Exhange semester: Hong Kong University, spring 2013.
Hong Kong University (HKU) is ranked among the best universities in Asia, and is located at
Hong Kong Island, Pokfulam. HKU is the oldest tertiary educational institutional in Hong
Kong, and host 23 000 students.
Practical information
I received a lot of relevant information of housing, student visa and how to pick courses
through BI`s international office before my departure. Be aware of full classes in the most
popular classes, you should pick at least 7-8 subjects, to make sure you get 30 credits (Five
different subjects). The two first weeks in the semester you are allowed to attend all classes.
I will recommend you to attend as much classes as possible, this will minimze the risk of
ending up with a professor you dont like, or a class with to much studying for your
preferences.
I`d apply for housing in october (semester start in mid january), and got my first choice. I
lived in Simon K.Y lee hall, located in the middle of campus. I was the only European student
living in this hall, which was mainly a place for local students (1st and 2nd years students).
Anyway I got a lot of experience in the local cultures, and will recommend this hall. If you
rather wanna live close to other international students, and apply for a bigger dorm you
should pick residential college down in Kennedy Town. To rent a private apartment in Hong
Kong is expensive, so I highly recommend you to apply for this programme as early as
possible. The housing cost for one semester is no more than $HK4 000.
The visa application is pretty much straight-forward. Just make sure to complete all the
application you receive on E-mail from either BI or directly from CEDARS (who is the student
organization at HKU that offer this service). You will then receive a package with a stamp
that you put into your VISA. (CEDARS will require a small fee for doing this). Check out
skyscanner.com for the best price offers for flight to Hong Kong (Personal experience says
the fastest and cheapest option is through Moscow).
HKU campus is more or less like a labyrinth the first couple of weeks, but the local students
are very friendly. Anyway I will recommend you to join one of the guided trips the first week.
Academic calendar
In the spring semester you will experience the Chinese new year early in the semester (mid
February). This week is more or less a public holiday (Most local stores are closed).
Additionally you get a reading week, most international students use this week as a holiday,
visiting the Phillipines, Mainland China etc. Be aware of all the local students use this week
to prepare for the mid term examination, so the score you achieve on the midterm will be
affected by how you use this week.
Last day of lectures is in early May. I recommend you to watch carefully whether your class
has a final exam, or just an oral presentation or a final test. If you want to end your semester
early in May you should pick courses with oral presentation and/or final tests in the last
lectures. If you have final exams in the exam period you might be unlucky when the dates for
your exams are published (Mid April). In worst case you have to stay another month at
campus just to complete one exam.
Academic information
All classes are taught in English, but you should be patient (At least for a couple of weeks)
with the typical Chinese accent. The professors and the tutors are very helpful, and make
sure you get a good relationship with the professor from day 1. You will benefit from this,
especially as an exchange student. Tell them about your background, nationality etc, and
they will probably come up with some subject related questions/issues.
You will have to complete assignments and group projects almost every week, and the tutor
will also consider your participation in every lecture. Additional to the lectures, you have to
attend tutorials. I highly recommend you to join this, as the tutor will go through
assignments and/or difficult topics from the last class.
Description of courses
I attended classes from three different faculties (Economics, Business, finance).
My personal experience is that finance courses is quite hard compare to my experiences at
BI. Management/business classes contents of small quizzes and oral presentation in groups.
Finance and economics is more math, formulas to learn by heart, and use of statistical tools
etc.
Investment and portfolio analysis (finance)
Related to different investment strategies. You should complete 4-5 assignments per
semester, in addition to mid-term and final test. The professor was straight-forward with
formulas and theory, but the tutor explained it in the tutorials later in a more
understandable way. In this class you have to work really hard to achieve a good result.
Public finance (economics)
The professor holds on to a lot of international experience, but his way to teach students is
challenging. You have to attend every single lecture included all tutorials to enjoy the
outcome of this class. We had a really interesting term paper linked all the theories with the
Hong Kong budget 13/14.
Business law (Business)
A course included a lot of both national and international issues. The issues were discussed
in class, and every week different groups presented an issue. The grade was affected by
participation in class, presentations and the final term paper where you could pick an
optional topic.
Quantitative analysis and business decisions (Business)
Probably the hardest undergraduate course that the business faculty offer. You will improve
your excel skills significantly, and all the statistical tools that you’ve learnt at BI will make
much more sense after graduate from this course.
Operations and quality management (Logistics)
Discussing a lot of different management and logistic strategies in different industries. A
group presentation last week and a term paper made the foundation of your final score.
Conclusion for picking courses
Be aware that all finance courses is extremely hard, and demanding a lot of effort from the
students. The management and law courses was easier than BI, but you will get good
experience in presenting issues in several topics and defend your statement in front of the
class. Quantitative analysis and Public finance are my personal favorites from the semester.
The classes were hard, but the outcome of the course is highly relevant for students who
want a great understanding of the financial world.
Feel free to contact me through the International Office at BI.