Q: Initially, what made you decide to study abroad? Why did you choose your program?
A: As well known, Hong Kong's economy is booming. It has many practical opportunities, and people there have lots of experience in the economy, which makes its economic classes worth it to take. In order to make the best use of this advantage, I planned to take four major courses like business law, accounting, and intermediate of microeconomics and macroeconomics in Hong Kong University since I am majoring in economics. Even though America also has those economic advantages, but Hong Kong's economic system works differently, and the economic environment has so many differences from America. Therefore, in order to accumulate different experiences and cultivate my own concept of globalization, studying in Hong Kong would be one of the best ways to achieve my goal.
Hong Kong University provides an education that combines both English and Cantonese. Cantonese is my first language, which means while I am abroad in Hong Kong, I can understand more in class and quickly integrate into local life. Meanwhile, I will not totally get rid of English, which means I will not feel uncomfortable and out of touch when I come back to the University of California, Merced. Both languages help me understand and enjoy the culture of Hong Kong and America. Also, mastery of language will be my advantage during study abroad.
Q: What was the highlight of your study abroad experience?
A: When taking a course named Business Law, I fulfilled an assignment that required students to raise questions in relation to certain cases that we found to be consistent with our recent course topics with distinction. For this course, I also attended a court hearing to better understand the application of business law. With this experience, I see that the intensification of economic globalization and commercial competition has made it essential to regulate thriving but complicated business activities and behaviors. Only under the constraint and management of a sound business law system will the economic exchanges in the business world be conducted soundly to prevent related crimes.
The above experiences during my exchange study are truly valuable. They make me see that business is closely interwoven with every aspect of our daily life. With the guidance of it, people can make optimal decisions, avoid risks, protect their rights and maximize their interests to live a better life. Impacted by the crucial significance, I further firm my will to delve into it to make a difference in my future career life.
Q: What was your greatest challenge abroad and how did you overcome it?
A: As is well known, the past few months have been the worst time in Hong Kong. In the middle of November, all of my classes were canceled and HKU itself was closed. So I had to go back to Guangzhou and had no choice but taking classes and submitting homework and finals online. It was hard that you have to work hard as usual when you are not in that environment, so when I had homework or class that day, I would not give myself any plan to go outside but just staying at home and study.
Q: How did your coursework abroad compare to your courses at UC Merced?
A: As a big university, HKU does have more courses to choose from. For example, they have more language classes when UC Merced only has Chinese, Japanese, French, and Spanish.
Q: What did you gain from your study abroad experience?
A: This experience exposed me to a new teaching pattern that is quite flexible and practical. As a result, my independent thinking, research ability, and presentation skills were further enhanced.
Q: What advice do you have for students considering study abroad?
A: Before deciding where to go to, PLEASE make sure the environment is safe. Basically the hosting university will give every movement that you need to take via email, so make sure to check email regularly and everything will be fine.
Q: Describe a typical day for you abroad.
A: Thursday would be the busiest day of my life at HKU. I have three classes that day, two lectures and one tutorial (they don't use "discussion"). It's 20 minutes away from my dorm to the university, so I would wake up at 9 and walk to school at 10 to take my 10:20 Italian class. Sometimes I would be late because I have to go through the subway station and there are so many HKU students who are there to wait for lifts (Hong Kong is kind of like San Fransico that always going upside down because there are so many hills). After the two-hour lecture, I would go to Maxim's restaurant in the CYM building to have lunch. But if there are too many students waiting in lines I would leave and wait outside of my next class. After finishing all the classes that day, I would go to the gym to work out and have dinner in Maxim's restaurant or Swire Canteen in Swire Hall.
