I’ve always wanted to experience living in Hong Kong, as it integrates cultures from both Eastern and Western societies, along with diverse sceneries of mountains, water, and skyscrapers. I had also heard that Hong Kong is a very safe place with lots to do, and an excellent location for traveling to other countries in Asia.
Another reason why I decided to study in HKU was because I heard they have a strong Business faculty that offers a wide range of transferable courses and I wanted to take all Accounting and Financial Management (AFM) and Economics (ECON) courses in 4B. Currently, I’m taking: Big Data Analytics Applied towards Quantitative Finance, Investments and Portfolio Analysis, Economic Development, Introduction to Marketing, and Business Ethics.
The course load and lectures are not as time-consuming compared to Waterloo so I find myself having more free time here. I try to do most of my homework and studying in between classes on weekdays so that I have the rest of the time available for meeting with friends and traveling. There are also a lot of holidays and breaks during this semester, so I try to organize most of my trips around those and finish any assignments/projects beforehand.
In terms of making friends, it’s generally very easy as an exchange student to meet other exchange students. There are exchange orientations and activities in the beginning of the semester organized by the university/faculty. Most of my friends now are other exchange students that I met during the first few weeks.
Some advice I have for others who are aiming to go on an exchange is that if you know early on that you want to go, I highly recommend planning your courses so that you take mostly electives or easily transferable courses on your exchange term. The required upper year courses are sometimes more difficult and tricky to get direct equivalences or enrollment approvals at the host school, especially since exchange students get last priority. Don’t be surprised if you end up having to rearrange your course schedule multiple times during the first few weeks.
In general, try to keep things flexible! Situations may not go according to plan or expectations, so being adaptable to change will save you a lot of stress.
Interested
in
going
on
exchange?
Faculty
of
Mathematics
offers
International
exchange
program
for
students
so
that
they
have
the
chance
to
study
math
abroad. Attend
a
mandatory information
session hosted
by
the
Study
Abroad
team.
If
you
are
not
in
Waterloo,
please contact
the
Study
Abroad
team to
make
alternative
arrangements.