Share our students' experience...

Elizabeth Pugel, Exchange Student from Kent State University, USA

It’s a very good experience to be in a culture that is completely different from ours. The local students at PolyU are very welcoming and I had a very good time.

It’s also a good experience to make friends from all over the world. It was fun because I was able to help other people with their English, and I learned some Cantonese, Putonghua, Japanese and Korean in return. I have learned a lot from them and we all have places to travel now to visit each other.

Last summer, I worked for a designer (Marc Jacobs) that did a good amount of business in the East. I never understood why the markets were so different between the East and West but now I do. That will definitely help me in my future career.

Carrie Lam , Exchange Student from University of Alberta, Canada

I am glad that I’ve made a right decision choosing PolyU for my final term of my degree. It sure has been a joy to be here. AECO arranged two buddies for me to start with. These two buddies helped me in many ways throughout the term and even now. Indeed, the “buddy program” is just great! It is not an easy task to adjust to a new school, new professors, new schoolmates, and everything was just new. Now we are good friends of each other. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank my buddies in assisting me throughout this transition period. Not only the buddies are helpful, the students, professors, and staff members at PolyU are very helpful as well. I’ve encountered numerous problems; they've helped me to tackle them one by one. There were times I wanted to give up, but then they gave me the courage back and guided me to the right direction. Their supports and encouragements are appreciated.

Other than the friends that I’ve made at PolyU, I’ve also got to travel around Hong Kong through an event called “City Orienteering”. Hong Kong has so much to see and so much for us to explore. This exchange experience has been an exciting and a rewarding one. It truly enlightens my vision and my future. I thank AECO and University of Alberta’s International Center for giving me this honorable experience.

For those of you who would like to explore more and have a better understanding of the Chinese culture, I would definitely recommend you to PolyU and feel the inspirational spirits here.

Ravinder Singh, Exchange Student from Coventry University, England

On my first day here, I was very nervous but everyone was very friendly and helpful. This helped a lot and made us feel welcome straight away. It is good and we have settled in quickly.

My local buddy arranged by AECO showed me around PolyU, especially where I needed to go and where all the facilities were. My buddy also showed me outside the university which was good because I got to know my buddy better. I got to meet a lot of my buddy’s friends also, and so the circle of friends gets bigger. If I needed some help or need to know where to go in university or outside the university, my buddy is first on hand for help. We keep in close contacts and meet up for lunch as well. I have also got to know other international students around the world and it's really amazing. We get to study together and go out together. So when I get home I can still keep in touch with my international friends. I am enjoying it so much that I don't want to go back home.

Ruby Lui, PolyU Buddy for Exchange Student, Year 2, HTM

Moi Moi, Mita Kuuluu? It means "Hi, how are you?" in Finnish. I learned the greeting from Arto, my buddy from Finland. He left me so many unforgettable memories last semester. Picking him up at the airport, having Chinese New Year dinner with him and my parents, going to the Ocean Park, singing in karaoke, bargaining for cheaper prices in Mongkok, hiking on Lamma Island, making mashed potato for him, shedding tears when we said good-bye at the airport.... Arto is not only my buddy matched by the Buddy Programme, but a real close friend!

Being Arto's buddy has not only let me know more about Finland, but also more about Hong Kong. Why? It is because Arto and I joined the City Orienteering organized by AECO's International Club in which we had to explore Hong Kong. Indeed, most of the places I have seldom been to before. Moreover, I paid more attention to the scenic spots from a tourist’s angle because I had to introduce the place, the custom and the culture to him.

As a student majoring in Tourism, I have benefited a lot from this Buddy Programme. It has allowed me to brush up my English language skills and enriched my knowledge of the world. It has also given me the opportunity to explore Hong Kong and be aware of our own culture and characteristics.

Now, I can speak a little Finnish too! Tervetuloa Mina olen onnellinen kun tunnen sinut! (Welcome! I am happy to know you!)

John Yu, PolyU Outbound Exchange Student, Year 2, MGT

Studying abroad is the best way to improve one's English, but this is not the only thing I have benefited from the 4-month exchange studies at University of Texas, San Antonio (UTSA) in USA.

