Field of study in Wageningen: MSc Management, Economics and Consumer Studies
Study period exchange: 26/01/2022 until 30/06/2022
Country (exchange): China
City (exchange): Hong Kong
University (exchange): Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)
Faculty (exchange): HKUST Interdisciplinary Programs Office
2. Motivation for exchange
Why did you choose to go on study exchange?
I chose to go on (a second) exchange to develop myself professionally and to get to see more of the world! It’s very cool to meet a lot of people from all over the world and to learn about the local culture! An exchange abroad will give you the opportunity to learn about a culture and to build connections with locals; something that often doesn’t really happen when you are only for a few days on a location for holidays!
What is the reason you chose for this country/university?
I already wanted to go to Asia for a very long time. Once I decided to do a semester abroad, I didn’t had to think for a long time about the location, Hong Kong it is!
Hong Kong with its reputation as international business hub perfectly suited my background in the business studies. Moreover, I wanted to develop myself in marketing and brand management, the areas in which the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology could offer me some challenging courses. The choice for this university was quickly made since it is in the field of Business and Economics the 2nd best university of Hong Kong and ranked 29th by the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2023!
3. Accessibility to reach destination
Do you have any tips to reach your exchange destination?
If you have a lot of luggage (like me haha!), I would recommend you to take a cab to the campus. Taxis in HK are pretty cheap! Ask the taxi driver to drive you all the way to your building, since the campus is big, and walking with heavy bags is not amazing after such a long journey you made! If you don’t request this to the taxi driver, he will drop you off at the security checkpoint. Make sure you have the HKUST proof of enrolment with you so that the security can open the barriers for you and the taxi driver :).
When you are on the airport and have to choose a cab, take one that is specifically connected to the area of your final destination. The taxis are having different fares, and they will charge you more if you asked them to drive to a location which is officially not in their territory. Since the HKUST is located in New Territories, you should take a green taxi. Here the colours of the taxis with their territories:
Red taxis operate in urban areas.
Green taxis operate in the New Territories.
Blue taxis operate only on Lantau Island (except Discovery Bay).
Also, when you arrange a cab, make sure to agree on a price before you get in the car. Or ask him to put on the meter. It will prevents you from paying too much;)
4. University and studying
Could you provide some general information about the followed courses?
How is the study formalized?
During the time of my period abroad, the whole semester was online since the government came with some very strict measurements. It’s a pity that we never experienced a lesson in the physical classroom. On the other hand it had a lot of advantages as well!; amongst others having more free time and more possibilities to explore the city since you could do the online lessons from everywhere!
I hope your semester will be in person, but if not, don’t worry! The HKUST arranged everything very well! Only the older professors sometimes experienced some technical difficulty with setting up an lecture online. But with some help of the students, it always got solved very quickly!
The academic level of the university is quite high and the related workload of the courses as well. I could say it’s quite comparable to the level of the Wageningen University. I noticed that the local students are very motivated to work hard for good grades. This made me more motived to challenge myself for higher performance as well!
It depends on the course what kind of assignment you get for your final grade. It can be a closed book exam, open book exam or a practical assignment. In general I can say that the end assignments really reflect what you learned in class!
For the courses I took, I didn’t had to buy any books. All materials I had to read were provided online!
What is the culture of the university?
I noticed that the HKUST has a really open culture. The professors encourage students to participate actively during the lectures. This is mainly possible since the number of students enrolled per course are limited! I experienced that the teachers are always willing to help and answer your questions either during the lectures or after the lectures via email! All teachers I got to know had a lot of knowledge in their field!
The engagement with local students was less than in normal times since all group work was online due to COVID. During normal times, I think you can engage way more with the locals since almost everyone is living on campus, which makes meeting up in person very easily!
I met quite a lot of local students during my stay in the student building! They are very nice and friendly, but can be a bit shy. But once you started that conversation, they can be very open, so I would say take that first step ;).
What does the university offer the student additionally?
The campus of the HKUST is very big. There are a lot of student accommodations and lots of catering facilities; many restaurants offering local food and global companies like McDonald’s, Starbucks Coffee & Subway!
Moreover the campus has a lot of sport facilities like a swimming pool (indoor and outdoor!), squash and tennis courts, a gym, table tennis rooms, climbing wall, and a running track and soccer field surrounded by palm trees with sea view!
Laundry facilities are offered in almost every student building and a supermarket is also present on campus!
5. Housing-travelling-living
What are the possibilities for housing?
As an exchange student, you get a room assigned from the HKUST on campus. The minority of the accommodations is private rooms, and the majority is rooms for sharing with 2 or 3 persons. Most of the time, university assigns you to a room which you will share with someone from your original country. In my case it was a bit different and got a room to share with a Korean girl. Before I came to the HKUST I was really doubting about whether I would enjoy sharing a room since I was not used to this.
