My Experience Studying Abroad in Hong Kong
Hey everyone, my name is Han and I’m from Malaysia. I’m currently a third-year law student at the University of Leeds and today I’ll be sharing my experience of studying abroad in Hong Kong at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) with the aim of highlighting the benefits of studying abroad and hopefully convincing you to, at the least, consider studying abroad!
Following the first semester of my first year at Leeds, I began to think about how best to spend the long summer we’re afforded by the University and decided I should (somewhat spontaneously) apply for the Summer Undergraduate Research Programme (SURP) at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. The project involved assisting my supervising professor with his research for his forthcoming academic publication in the area of International Law, with the additional task of producing a thesis at the end of my two-month programme. In addition to this, the academic showcase at the end of the programme was an interesting opportunity to see the fruits of everybody else’s work, from all degree disciplines. Reflecting back on the work I did at CUHK, the summer exchange proved a great way to not only improve my academic and research skills but also to gain a valuable insight into what academic life is like. If you’ve ever considered the route of academia, I firmly believe a research programme such as SURP and the many others the University of Leeds provides, are a great way to figure out if this is truly the route for you. The programme was also a great way for me to meet like-minded individuals and to network both with them and with academic staff—you never know when these connections might come in handy in the future!
The University of Leeds provides a number of summer programmes that you can participate in, ranging from summer schools to internships and research programmes. To find out more about what’s on offer to you as a student at Leeds, do visit the study abroad site for more information.
Aside from the academic and practical benefits of experiencing a summer research programme, there were, of course, a multitude of personal benefits I enjoyed too. As a summer exchange student, I was able to freely enjoy the experience of living in Hong Kong for two months without the worry of having to keep pace with my degree-related studies; as my supervisor put it, it was a ‘part-holiday, part-research programme.’ The ability to travel to countries I had never visited was a definite factor in my decision to study in Hong Kong and the University of Leeds itself is partnered with a number of institutions from all over the globe, so if Hong Kong isn’t your ideal destination, perhaps France, South Korea or Brazil for instance, might suit you better. I took full advantage of the opportunity and travelled rather extensively throughout Hong Kong!
I did some hiking and enjoyed an array of spectacular views.
I tried island hopping around a few of Hong Kong’s many smaller islands.
I even had the time to pay a visit to neighbouring Macau.
One thing that surprised me was how insanely massive CUHK was. The University itself is so large that it requires several bus routes within the campus to move students around. If that wasn’t enough of an indication of how large its campus is, CUHK has its own train station stop aptly named University Station. Below are a couple pictures of CUHK… in the University’s own museum located on campus.
Aside from the incredible sights I managed to experience in Hong Kong, another great benefit to having gone on exchange is the people I’ve met; a summer programme is often the perfect setting for students from around the world to gather in one place. Capitalise on this opportunity to make new friends with people who you would otherwise never meet; they help broaden your mindset and add to your global network of friends. Some might even become lifelong friends! At the very least, I believe, for all the reasons mentioned above, that considering a summer exchange is one of the wisest decisions you can make throughout your time at university; as you approach your latter years at university, you may find that your summers are fully booked with other commitments, for instance finding an internship when the prospect of having to find a job after graduation looms near. Your earlier years at university, therefore, are most likely your freest ones and you should strive to make the most of them!
If you’ve enjoyed reading this blog post and have taken something away from this, do drop me an email at han-link@leeds.ac.uk. Or if you have any further queries about summer programmes or life at the University of Leeds in general, please do not hesitate to contact me.