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Noa Mimi Martine NEDERPELT

Thomas Rohit NARAYANA SWAMY

RETTIG, Lea Andrea

Veronika Ilavska

CHMIELINSKI Michal Lukasz

The Chinese University of Hong Kong Robin Albrecht Germany Architectural Studies
	The Chinese University of Hong Kong allows me to combine two of my major interests: exploring Hong Kong and China’s cultures and preparing for my future professional goals by studying Architecture. The fast pace of change in Hong Kong’s infrastructure makes it a great place to study Architecture. It’s so fascinating to see how much can change in as little as one year. Furthermore, CUHK’s environment also allows me to improve my skills in Cantonese – and to dabble in Putonghua. After finishing my education, I would like to continue working in Asia to participate in its on-going evolution. Therefore, I believe that studying Architecture at CUHK in “Asia’s World City” is preparing me very well to achieve my goals!
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The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Noa Mimi Martine NEDERPELT Netherlands BBA in Global Business
Hong Kong seems like, as my European high school classmates would put it, ‘an interesting choice’ for someone to pursue a university degree. Born in the Netherlands but raised in Spain, I grew up in a multicultural environment with a Venezuelan-Dutch mother and a Dutch-German father, and therefore coming to study in Asia was not an irrational choice. HKUST provides endless opportunities to all students such as internships, undergraduate research program and entrepreneurship training. Working for startups was a true highlight of my first semester. It allowed me to polish the skills needed in a corporate environment and I was able to work closely with the founders. The last startup I worked with became hugely successful, raising over 1 million USD on Kickstarter, and catapulted me into a world of connections and career opportunities. Take full advantage of opportunities that come your way, as you will reap the benefits far into the future. If you wish to become a world citizen, HKUST is the place to go. Hong Kong itself is a melting pot of cultures that all contribute to the unique flavor of your university experience. I am so blessed to be a representative of this incredible university. It allowed me to grow and mould into the person I am today, and my pride in HKUST will only strengthen over time.
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The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Thomas Rohit NARAYANA SWAMY France BSc in Individualized Interdisciplinary Major (Bionics)
	Firstly, why HKUST? To be honest it wasn’t really my first choice personally, but my parents thought that it would be a wonderful experience for me, discovering a new culture, new place and so far they have not been wrong. I’m currently studying BSc in Bionics. What is bionics? Bionics or bio-mechatronics is a very specific field. It is the interdisciplinary study of biology, mechanics, electronics and control. HKUST gave me this wonderful opportunity to tailor-make my own program to my specific interests. I initially came to HKUST in the hope of studying mechanical engineering but luckily for me I heard of this new program called IIM (Individualized Interdisciplinary Major), and with the support of professors and the school I was able to turn my interests to something I actually enjoy learning. I highly recommend the IIM program to anyone who has any specific interests in mind and vouch for HKUST’s supportive environment.
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The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology RETTIG, Lea Andrea Germany PhD in Environmental Science, Policy and Management
Having completed my Bachelor’s degree in Switzerland, I decided to pursue a master’s program in Environmental Science and Management at HKUST because of the diverse structure, openness to different backgrounds and the unique cultural insight Hong Kong offers. And I enjoyed the program very much, therefore I decided to further study its PhD program in order to gain an even deeper understanding and do research for certain environmental issues. My research allows me to understand more how environmental and sustainability issues can be integrated into the business world, which is my original field of interest and will surely prove very useful once applied in the future. The program is multi-faceted and has a good balance between pursuing own research, as well as attending courses, workshops and seminars. Also, experiencing studies in such a new cultural environment has very much broadened my own horizon and given me invaluable cultural knowledge and understanding which are always useful in understanding the world we live in and can aid in understanding one another better. Pursuing my PhD studies in Hong Kong has been a challenging but also a very enriching experience for me and I would definitely recommend HKUST for students aspiring to start their new adventure in Hong Kong. It has truly been an eye-opening experience for me so far.
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Lingnan University MARKU Ylber Albania Doctor of Philosophy in History
	When I first came to Hong Kong as a PhD student in Lingnan, I did not know much about the University and the city. It resulted in a wonderful life experience in a city that reflects the world and a university that embodies the best of the liberal arts philosophy. In Lingnan, learning and teaching go hand in hand, and the close supervision makes the research process a unique path towards success.
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The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Kristina Braun Germany Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Hotel Management
I have been studying and living in Hong Kong since 2011, I love this city because no one judges you, you can be whoever you want to be! I I love the mix between city and country life! What I really like about being a PolyU student is that we are like a family. I always meet the same people in campus. After some times, we become very close friends. We share food, culture and passion. One of the most enjoyable moment of the day is to chill with my friends at the café near library.
