CW Chu College The Chinese University of Hong Kong eNewsletter

Academic Exchange at University of Washington, United States (Mr LI Zhaohang, Year 3, Integrated BBA Programme)

Mr LI Zhaohang took part in an exchange programme to the University of Washington in the United States during Term 1, 2018–19.

Please refer to the Chinese version of this page for his sharing.

Academic Exchange at University of Birmingham, United Kingdom (Ms PANG Hong Ling, Year 3, Global Studies)

During my exchange programme, I enrolled in political science and business courses and was allocated to the School of Liberal Arts and Natural Sciences (LANS), one of the most competitive programmes at the University of Birmingham (UOB).

The LANS programme is so similar, yet so different from the Global Studies (GLSD) programme at CUHK. Both provide learning opportunities across disciplines. The ample chances to meet and work with students in different majors foster my agility and broaden my horizons. At CUHK, the GLSD programme allows us to enroll in a wide range of Social Science courses under our concentrations. GLSD students approach various disciplines through several courses offered by different departments each year. In contrast, at the UOB, the LANS programme consists of students in different arts, social sciences and natural sciences majors (business is categorised as social sciences in UOB). What makes it unique is that students in the same year of study come together in a compulsory course and monthly cultural activities each year. This kind of liberal education programmes are highly regarded in the UK. Competition for admission to the programme is fierce and its admission score is among the top in UOB. The compulsory course 'Interdisciplinarity' was taught by professors from different departments but they were all under the theme of Finding Truth in the age of Big Data. During the course, I met many talented students. The interdisciplinary lectures allowed me to see how different fields complement and challenge one another, how one could better analyse and solve multi-faceted problems in society. Looking back, I am lucky and grateful to be allocated to LANS. Its course design truly made my exchange programme an academically insightful one.

Apart from my studies, I was determined to get a taste of the local social life, so I joined the Taekwondo Club of the UOB. Indeed, sports, like music, knows no language. Through intensive training, everyone in the club eventually developed rapport with one another. I even attended one of the university's martial arts semi-formals with my taekwondo friends. The classy, British experience where people all dressed up in black-tie attire at Christmas, was unforgettable. I could still recall how I secretly described the experience as 'living in a Jack-Wills advertisement' to my friends back in Hong Kong.

My time at the taekwondo sessions and other social events were not only filled with laughter and sweat, but also thought-provoking. One has to play an active role to make friends on campus in the UK. Unlike Hong Kong, there are no orientation camps nor 'jobamas' to take care of newcomers. At ice-breaking activities held by the university, students were supposed to network with others by themselves. During the several nights out with my flat mates, I had to take the initiative to mingle and blend in. Being neither a very sociable nor shy person back in Hong Kong, I was surprised at the effort one has to put into making friends in the UK. Reflecting on my experience, I think that Hong Kong students are used to the parenting education system. We are seldom exposed to environments where we have to manage our social life, to decide what sort of friends we would like to make and how to proactively make some. Although I did not experience huge difficulty in striking up conversations, I still felt a bit uneasy when trying to get acquainted with complete strangers.

Also, from taekwondo sessions, I got to understand myself better. Sometimes, I am too self-conscious and hold a passive learning attitude. When the coach invited students for duel practices (where non-participating students would watch and learn), I struggled to grasp the training opportunities. As a former taekwondo player, the thought of being too showy and the slight embarrassment of not having a partner crossed my mind. At first, I lost several chances to learn, and possibly, chances to make friends. But after a few weeks, I realised that I had been too self-conscious and passive, which barred me from learning and socialising. In the subsequent activities, I tried to change my attitude and engage more in the training.