Looking back, I can say I really enjoyed sharing a room with the girl which became a good friend of me during the semester! Since you share the room, the rent rates are good affordable; like you pay for what you get.
What is the culture of the country like?
The Asian culture is very different from the European culture as we know it in the Netherlands. Getting to know the local culture by meeting up with locals, eating traditional food and visiting traditional places like temples really impressed me!
Could you give a general price indication of the place of residence compared to living in Wageningen?
Generally, the prices in Hong Kong are a bit higher compared to the price level in the Netherlands.
However, the food of the restaurants on campus are mostly cheaper than when you cook by yourself. Therefore you will probably see yourself quite often eating outside with your friends! Also, since there is a kitchen but without a lot of cooking facilities (like pans, cutlery and plates) cooking is not really encouraged.
Could you give some information about public transport infrastructure?
Hong Kong has one of the best public transport systems of the world! Almost every place is really easily reachable by MTR and bus.
From campus there are departing lots of busses to different places and MTR stations so you can easily travel through Hong Kong during your exchange period. Another option is taking a taxi from campus; almost every time of the day and night there are taxis in front of the campus waiting for you!
One recommendation, check before you take a taxi the colour of the car in order to save money! See my explanation about the different colours above!
In contrast to the general higher price level in Hong Kong, the public transportation is cheaper than the Netherlands! As an exchange student you can apply for a personalized Octopus card with which you get discount on the (already low) public transportation prices! The HKUST will explain you about the application process for this card. You can also already apply for it online by yourself.
6. Free time
What are must-sees in the area?
Despite the fact that Hong Kong is not a big country, you will not get bored since it has a lot to offer!
To start with, you can do amazing hikes in the mountains. Yes, when you think about HK you probably first think about the high buildings and skyscrapers but the country exist of almost 75% nature!! One of your hikes must include the one to The Peak where you will get to see one of the most beautiful skylines in the world!
Also, bring a visit to Hong Kong’s most popular sport; horse races at the Happy Valley Racecourse! Visits to the beautiful parks such as Hong Kong Park, Nan Lian Garden and Kowloon park are definitely worth it as well!
I liked it that Hong Kong is very modern but also having lots of traditional places. For example, places that where very interesting and impressive to me: the floating fish market in Sai Kung, and the old village Tai O at Lantau Island where the inhabitants are living very primitive and selling traditional food!
Talking about food, Hong Kong offers you the best of the Asian kitchen in my opinion! The food is very different from what we are used to eat, but very delicious! I would recommend to try the well-known pineapple buns, Dim Sum, traditional bubble tea and the (very cheap!) restaurants from the Michelin Guide!
What does not appear in the travel guide, but is worth a visit?
Of course, I would recommend you to buy a travel guide so that you will not miss the most important highlights of Hong Kong! Things that don’t appear in the travel guides, but really made me experience the country to the fullest, was meeting up with locals and exploring places with them! They are the ones who can show you the area with its typical characteristics and local dishes!
A place which you will not find in any travel guide but which is a must visit for students: Mr. Wong’s restaurant! The place is a phenomenon amongst exchange students, I will not tell you why, just go there and experience it, haha!
7. Challenges & best moment abroad
What was a challenge you have experienced?
Since there were very strict measurements in HK during corona times, my main exchange challenge was getting arranged my travel to Hong Kong and my quarantine hotel. In the month January (start of my exchange period), there was a high demand to quarantine hotels which made it very hard to get one booked! The quarantine hotel had to be booked exactly on the first day at which you would arrive by plane. A lot of students who planned their exchange in HK had to cancel due to this issue.
If you plan your exchange semester in Hong Kong when they still have this quarantine obligation, I would recommend you to book your hotel and flight as early as possible! And before booking the hotel, check their conditions for changing the arrival date since it’s very likely that you have to change the date due to abrupt flight cancellations imposed by the government. If you have to book this quarantine hotel and want to have some recommendations, you can always reach out to me :).
What was your best memory abroad?
My best memory abroad was the camping trips we made to the beaches of Sai Kung! With a very large group of exchange students from our and other universities we planned to camp in the nature of HK. It was super nice to do activities like swimming, surfing, preparing food on the bonfire and having parties till sunrise!
Doing those kind of activities makes it really easily to get to know lots of great people with which you will make unforgettable times!
I will finish with one more recommendation: go traveling through Asia after your exchange if you have the time! Since Hong Kong is so centrally located in Asia, its really easy to travel to countries like Thailand and Vietnam by taking a short flight!
8. Contact Details
Would you like to ask Fraukje more questions about her exchange?
Send her a mail: Fraukjevanes@hotmail.nl