A Blog about Education Abroad

Tag: Hong Kong

Diego Strebel at City University of Hong Kong, China

Diego Strebel

BCom International Business

Semester Exchange in the Second Semester, 2022 at the City University of Hong Kong

Pre-departure:

In preparation for my exchange semester in Hong Kong, I focused my efforts on a few main points: online university registration and enrolment, the visa application process, flights, quarantine hotel and student accommodation. For the online university registration and enrolment process, I had to supply the City University of Hong Kong (City U) with my personal details, an electronic passport photo, previous certifications, a brief paragraph of why I would be an ideal fit as an exchange student at this university, as well as my preferred module choices.

I had chosen ten modules provisionally; however, only two were ultimately allocated to me – meaning I was three short of the required credits to pass. This was slightly stressful, considering the process of selecting and allocating modules was extremely unclear and confusing. We were given ‘windows’ of two hours on three days to make module changes and there were ‘x’ number of steps to navigate through. Not to mention, the website for doing so probably has not been redesigned in 20 years. I had to engage in multiple E-mail communications with different heads of departments until finally, I was able to sort everything out. I would recommend City U rethink their approach to this as fellow incoming exchange students and I struggled with this.

There is not much to say about the visa application process: all I had to do was send the necessary visa application documents to the exchange coordinator in Hong Kong, and she took care of the rest. I received the visa roughly one month prior to my departure. I would like to emphasize how grateful I am for this hassle-free visa process: I was able to check online at what step of the process my application was in. At the time of my arrival, Hong Kong still had a mandatory quarantine period of seven days. For this period, I had to search for a government-approved hotel. Considering the limited supply of quarantine rooms in Hong Kong, I would not have found accommodation for those seven days if I had waited to receive the visa before booking. This was a conscious risk I took, booking everything prior to having received the visa.

Thereafter it was time to search for suitable student accommodation. The exchange coordinator in Hong Kong sent us a couple of recommendations. I am not staying in the student residence as I missed the application deadline for this. That, however, was not a problem as there were many options not too far away from the university. That being said, student accommodation would have been the most affordable option–by far. Next on the to-do list were flights–nothing out of the ordinary: I made sure my flights included orientation week as well as the final day of examination and made bookings.

Experience at the Host University

I enrolled in the following modules: Financial Systems, Markets and Instruments, Introduction to Artificial Intelligence (AI), Management, Persuasion in daily life, and Security Analysis and Portfolio Management. As 50% of the modules I was permitted to choose had to be business-related, I made sure to try something out of my usual interests. I enrolled in the AI course since I believed it would be exciting because I am doing my exchange in Hong Kong, which is under the control of China, and is highly focused on developing AI systems and technology. Additionally, the Persuasion course was interesting, and I feel I have benefited and can apply certain concepts to my everyday life.

A Temple in Hong Kong

The other classes were not anything unforeseeable to me as they were all business related. Similar to the University of Stellenbosch, I noticed that most courses’ final grades are comprised of a group assignment (project or presentation) and a final examination. Where City U differs from SU is in that attendance was recorded for most of my classes and comprised part of the overall grade. Similarly, one has to claim points for participation by emailing the lecturer with the contributions one makes during class. In addition to this, there is only one final assessment towards the end of the semester and no ‘A1, 2 and 3’. This forces students to undergo higher levels of stress to perform well in the final exam as there is no second opportunity.

I was fortunate to befriend a group of locals through the student exchange club at City U who were eager to show me their city. I participated in numerous university-organized activities and excursions, such as horse racing, trips to different islands, beaches, temples, and local markets, tried the local cuisine and was able to experience the local nightlife. This was a great way to fully indulge myself into the Hong Kong culture and meet and make new friends, as most of my classes were held in an online environment, which made it difficult to connect with professors and other students. This is partially due to the fact that it was online and partially due to the fact that local students tend to be more introverted and reserved than South Africans or any other culture for that matter.

Diego on an island excursion with exchange friends

Return to Stellenbosch:

I will be returning to South Africa in just over two weeks and am already able to draw a few conclusions about changed perspectives. I am quite excited to return back to Cape Town as it has been a few months since seeing my friends and family. I am looking forward to experiencing once again the more open culture of South Africa when compared to that of Hong Kong. Although this cannot be said for every individual here, it is apparent that in general, people in Hong Kong live more stressful, distant, self-oriented lives. The overall atmosphere is less relaxed and more fast-paced. In terms of adjustment to the weather, Cape Town and Hong Kong have similar seasons to the extent that it never truly gets cold, and the summers are sweltering. The one difference is that Hong Kong has a more tropical and, therefore, humid climate, whereas it is simply hot in Cape Town. It will be comfortable not having to walk into a cold and heavily air-conditioned lecture hall or shopping mall and not to break into a sweat every time I leave my accommodation, regardless of the time of day.

