Mr CHEN Zhihong took part in an exchange programme to Georgia Institute of Technology in the United States during Term 2, 2017–18.

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

Academic Exchange at Cass Business School, City, University of London, United Kingdom (Ms SHIH Ka Lam, Year 4, Professional Accountancy)

During the exchange period, I took four courses including 'Financial Analysis', 'Advanced Strategic Management', 'Corporate Governance' and 'Principles of Taxation'. 'Financial Analysis' covered the analysis of companies' development potentials using numerical tactics and comparisons, allowing investors to make appropriate investment decisions. 'Principles of Taxation' was about how tax in the United Kingdom was calculated. Thus, these two courses were more related to calculations, in contrast to 'Advanced Strategic Management' and 'Corporate Governance'. The former covered numerous types of strategies and methods for the growth and expansion of a company and the usage of tactics and strategies to achieve business goals. There were a lot of examples and case studies to facilitate learning; the latter provided me with insights into proper ways to maintain good corporate structure and image, with little emphasis on numbers. These two courses were related much more to theories and judgement.

I benefited a lot from these courses in that they were comprehensive enough for me to enrich my knowledge about the business field. For example, in the course 'Advanced Strategic Management', there were many case studies and many guest speakers were invited to conduct the lessons, so that we could put the theories into practice. It was also more interesting to learn from case studies than just reading the paper notes.

There were loads of memorable experience during my exchange life. As for the academic aspect, my groupmates and I had to deliver a presentation for the course 'Advanced Strategic Management'. Although we had spent a lot of time discussing and preparing for the project and the presentation, I felt a bit worried about not being able to achieve a satisfactory performance. Luckily, the professor gave us positive feedback, which made us relieved. Moreover, as the presentation lasted long, the professor ordered some pizzas, snacks and drinks for students. Students could listen to others' presentations while enjoying the food, which to me was an unusual and relaxing experience.

In addition to the academic aspect, I think every part of the exchange life was precious and memorable. For example, it was a fantastic experience for me to explore London, other cities in the United Kingdom and even other European countries. I travelled to Cambridge, Windsor, York, Bath, Cardiff, Bristol, Edinburgh and Brighton. Some friends who were studying in Cambridge and Bath took me to visit the cities and it was unforgettable. During the trip to Cambridge, my friend invited me to visit their student hostels, libraries, colleges, gardens and markets of the university and around the city. During the trip to Bath, another friend took me to the Roman Baths, a renowned historic site now featuring a museum.

In this exchange experience, not only did I acquire academic knowledge, but I also learnt to be more independent. When I am at home in Hong Kong, I do not have to do the chores. However, no one helped me with this in London. Thus, I developed a habit of cleaning my own room. Furthermore, I learnt to cook a little in London. I had never cooked in Hong Kong because I had meals in the canteens of the University and enjoyed meals prepared by my family. In contrast, I always prepared dinners by myself in the exchange period, especially in London where it was always expensive to dine in restaurants. I looked for some easy recipes and followed the instructions to make dishes. Although the meals I cooked were much easier than what were prepared by my parents in Hong Kong, I could sometimes gain a sense of satisfaction when the food turned out to have a nice taste. I developed some interest in cooking too. I also wanted to salute my parents every time when I cooked, because it often took quite a long time from cooking to cleaning, and sometimes it was exhausting. I am now grateful for my parents, who prepare great meals for me and wash the dishes even after a tiring working day.

Academic Exchange at The University of Melbourne, Australia (Ms WONG Pui Ki, Year 4, Professional Accountancy)

In contrast to other exchange students, I stayed in St Mary's College, a residential college of the university, instead of renting an apartment near the campus. Why St Mary's? At first glance, I was attracted by its name as there is a saying from my secondary school, 'Once a St Marian, Forever a St Marian'. It is also a Catholic college which fits my religious belief. Throughout my exchange period, I felt comfortable staying in its 'home-like' atmosphere.

Before the start of the semester, we had an orientation week. Activities were fully packed from 6:00–7:00 am to midnight. The first thing we did every day was exercise. Although it was a bit tough, I seldom heard others grumble but appreciate the organising committee. The activities were very creative. For example, I was told that there would an exam on the College student handbook. The committee members looked serious and even gave us an hour for revision, but finally it turned out to be a prank on us. Making fun of one another helped us build our friendships.

We had communal dining for all three meals each day. Even though it did not require compulsory attendance, everyone engaged in most of the meals as the food was delicious and it was the time when we could gather with our friends. There was a rule that we must fill up all the seats of one table before sitting at a new one, so we could always chat with different people.

The most special experience at the College was the 'Workscheme'. Every first-year student was required to volunteer to wash dishes and clean the kitchen at the assigned timeslot every week. If you were not available at your timeslot, you had to find someone to take your slot and to pay him/ her for at least AUD20. The transaction was simply done on a Facebook page. It was not a College regulation but everyone complied with it and paid compensation accordingly. It was just like a mini free market. I could not stop thinking what it will be like if this happens in CW Chu College. I felt bewildered when I first knew about this practice as I seldom did dish washing at home but then I had to wash dishes for over a hundred people. Through this experience, I felt more thankful and considerate to kitchen staff. With rock music and great fun with my 'Workscheme' buddies, I ended up enjoying the time and 'earning' money from my College mates by taking up their duties as my trips around Australia could be subsidised.

'The Event' was one of the most important activities of the year. It was a party held at a location totally unexpected. I was astonished when they announced that the venue would be the Old Melbourne Gaol. It was a gaol where more than a hundred prisoners had been executed, but then we were going to have fun there. I actually appreciated how open-minded and creative the organisers were. Currently, part of the Gaol has been incorporated with RMIT University for education purposes, while the remaining part was a museum. Before The Event, I visited there with my friends for a ghost tour at night. It was supposed to be a silent and creepy place, but the party converted it into a noisy and lively pub. Disco lights and pop music definitely helped boost the festive atmosphere.

By coincidence, that year was St Mary's 100th Anniversary. On the College Day, we celebrated by having a champagne breakfast, a series of programmes and a formal dinner served with different kinds of wine. Briefly speaking, it was a drinking day. I remembered there was also a friendly debate over whether residential tutors should take up the 'Workscheme' as well. Although we knew that the debate would not change anything about the current situation, everyone was so devoted to speaking up and challenging our residential tutors. We gained lots of fun. I realised how simple happiness can be and wondered why we are so serious all the time.

My life at St Mary's College constituted a great part of my memorable exchange experiences. I was very gratified to have chosen to stay there where I benefited far more than I had expected.