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Savannah College of Art and Design (Hong Kong) Amandine Piras France Bachelor of Fine Arts in Advertising
	Born in France, Ms. Amandine Piras arrived in Hong Kong when she was 3 years old and attended went to FIS (French International School). Amandine spent time in Taipei to further improve her Mandarin skills and is now studying at SCAD Hong Kong as an advertising major with a graphic design minor. During Amandine’s very first year at SCAD, she won the second runner-up award for A-Fontane duvet design competition, and she has continued to achieve things she didn’t realize she was capable of doing. During summer 2015, a design competition with CSL Mobile Limited was organized through the SCAD Collaborative Learning Center (CLC); she and her team partner obtained second place for their submission to the interactive activity challenge. Recently, Amandine was chosen to be a peer tutor at SCAD, which she considers a rewarding job helping her peers in everything from critique, concepting, public speaking, and presentations to design software like Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign. Since September 2016, Amandine has been interning for Geometry Global, the activation branch of award-winning advertising agency Ogilvy and Mathers. She has been working part-time at the agency while continuing her full-time studies where she aced all her classes. Her internship will end in March (though they have offered to keep her longer), as she will leave for the US. Her plan is to then find work in Paris probably with the same agency, so as to obtain a competitive edge in her field.
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The University of Hong Kong Timo Heinonen Finland
Travelling around the world and meeting new friends Hi! I’m Timo Heinonen from Finland. I joined HKU as an undergraduate in 2008 and I am now pursuing research as a Master's student. After high school I wanted to broaden my horizons, experience something new and different. Given the region's cultural appeal, I was especially interested in studying in East Asia. Thanks to its geographical location at the heart of Asia and international atmosphere with English as the medium of instruction, I finally chose to study at HKU. My advice to incoming students is that you will get more out of your study experience if you are willing to engage in local Hong Kong culture and lifestyle. In addition, although studying is important, try to join some of the university's varied extra-curricular programmes, including internships, workshops, and service trips. Some of my most memorable experiences have been the various off-campus learning programmes I have joined. For example, in my freshman year I did an internship in Ghana; in my second year I joined a programme run in cooperation with Harvard students and sponsored by HKU's Office of International Student Exchange (OISE); and in my third year I went to Beijing for exchange, also made possible by OISE. While I was expecting only to see greater China when I first moved to Hong Kong, these programmes have enabled me to travel around the world and meet new friends I wouldn't have come across in any other circumstances.
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The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Jeremie Plane France Programme: Bachelor of Business Administration in Global Business
	I always wanted to study abroad but wasn’t happy with the usual 1-semester exchange, so I decided to do the whole degree overseas right after I graduated from my Baccalauréat. I was considering the UK and North America until I visited Hong Kong and decided that was the place. I cannot begin to tell you how much I have learnt during the past 2 years in this ever-exciting city. Coming to Hong Kong for my university studies has been, and still is a life-changing experience – one that I would recommend to anyone who has a large ambition and an open mind. Ever since I arrived at HKUST, there have been ups and downs but my experience here has never been boring. I worked hard during my first semester and had to juggle my time between leisure, sports, and the university library! The result was worth it: I retained my scholarship and managed to transfer to my current program. Thereafter it became easier as I understood the system better and had more freedom to choose my courses. Now, I am easily managing my studies, leisure time and even a part-time job. Being an international student from France, there were initially many things I had to adjust to. The competitive academic environment at HKUST challenges you to work hard, and expectedly I had to adapt to the cultural environment here (which is very different from home!). But these are also the challenges that make my experience here worthwhile – as they say, no pain, no gain. Besides, for all these challenges, I am privileged to meet a diverse community of students, faculty and staff members here, pick up some Cantonese and Putonghua language skills, and gain a substantial network which really helps my future prospects in this exciting region. So, even though it was not apparent to me at first, coming to Hong Kong to study at HKUST turned out to be one of the best decisions I made. I would encourage anyone who can to seize this opportunity!
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Lingnan University Veronika Ilavska Slovakia Programme: Bachelor of Social Sciences (Honours)
I truly value every day of my current studies at Lingnan as I made the right choice of pursuing my studies here. The wide variety of courses taught by professionals who are also dedicated teachers. The enormous amount of outside classroom opportunities for further development and career preparation have contributed to my opinion. Moreover, I have got to know here a lot of interesting people from different cultures and that makes my social life very interesting and enjoyable!
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Hong Kong Baptist University Emma Mariani Italy Programme: MSc Business Management
