What our students say

“Developing practical skills that you may never learn from books!”

From this exchange, I surely have gained much more international sensitivity towards culture and people from different places. I have gotten to know people who are not only from the host country (the UK) but also from many European countries like France, Spain, Germany and Poland; Asian countries like Taiwan, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore; the US etc. All the friends that I have met have given me more pictures of what their lives were like when they lived in their countries. We also shared and learnt how to speak different languages by teaching our own mother tongues. Group of friends that I have made have given me chances to know more about places that I have never been to.                                                                   

 

During these few months living in the UK, my cooking skills had been improving without doubt. Basically, I had to cook for myself for at least one meal every day. Therefore, I started finding out what food I wanted to eat which is not difficult or time-consuming to cook. Doing grocery shopping and scrolling recipe online had also become my weekly routine. Apart from that, I also learnt taking care of my own better. I also had to do laundry, clearing garbage, cleaning kitchen, floor and bedroom by myself. All these are some life-skills that could be acquired only when people are living alone. Not only life skills, I have also learnt how to be braver to talk to strangers, meeting new people has become my favorite thing to do. A sense of being outgoing has been developed in months during the exchange.

“The source of true happiness comes from a simple thing.”

I learnt a lot more on the welfare model for Denmark, and some about Sweden, as during the classes the lecturer compared a lot with Sweden. I learnt that how people from different countries see things, like how Danes see punctuality, how Taiwanese see the high living standard of Denmark, and how Europeans love Asian culture.

I started to adapt the Danish attitude – ‘Hygge’, which means a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being. Especially living in Asia, where competitions are very tense, we always feel stressed and forgot to maintain a work-life balance. Hygge reminds me to take a break from times to times, and enjoy the tiny bits of happiness brought by tiny little objects around you. More importantly, happiness is not necessarily brought by huge success on work; a cup of warm tea can be a source of happiness, a nice weather with blue sky can be a source of happiness, casually spending time with friends at a café can be a source of happiness as well.

Overseas exchange is an enjoyable and rewarding learning experience.
I have learned a lot throughout the exchange period. It provides me a great opportunity to reach out to the international students around the world. By observing and interacting with them, I have built up a bigger vision and be capable of teamworking with teammates from different culture. I believe establishing friendship with all these friends from different countries can be precious for my future career. As for the academic aspect, I also won an in-class case competition, and represented our class to present to Chick-fil-a. So it is definitely a unique experience for me. To sum up, I really enjoy and learn a lot during my exchange, and I will certainly recommend Indiana University for other students who are also interested in visiting United States.

I accomplished a lot other than just a good grade.
The previous exchange was fun and memorable. At the same time, it was hard for me to face different kinds of difficulties, from daily living to cultural differences, as many as I could not remember them all. However, the exchange experience was definitely a great chance for me to explore myself. It taught me how to manage myself. It changed me from a rather introverted person to someone who at least knows to speak up for himself. It pushed me to do something that I had barely thought about and turned out feeling great. Looking back, I just found out I accomplished so much, much more than I thought. Life is not just about grades. Grades do not tell all about your life. Thanks, my dear Bocconi. Thanks, my dearest friends.

I will never regret to have an exchange experience in my university life.
Time flies so fast and the four-month exchange journey seems like a dream to me. I enjoyed so much the time in Copenhagen with friends from all over the world, as well as the time traveling around Europe.  I learnt to get along well with people from different backgrounds and appreciate other culture. Most importantly, I feel grateful to be able to immense myself into a different culture and experience a distinct education system. This once-in-a-lifetime experience helped me grow as a mature person and I am glad that I decided to step out of my comfort zone and joined the Student Exchange Program one year ago.

The exchange experience opened up my mind and broadened my horizon.

During my exchange in Canada, I was able to learn about the local culture by talking to the local students. I have not only improved my interpersonal and communication skills, but I also understand myself better. I made new friends here with students of different nationalities, which allows me to understand more about their culture, and be more open-minded to accept opinions and views from different culture.

Apart from visiting famous attractions in Toronto, I travelled to other cities in Canada, such as Ottawa and Montreal with my friends. We have tried some traditional Canadian food like poutines and pastry from Beavertails, and they were so delicious. In addition, during our reading week, we even got the chance to travel to the US as well. The exchange has broadened my horizon and gave me an unforgettable experience in the North America.

By exchanging to a different country I step out from my comfort zone.

First time leaving my home country for 6 months, feeling both excited and nervous. My first impression to Brussels is the city is very quiet after 6:00 p.m. (except for Friday night) which is different from Hong Kong. 

At first, I was nervous about making new friends as it was my first time to make European friends. Luckily, people in Brussels are very friendly and accept us quickly. I have also learnt to how to cook as well.

I have started to enjoy talking to people from different countries, sharing our own stories to others and know more about the other parts of the world.

Exploring a different culture as a way to soul searching.

Corvallis is a completely different place from HK, trees everywhere, not much entertainment, no well-developed transportation system, extremely quiet, countless stars in the sky…. All these reminded me of the relationship between nature and human, and allowed me to rethink about life.

You could feel the sense of belonging being as a beaver (student in OSU), as there were no much entertainment, we visited the nature spot a lot! Hiking, Ocean, Waterfalls. I also participated in a lot of sports that I have never tried in HK. The most impressive of course were snowboarding and skiing. Most importantly, you will feel shocked about cultural differences! Especially when the East meets the West.

