Austin, 2020

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Austin and a young boy in a crowded market. Austin is wearing a traditional Asian rice hat

I studied at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in the spring of 2019. Studying at HKUST allowed me to travel to a unique part of the world while being able to count most of my credits for course requirements. I took International Finance which counted for my finance major, Negotiations which counted for an elective, and Organizational Behavior which counted for the CSOM core. I also had the chance to take Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area, which explored Hong Kong's development and its future within China and the world's economy. 

HKUST is a reputable business school within Asia so you even while you travel and enjoy the abroad social life, you still get a worthwhile academic experience. For example, my finance professor's colleague was a senior economist for China's central bank, and my professor passed on a lot of what he learned to his class. 

BC students should study abroad to break out of their comfort zone and develop themselves outside the classroom. Get to know the city you study in. We found gardens on rooftops of Hong Kong skyscrapers that had great views of the skyline and hiked mountains where you could see across the entire city on clear days. 

The most meaningful memories I made were with people I met. I'd encourage everyone to make friends with locals. My friendship with a local Hong Kong student gave me a perspective of the city that I wouldn't have gotten if I'd only hung out with other exchange students. One of my favorite memories of the semester was when we went to their beach house on Chang Chau island then swam all day. In addition, try to travel outside the city. I took trips all over Asia and had some of the best food for a fraction of what it would cost back home. I really didn't know how much fun studying abroad would be until I did it.