A semester in Hong Kong: how studying at CityU can change perspectives on Asia and education

Ekaterina Shurinova, a student in the Marketing and Market Analytics program, spent a semester abroad at City University of Hong Kong. In her story, she shares the details of the application process, life in a student dorm with an ocean view, studying in an international environment, and traveling around Asia. You'll find useful tips, personal impressions, and an honest take on academic mobility in this article.

Hi everyone! My name is Katya, I’m a third-year student in the Marketing and Market Analytics program, and I spent my second semester at City University of Hong Kong (CityU).
I chose this university because I had always dreamed of living in Asia, and Hong Kong turned out to be the perfect option: you can travel, live comfortably without knowing Cantonese, and enjoy stunning nature.

Preparing for the trip

When choosing a university, I focused on its location, ranking, housing conditions, and cultural features. CityU attracted me with its high place in rankings of the best universities in China.
The application process was a bit confusing. After receiving the admission confirmation, I had to fill out a lengthy form in the personal account system and send the documents to Hong Kong. The biggest issue was sending the papers themselves: I was worried that Russian Post might delay or lose them, so another nominated student from HSE and I used DHL instead. That was absolutely the right decision — the envelope arrived in Hong Kong from Moscow in just a few days.

Tip: submit your documents and complete the application form as early as possible. This way, you’re more likely to get your visa a month before departure, instead of just a few days before (or even after the start of classes). It will save you a lot of stress and let you prepare for your trip with peace of mind.

In my case, all undergraduate students were offered dormitory housing, but later the conditions changed. Make sure to fill out the application carefully — this affects your chances of getting a spot.

I’d also like to mention that students applying to the College of Business were assigned a coordinator — Jasmine. She helped with all the questions and problems that came up, so if she is coordinating again, there’s no need to worry — you’ll get great support.

Academic experience

The format of classes at CityU is quite different from what we're used to. Usually, there’s no separation between lectures and seminars: each course has one 3-hour session per week (with a break at the professor’s discretion).
The grading system can vary a lot: attendance might be important, or class participation, or the class might be just a long lecture with no interaction at all. Not all courses have exams — grades may be based on tests, group projects, class participation, and so on.

One unusual thing was that professors rarely shared grades. Over the whole semester, aside from the final score, I only saw about 30% of my interim grades.

A special benefit was the excursions offered as part of the courses. For example, in a logistics course, we had tours to IKEA, Hutchison Port, and Parknshop. It was a valuable and interesting experience.

The course selection process was one of the most difficult parts of the whole stay in Hong Kong. Despite several explanations, it still felt confusing. The main thing is to read all the instructions carefully, listen to the explanations, and ask the coordinator questions.

Just like at HSE, CityU emphasizes group projects. However, local students tend to take them rather lightly, which can be frustrating for those aiming for high grades. Exchange students also sometimes struggle to join strong teams because locals assume we’re not very committed to academics. My advice is to either team up with other exchange students or be proactive and confident when approaching local students.

All instruction at CityU is in English — both professors and students speak it at a good or excellent level. I had no language barrier, as the brain quickly adapts to studying in a foreign language.

Life in Hong Kong

All exchange students live in a new dormitory in the Ma On Shan area — 40 minutes from the university and about an hour from the city center. Despite the distance, I wouldn't trade this place for another: it’s clean, modern, and has great facilities — a gym, cafeteria, music and study rooms. Plus, the mountain and sea views, and beaches within walking distance, are amazing. Since all international students live in one place, it creates a sense of community, and coming back to the dorm truly feels like coming home.

Eating out is quite expensive, so it's better to cook in the dorm kitchen. This is especially true if you're not used to Cantonese cuisine — it’s very different from the "Asian food" we know in Russia. Still, it’s possible to adapt — even the pickiest eaters I met found something they liked.

Transport can also be pricey — a round trip to the city center can cost around 700 rubles. Overall, the cost of living is high, but a lot depends on your habits. For instance, if you move into the dorm during the first few days, you can get lots of free household items left by previous students.

The local people (Cantonese) are generally polite and used to foreigners — I didn’t feel like I was getting any extra attention and found it easy to communicate in English. People are mostly focused on their own lives, which has its pros and cons.

Paying in Hong Kong wasn’t a problem. I used a foreign card and an Octopus card, which works both as a travel pass and a regular payment card. Even students without foreign cards had no issues — everything works smoothly.

Extracurricular activities

This part of the experience relates to the College of Business, as most activities were organized for its students.

The first week was an orientation week — with excursions, team-building games, hiking, and food tastings. It helped us quickly adapt and meet people from all over the world.

Later on, the faculty also held various free events. For example, I learned how to row a dragon boat and bake traditional wife cakes.
I highly recommend taking part in everything you can — it’s a unique chance to try things you may have never even heard of before.

One huge advantage of Hong Kong is its international airport. You can fly to almost any Asian country in 1–4 hours for a very reasonable price. Over five months, I visited South Korea, the Philippines, China, Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Macau.
If you love traveling, this is your chance. And scheduling trips is easy too — for example, my classes were only on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays.

Final thoughts

My semester in Hong Kong was one of the most exciting and memorable periods of my life. I truly recommend this experience to anyone who’s curious about Asia, wants to study in an international environment, and travel.

If you’re worried about adapting — don’t let that stop you. All the advantages of Hong Kong more than make up for any minor inconveniences.

If you have any questions, I’ll be happy to help! Telegram: @shur_kata