American culture.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Classes were fairly easy - much easier than at my home institution. The professors were all extremely kind and always willing to work with students. Classes are broken down into 3 hour segments which can be pretty tedious. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The living conditions leave a lot to be desired, but living with so many students in one flat is a great way to meet friends! Living in the international dorms definitely helps bring everyone together. |
| * Food: |
The food on campus left a lot to be desired, but that was excusable because the actual city has thousands of amazing restaurants and places to eat. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Hong Kong locals are extremely kind and fun to be around! Having a mix of international students and local students in the dorms helps ease you into the environment and understand the culture on a deeper level. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I got sick twice and CUHK has the best healthcare system I've ever seen! You simply go into the doctor's office and they will prescribe you whatever you need, free of charge! The staff were really knowledgable and friendly, and helped me get back up on my feet as soon as possible. |
| * Safety: |
Hong Kong is an incredibly safe city. I didn't feel uncomfortable once - even walking around in the middle of the night by myself. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I had an amazing time in Hong Kong. I really fell in love with the place. I made awesome friends from all around the globe and had the opportunity to travel all around Asia. I loved it so much, I'm considering moving back to HK after graduation. |
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) |
Hong Kong is an expensive city. It can really add up (especially going out), but the rest of Asia (aside from South Korea and Japan) are relatively inexpensive. One important thing to note is that flights all over Asia are super cheap! I recommend traveling around as much as possible and this is a great place to call home base |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $500 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Go to the grocery store in Sha Tin (one MTR stop away) as it's much cheaper. Also, don't forget about 7/11! There are no open container laws and plenty of 7/11s in the nightlife district, so make sure to buy drinks there instead of at the bars/clubs where they are 2x-3x more expensive. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
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? | The first month is going to be hard. It is hard to adjust yourself to such a different environment and it's really difficult to learn how to be independent. After that first adjustment period, however, it will be the best experience of your life. You will make great friends, see amazing places and fall in-tune with a culture not well understood by much of the Western World. |
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 Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