	Since I was a child I’ve always loved travelling and experiencing different cultures, exploring the world outside of my usual comfort zone. This passion and my predisposition to foreign languages contributed to my decision to study Chinese and English language with international relations at University. This path eventually led me to move to Guangzhou, China where I attended a local University for a year to improve my Chinese proficiency. I immediately felt at home and I started to explore this incredible culture which is so different from mine but at the same time extremely intriguing. Although initially my plan was to return to Italy in order to pursue my master degree at the end of my period of studying abroad, soon I realized that I wanted to stay and complete my postgraduate education here. During the time I spent in mainland China I had the opportunity to visit Hong Kong on several occasions, and I felt immediately attracted to this incredible city. HK’s international environment with people from every part of the globe makes this place a melting pot of cultures. This unique mixture of West and East makes it a perfect place for western expats who are willing to study and work in Asia. Moreover, I decided to study here in Hong Kong because of two factors of big relevance to me: first, it allows me to have a very high quality of education and secondly remaining in Asia, which is the part of the world where I would like to start and build my career and life. When it came to choosing the field of study for my master degree, I decided to give my education a different direction by undertaking a master's degree in disciplines which are different to my undergraduate studies. I hope that this strategic move will allow me to expand my career choices and improve my chances for a successful life in the future. Once I decided that I wanted to study business management, I started to research the perfect university to attend: I was immediately attracted to Hong Kong Baptist University, in particular to its MScBM program as it offers a complete overview of many key subjects that are absolutely essential for a successful career in a business environment. I must say that all my expectations of the MScBM have been met and even exceeded due to excellent teaching methods and relevant content taught. What I did not expect, however, is the huge number of opportunities that the university offers: from workshops with industry professionals, recruitment talks with a range of corporations to entrepreneurship training. Not to mention all the extracurricular activities such as the possibility of joining different clubs or sports teams, and many activities such as races, dinners with international students, networking events, festivals etc. Choosing Hong Kong Baptist University for my masters abroad was a great choice, introducing me to a reality that I would not have otherwise had access to. I am growing as a person, getting to know a diverse bunch of people and enhancing my career at the same time. Hong Kong is definitely the place to be: it's an exciting city in the heart of Asia where everything is moving fast and forward, and living here means being an active part of this process! I think HKBU is the ideal place to start your life here, as the university celebrates diversity in all its forms and is an excellent education provider.
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Hong Kong Baptist University CHMIELINSKI Michal Lukasz United Kingdom Programme: MSc Business Management
Originally, I come from Poland but I completed my bachelor's degree in London, where I also participated in a year-long study abroad in New York. My degree was complemented with internships in corporations like Airbus and Siemens and upon graduation, I worked for a German start-up in Frankfurt. Despite those diverse experiences, I was still unsure what to do next, hence why I decided to continue my education at the masters level. I chose to study in Hong Kong for my MSc Business Management as I felt that in my case, moving abroad would have a much greater impact on my personal development and career prospects. From my past experiences, I knew that such a decision to “get out of my comfort zone” provides great life lessons. Living, working and studying abroad develops a wide range of soft skills and helps us to become more adaptable, mature and flexible. Hong Kong is a truly special place and now that I live here I really understand why it's often described as “where east meets west”. Here, you can live a typical Asian life, but if you start to miss a little bit of London or New York, it only takes around 15 min journey on the MTR to Central where you will have that western lifestyle back! For business master’s students, Hong Kong offers endless opportunities to enhance career prospects as it is a home to many top western and eastern companies. Full-time international students can benefit from Hong Kong’s current immigration policy which enables you to stay here for one additional year after graduation. Essentially you can start your career here, even without the knowledge of the local language as most of the companies conduct their business in English. Not to mention entrepreneurship opportunities offered through various government initiatives as well as different accelerators which run in partnership with companies like Alibaba and Lenovo. Purpose-built complexes like Cyberport serve as a perfect place where startups can grow. With different levels of funding provided you can really make your idea a reality! The best thing is, you don't need to be a local to apply, most of schemes accept applications from different nationalities. The key aspect that attracted me to Hong Kong Baptist University is the impressive triple accreditation for its Business School. My course offers a range of elective classes from Big Data, Entrepreneurship to a Business field trip to Korea. The abundance of different workshops ranging from employability, mentorship programmes and company visits reflect the level of support offered by the School of Business. No wonder HKBU Business School has recently entered the Top 100 Management League by FT.com In my opinion, Hong Kong is a great place for a postgraduate study abroad. I hope that the outlined examples of the opportunities here will help you make a decision. But I strongly recommend you to consider this place for your next move!
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