Another observation I have made which will require some adjustment is that in my home country of Switzerland and Hong Kong, the education system focuses more on applying one’s learning, engaging with the material, and presenting it to the class so as to retain the most information for the most prolonged time. In Stellenbosch, the exams ask students to ‘list the15 sub-points to this’ and ‘recall the ten reasons for…’. This has the consequence that students study for exams rather than for their learning which I feel is untrue for educational system of Hong Kong.

Hong Kong has also changed my perspective on poverty and safety. Like any city, there is poverty in Hong Kong, and a major problem here remains the housing of 200’000+ people in so-called ‘cage homes’. These inhuman living conditions can still be too expensive for some, meaning they have no choice but to result in homelessness. About 1’500 people are homeless in Hong Kong. This demonstrates that although housing affordability is a problem in Hong Kong the government will try its best to provide you with alternative solutions. Walking through Hong Kong, even in less wealthy neighborhoods with homelessness, one feels safe almost all the time. Hong Kong is one of the safest cities in the world, and regardless of whether that is true because of surveillance or strict punishment, one does feel that safety is a shared value here. That will not be the case upon re-entry to Cape Town, where Covid-19 has exacerbated the economic and social situation.

Hong Kong has influenced my future plans in the sense that I am now convinced that I will one day live and work in a vibrant Asian mega-city be it Hong Kong or somewhere else in South-East Asia. I love the food, culture, weather and have made some lasting connections here. My South African study visa expires in one year, meaning I have no other option than to go abroad again, and although I am unsure as to where my next home will be, I hope it is South America for a couple of years to continue my studies and then Asia to settle down for a few years.

September 12, 2023
Gabrielle Aubin at Chinese University of Hong Kong in Hong Kong

Pre-departure:

I went on exchange to the Chinese University of Hong Kong in Hong Kong from August to December 2019.

I chose CUHK as I had never been to Asia before and I was looking for an east-meets-west experience to help the transition. I was also looking for an economic and travel hub, and Hong Kong ticked all those boxes. The campus is located on a mountain on the outskirts of the city and the campus looked beautiful.

The application process was very easy once you have been nominated. There were some online forms to fill out and then you just had to wait for further confirmation.

With regards to the Visa process, CUHK handles everything. They send you an email with all the documents you need to send them via post and then they send you your visa via post mail so you do not have to go to any embassy’s yourself which is very convenient.

Try keep up to date with all the details and emails coming through, as there will be a lot, and it can be difficult to sift the important information out. You will probably get a link to join a Facebook group with other exchange students which is very helpful. Also do not be afraid to reach out to the IASP team as they are very happy to help and respond very quickly.

Before I left for HK I tried to gather as much information as I could about all the small things one might forget or not know. This was very helpful so I recommend watching YouTube videos on life in general in HK and reading blog posts. Some small tips: they use a UK plug so take an adapter with you as well as a 2-prong adaptor.

Take a few things that you know will make you feel at home for the first few days while you orientate yourself. I took some coffee sachets with me, oats sachets and sweet treats. I would also recommend packing lots of cereal bars or healthy snacks; especially for the first few days as you might not know where to buy them, they are very expensive, and the variety is not huge. These were just small things that really helped me feel a sense of calmness while I was familiarising myself with this new environment.

When packing clothes, a tip I wish I had was to try and pack ‘sweat-proof’ clothes. By that I mean clothing materials that are cooling, colours that don’t show sweat and loose fitting clothes. Basics will be your best friend for your time there as it is too hot and far too humid to wear anything else. The classes end at the end of November with exams happening during December. It is common for courses to not have an exam and therefore you can be finished end of November, beginning of December but that obviously depends on your faculty and your chosen courses. The weather only starts cooling down late November. In December, DO NOT over pack winter clothes. I packed so many winter clothes that I never ended up wearing.

Experience at Host University:

It is worth noting that I went on my exchange during peak Hong Kong protests. I was assured from the South African embassy and my student adviser from CUHK that the exchange will go ahead and shouldn’t be impacted by the protests.