The lessons I learn are: Enjoy the moment, Think of the future, and Appreciate the cultural differences.

The pace in Australia is slower compare to that in Hong Kong. Instead of only focusing on their study and work, they will spend time on leisure activities even they are busy. It is very common for them to have ‘Friday Night’ and hold a party every week.

Australian emphasize on conservation, especially on the protection of koala. In Brisbane, the government set up a sanctuary area for protecting them and preventing their extinction. It is very important for us to protect the animals and let our future generation to see them.

The Australia government also promotes cultural diversity. Each year, they will organize the Brisbane Festival. There are food and drinks from different parts of the world provided. We can enjoy the firework show together with people all around the world and know more about their culture.

All these “first-time” experiences give me the courage to face future challenges.

I stayed in the student accommodation and made friends from different universities. We went to different places and joined different events. Also, I joined an event called City Challenge, which was hold by RMIT University, and I met many brilliant people there.

I also travelled to different cities in Australia. I tried skydiving, scuba diving and surfing for the first time in my life. I will remember to be brave when I face challenges in the future.

I become a brand new me after the exchange.
During the four-month exchange in Reims, France, I studied, travelled, and enjoyed the life. Difficulties are expected to be met yet to be solved on my own. I gained, I grew, I learnt. Exchange is definitely once-in-a-lifetime experience that could bring you surprises and new insights in life. I am happier and more energetic with a different view and a different attitude towards life and people.

The best that I find in my exchange is a genuine friendship.

In the past few months, I experienced a lot that I have never had. 

With no doubt, it was a bit tough in the beginning because everything changed suddenly and I had to face all the challenges alone. 

In fact, it was not as tough as I thought. With the help of the host university, it was easier to meet some friends who are local students and international students.

Also, the local people are nice as well. So actually I do not have to worry much. Whenever I had a problem, they were always willing to help which made me feel much more comfortable.

Realizing the cultural differences allow me to reflect upon myself.

When it comes to the classes in Canada, students there usually show their name card in front of them, bring their notebook and pens instead of laptop, raise questions and response to the lecturer actively, prepare for the pre-class readings and assignments, initiate discussions with groupmates, communicate frequently when working on projects, and contribute in projects responsibly and evenly. Besides the differences in learning attitude, the lifestyle in Canada is quite different from ours. Every household in Canada, for example, is responsible for their waste recycling and reduction, with a fixed amount of garbage collected on a weekly basis. Realizing these cultural differences allow me to reflect upon my attitude and lifestyle in the past and further make improvements.

Every moment during overseas exchange is my treasure.

My exchange in San Francisco is very vibrant like the city itself. I went to different corners of the city and met a lot of new friends along the way.

I met people from different culture, as well as people from my same root. It is not as diversified as New York, but I love every single moment I spent in San Francisco.

I travelled and explored every part of the city during my exchange. I also studied, laughed with all the new friends I made in San Francisco. All of which are the most unforgettable moments that could come in handy in my future career.

My interpersonal and communication skills have strengthened during the exchange.

I learnt how to communicate with people from different countries and how to cooperate with them despite the cultural differences. Communication skills are very important especially when we are in Hong Kong, an international city with people from different parts of the world. Furthermore, I think I can sustain a longer conversation with strangers by developing more topics with my more broadened view.

I would continue to put an eye on what is going on in the world and learn from it, always be open-minded towards new things, try gaining more experiences and learning more knowledge by seeking every single opportunity.

I grow up as a more independent and mature person.

Joining this exchange program is a unique and valuable experience of a lifetime. During this exchange, I needed to get in charge of everything and get into a new environment without the compliance of family and friends. Totally immersing myself in an unfamiliar setting has helped me to grow up and made me a more independent and mature person.

The wonderful cultural diversity gave me an once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Exchanging in such a culturally diverse school and country allowed me to meet new friends from all around the world and learn to appreciate different cultures. This experience enabled me to develop my interpersonal skills in an international context!

There are many places worth visiting in Canada – Kingston, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver…… If you enjoy exploring the world and looking for spectacular scenery, Canada is your choice!

After all, the most valuable things I learnt in this once-in-a-lifetime experience are to be independent and be courageous to step out of your comfort zone, I believe that by doing so, you will definitely expose yourself to new ideas and new worlds!

Exchange is a valuable experience for me to improve my communication skills.
During this exchange period, I went travel to cities in Norway and around the Europe with the international friends I made. As I am the only Hong Kong exchange student in Bergen, I was forced to speak English and Mandarin in order to communicate. This made the trips become interesting and I really have learned a lot of the usage of both languages. This is a rare experience and I love this exchange life so much.

I have developed a lot of useful and essential skills during the exchange.
Problem-solving skills, adaptability, networking and communication skills, self-knowledge, self-confidence, flexibility and perseverance are all the skills I have developed from the exchange. During the exchange study, there were many accidents, problems and difficulties. I have to cope with them by myself which is conducive for me to develop problem-soling skills, adaptability, flexibility and perseverance. I become more confident after talking with thousands of people. Also, when you chat with different people, you can learn from them and build you own social network. Furthermore, we have to do self-study before going to class. Some lecturers just let the lesson for Q&A and there were no notes or PowerPoint prepared for you. Taking the initiative to learn is an important skill that I developed in my exchange study which is good for my future career.