As many of you already know, I studied abroad at the Chinese University of Hong Kong for one academic year (2018-2019). This was one of the best decisions I've ever made and I couldn't recommend a year abroad enough. My year abroad in Hong Kong truly helped me develop both in my personal and academic life. This blog post puts together a few factors to consider when choosing your destination and this is where your adventure begins. I will also be posting advice and packing tips over the coming weeks as I know I definitely would have appreciated having a little more first-hand experience before departure.
With most study abroad programmes, your home university will likely require you to rank several different international institutions. For example, at the University of Manchester's Business School, we had to rank thirteen from most to least preferred. I typically ranked my institution by location, so Hong Kong was my top destination... therefore ranking the three Hong Kong universities as my top three choices. My second destination was Australia/New Zealand so these universities were the subsequent six choices. Finally, were European destinations such as Milan and Barcelona. I had a slightly different rationale behind each choice as I like a variety of different parts of life.
University of Hong Kong
Chinese University of Hong Kong
University of Sydney
University of New South Wales
University of Melbourne
Queensland
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Auckland
Perth
Amsterdam
Copenhagen
Milan
ESADE (Barcelona)
BUDGET
Although your fees for the study abroad will likely be the same or less than your usual university fees, you can't ignore the cost of living in these countries. It's estimated that exchange students spend anywhere from £5,000 to 10,000 in a year; I think I spent around £9,000 in total, including all additional activities. This may seem like a lot so I'll write a post about how to save for your year abroad in the coming weeks! For example, Hong Kong is a notoriously expensive location, but there are ways to minimise your costs through public transport and living on campus. Also, the United States accommodation is often considerably more expensive than it is in the United Kingdom.
INTERESTS
You'll have a lot of time outside of your lectures to explore the local area. Make sure you think about if you like surfing, hiking, exploring the big cities, music concerts, or anything else. Research each potential location to see if it meets your requirements and how you like to spend your spare time. Why would you choose New York over the Gold Coast when you love to surf?
TRAVEL LINKS
A location which is a good base for travel is vital. I'm assuming you love to travel if you're opting to study abroad, so in order to maximise your experience of a new part of the world make sure your location is travel friendly. The last thing you want is having to take a two-hour train to the airport and then have a flight with a layover. Not only is this a waste of time, but it is also a waste of money. For instance, Hong Kong was a perfect choice for me as I was able to fly to most Asian countries directly. If you plan to travel more regularly be sure to check flight patterns!
Just a few places I visited during my year abroad...
TEMPERATURE.
Can you handle extreme weather? Whether that be hot or cold temperatures or the threat of a typhoon/hurricane. If you live for the heat will you be able to cope with the cold temperatures all year round? For example, sometimes in Hong kong humidity reached 90%, sounds like hell for someone who loves the cold.
LANGUAGE.
Whilst you will likely be attending your lectures in English (unless you're languages student) language is important. Perhaps consider if you are already learning a language to develop your skills, for instance, if you've started to learn Korean as a hobby why not go to a Korean university!
I hope these tips helped steer your thoughts when considering study abroad destinations. Be sure to keep an eye out for more study abroad posts over the next few weeks.
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-Alicia
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