San Antonio is a peaceful and quiet city close to Mexico. I joined the Student Exchange Programme with eight other students from the Faculty of Business and Information Systems in Spring 2003. At the beginning, we found it hard to adapt to the unfamiliar environment: buying groceries from Wal-Mart and taking the heavy items to our apartments by ourselves; waiting for a bus for an hour if it was missed; living with roommates of different nationalities… Though challenging and harsh, these all worth experiencing because you have to adjust yourself and get accustomed to the life there instead of sitting there to wait for something to feed you up.

The new friends I met there helped me a lot in dealing with the difficulties and challenges. For example, I have no driving license and therefore couldn’t go far away from the campus. My friends always did me favors by driving me to the supermarket, to the shopping mall and to the Fiesta Texas, a theme park like the Ocean Park in Hong Kong. Although they had to work in the daytime to earn for their livings and studies, they always tried their best to take me everywhere I wanted to go to. We also watched some exciting hockey games and NBA basketball matches. I was not only fascinated by the Most Valuable Player’s skills, but also amazed by the spectators’ reaction and the atmosphere in the stadium. It was really a mix of entertainment and excitement and was totally different from watching TV at home!

Toshi, PolyU Student from Japan, major in Health Technology, Year 1

Studying at PolyU has given me an opportunity to enhance the knowledge not only in theoretical aspects but also practical ones. In our department we are required a hospital attachment during the semester break and this is a very good chance to get a clear picture of our study because we can actually talk to the professionals and the patients we have to deal with in our future career. Studying at PolyU also gives us an environment of multilingualism. In fact, I am now studying Cantonese and Mandarin and I can actually use them in everyday conversation with my friends.

Zamy, PolyU Student from Bangladesh, major in Textiles and Clothing, Year 1

I chose to study textiles and clothing because it’s a growing business in my country and my family business is related to it. To study textile and clothing, no other place is better than in Hong Kong because of the infrastructure they have in this sector. China’s rapid economic growth also made the decision easy for me and my family. Therefore I came to Hong Kong and I like it very much. Now, I am enjoying myself in Hong Kong and in PolyU.

朱瑾斐, 理大學生, 來自上海, 主修工業及系統工程, 一年級

從 內 地 來 港 讀 書 ， 我 要 面 對 各 種 新 挑 戰 。 幸 好 理 大 的 老 師 很 敬 業， 也 很 親 切 。 他 們 總 是 極 有 耐 心 地 解 答 我 的 問 題 ， 也 樂 意 用 普 通 話 回 答 ， 這 使 我 感 到 非 常 輕 鬆。理 大的 教 學 方 法 有 案 例 分 析 ， 小 組 討 論 和 小 組 作 業 ， 比 較 注 重 實 用 性 和 團 際 精 神 。 另 外 老 師 也 鼓 勵 我 們 主 動 學 習。

鄒小苹, 理大學生, 來自上海, 主修工業及系統工程, 一年級

理 大 為 我 們 創 造 了 很 好 的 學 習 環 境，在 包 玉 剛 圖 書 館 借 書 很 方 便，通 常 都 可 以 很 快 地 找 到 自 己 所 需 要 的 書 或 資 料。電 腦 設 備 及 體 育 設 施 一 應 俱 全，還 可 以 通 過 網 絡 來 預 訂 球 場 或 健 身 房，非 常 方 便 。 學 生 宿 舍 的 條 件 也 很 好，服 務 很 周 到， 而 且 讓 我 獲 得 許 多 跟 香 港 同 學 交 流 的 好 機 會。

白俊傑, 理大學生, 來自南京, 主修建築工程及管理, 三年級

過 去 我 在 別 人 眼 中 是 一 個 內 向 、 自 信 心 不 強 的 人 ， 我 心 裡 卻 不 認 同 ， 所 以 參 加 了 理 大 專 為 培 養 學 生 領 導 才 能 的 青 雲 路 計 畫 夏 令 營 ， 希 望 藉 此 機 會 改 變 自 己 。 一 個 星 期 下 來 ， 我 覺 得 自 己 變 外 向 了 ， 自 信 心 也 在 慢 慢 地 建 立 起 來 。 後 來 我 又 參 加 了 理 大 的 「 首 選 畢 業 生 」 培 育 計 劃 ， 利 用 暑 假 累 積 工 作 經 驗 及 了 解 實 際 工 作 環 境 ， 對 畢 業 後 在 香 港 找 工 作 有 很 大 幫 助 。