Hello Hello!
As mentioned in my mini vlog series about 360 Exchange, I’m heading off to The University of Hong Kong for exchange in Semester Two! I currently have around 2 weeks left (at the time of writing 🤪) in New Zealand, which means I’ve been stuck at home, and my Auckland ideas bank is drying up. Instead it’s being filled instead with blog/vlog ideas for Hong Kong (getting excited!). I’m not a huge expectations person but writing an expectations blog now might help me do a reality blog for the end of my exchange 😉.
Let’s go!
Course selection is going to be stressful and competitive.
A common theme for exchange I’ve realised is that most host universities prioritise their local students instead of exchange students. Course selection is no exception. Due to the limited spaces in HKU’s courses there is a high chance of not getting the courses that you want, which is why UoA requires us to have at least a few backups as well as the opportunity to get more courses approved once we are over there. Even so, I’d really like to have my first-choice courses, and my backups might be difficult to secure too 😔.
Accommodation will be liveable.
Not sure if you’ve seen my vlog ‘Homeless in the most expensive city in the world’, but unfortunately, I didn’t manage to secure a spot in HKU accommodation as again they do prioritise their local students. I did manage to find off-campus accommodation for a very hefty price. Despite this, I think I’m quite blessed to have found this place considering its location to HKU and its price relative to other accommodation options (let’s just say it could have been a lot worse). I’ve seen photos and the rooms aren’t too shabby but it’s always a good idea to keep expectations low.
Course content will be hard.
I think this is a given. Hong Kong is ranked 25th in the world for QS Rankings. One great thing about exchange at UoA is that they freeze your GPA, so it won’t be affected by your overseas grades and we just have to pass. This leads onto my next point:
For the very first time, academia will be taking a backseat.
Because exchange is a once in a lifetime opportunity, I’m letting myself take academia a little less seriously. Exploring Hong Kong, meeting new friends, grasping opportunities, and growing as a person will be the new priority. (Future Cecilia, if you’re reading this in Hong Kong, turn off your laptop and head out the door!). Even so, I know I’m going to have to knuckle down and study as passing may prove to be a feat 😬.
(Fingers crossed) I’ll meet new friends and do lots of travelling!
Living with American exchange students who went travelling pretty much every weekend has set my expectations for travelling very high. (Bring it back down, I don’t want to be disappointed!). I’ve made it a goal to do lots of travelling, make friends, and to step outside of my comfort zone, so I really really hope this goal becomes a reality!
Hmm, I think that’s it for now? No more expectations pop immediately to mind and I don’t want to get overly excited by trying to think of more. (Even just writing that last point had me way too hyped). Deep breaths 😂.
Until next time!
Cecilia