We were initially going to organise our own transport (everyone messaged on the Facebook group to find a buddy to take a taxi with), however, because of the protests and the fact that the airport was hit a week prior to our arrival, the University sent shuttles to take us to the university. In fact, the person I had originally planned to taxi with and the people I sat next to on the shuttle ended up being my closest friends during my stay. I should also say that nothing could have prepared me for the humidity you get hit with the second you leave the airport, and it stayed for a consistent 2 months after that.

So we arrived 26/27^th of August and had a welcome program for the rest of the week. The program was optional and not intense, however, highly advised as it’s a great way to meet people. We had a welcoming dinner, where there was approximately an 8-course meal of Chinese cuisine. They also help you register for your courses within these first few weeks of classes. I went to as many classes as possible in the first week to try and gauge which courses I wanted to take.

Gabi taking part in some festivals in Hong Kong

Unless your class has a tutorial, you will have each class once a week for 3 hours. This is how all the classes are structured. This was quite an adjustment and the first obvious difference to classes in Stellenbosch which are mostly 1 hour each, about 3 times per week. Once you get used to it, it’s quite nice getting that subject ticked off for the rest of the week, and they do give breaks during the 3 hours.

All of my classes had English as its primary language of teaching and all my classes were less than 50 people. This is another difference and due to the smaller sizes, class participation is highly encouraged, and voicing opinions is greatly welcomed. It is also less intimidating to ask a question. Due to the smaller sizes, the method of assessment is also different. Most of my classes had presentations, projects and essays with written learning tests being the exception.

The workload is similar to Stellenbosch in that most courses will have 2-3 assessments although from my experience, the intensity and pressure was less than that experienced at Stellenbosch. That being said, none of my courses had official exams and the exam period got cancelled during my exchange semester due to the protests.

One thing to note is that the campus is HUGE. There is a campus bus that will take you a while to figure out. There is also an MTR station at the university that is the most convenient way to reach the city.

The university is far from the city centre which has its pros and cons. It was amazing to see how beautiful the views were all over campus. On the one side you had lush mountains and on the other side there were amazing sea views. This space comes at a price as it takes a while to get to the city. It would take around 30-45 minutes on the metro to get to the city.

Although some people might only see Hong Kong as a concrete jungle, it has some incredible nature with hikes that ended up being some of my top highlights. I highly encourage getting out into nature as much as possible there, there really are so many hikes and amazing views to see. It was also a great way for me to meet like-minded people. I even went hiking and beach camping with some friends which was amazing. I also really enjoyed getting off the metro at any stop and walk around aimlessly, just soaking in as much of the culture as I could.

Gabi exploring through the lush parts of Hong Kong

I didn’t feel too much pressure to travel during term time, I only went to Taiwan, as I knew I would have lots of time after the term ended to go travelling. The semester ended early due to the protests and I could complete the rest of my assignments online, therefore, I went travelling from mid-November.

Return to Stellenbosch:

I travelled for 6 weeks around South East Asia once term ended and when it was time to come home, I was ready and excited to be back with some familiarity.

After being away for so long and travelling to many places, some that are deemed to be some of the most beautiful places in the world, it really made me realise how beautiful South Africa is and how lucky I am to be able to call Stellenbosch and Cape Town my home. I also never thought I’d be so happy to hear the South African accent as I had been the only South African on exchange at CUHK.

It is definitely a process to fully reflect on your time overseas. Personally, it was very much go-go-go while away; so, it was difficult to pause and reflect on the journey, therefore I’ve taken time since being home to step back and fully reflect on my time overseas. There’s also a mixed reaction when coming home and seeing friends as some are very interested in your experience and some may not seem too interested; so, it’s been great speaking to friends who have also been on exchange so you can help each other out whilst adjusting to South Africa again and bond over your experiences together.

Overall, I am so grateful for this experience and all the things I’ve seen, learnt and the amazing people from all over the world that I’ve met.

February 24, 2020
Theo at the University of Hong Kong

Pre-departure to Hong Kong :

I had just returned from a winter school in China so I was sort of prepared already. I had my winter clothes packed, although I knew Hong Kong wouldn’t be as cold as Beijing. Plus this would now be my second trip to the Asian region so I had a better vision of what it would be like culturally, demographically etc. So there wasn’t much for me to do besides enjoy my last few days at home, wait for my Hong Kong visa and residence approval (which were stressing me as it was mid-December and I hadn’t heard anything from them). But I later learned that I wasn’t placed in a residence which wasn’t an issue until I tried looking for private accommodation. (more…)

September 19, 2015