Exchange Report

The preparation process was fairly straightforward. I booked my flights roughly four months in advance, securing both the outbound and return tickets early to get better prices and avoid last-minute stress. Before departure, I made sure all necessary documents were in order — visa, insurance, university acceptance letters, and the like. A useful resource was a WhatsApp group set up by a fellow HKUST student, which connected all incoming exchange students before arrival. It was a great way to get practical tips, ask questions, and already meet people before even landing in Hong Kong. I also did some background reading on Hong Kong to get a sense of what life there would be like — the culture, the city, and what to expect on a day-to-day basis. Alongside that, I loosely planned which neighboring countries I wanted to visit during my time in the region, since Hong Kong is an excellent base for travel across Southeast and East Asia. On the academic side, I scheduled my courses strategically to concentrate them on as few days per week as possible, leaving more flexibility for travel and exploration throughout the semester.

HKUST arranges accommodation for exchange students, offering a choice between on-campus and off-campus housing. I opted for on-campus residence and would make the same choice again without hesitation. Living on campus has some clear advantages. Since my courses were spread across the day, being able to walk back to my room between lectures was genuinely convenient — something you simply can't do if you live off campus. The campus itself is also stunning, situated right on the hillside overlooking Clearwater Bay, so the environment makes it a pleasant place to spend time even outside of classes. Campus life also naturally puts you around other students, which makes it much easier to meet people and build a social circle quickly. The main trade-off is location. Off-campus housing is closer to the city centre, meaning shorter travel times to the MTR and the more urban parts of Hong Kong. HKUST's campus is somewhat remote, so getting into the city takes around 30–40 minutes depending on where you're headed. That said, it's very manageable and honestly part of the experience. If you value convenience, social life, and the unique campus atmosphere, go on-campus. If you're someone who wants to be in the middle of city life from day one, off-campus might suit you better — but factor in the daily commute to class.

The HKUST campus is enormous. Getting from the student residences to the lecture halls takes around 20 minutes on foot, which gives you a sense of the scale. That said, everything you could need is right there — a supermarket, convenience stores, McDonald's, multiple canteens, several cafés, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, tennis courts, and a large athletics area where you can run, play football, basketball, and more. It's essentially a self-contained city, which makes campus life very comfortable. Academically, the experience felt noticeably different from WU Vienna. Class sizes tended to be smaller, which made the atmosphere more personal and allowed for more direct interaction with professors. There was also a strong emphasis on practical experience — courses are designed with real-world application in mind rather than being purely theoretical, which I found refreshing.

Public transport in Hong Kong is excellent — the MTR is fast, clean, reliable, and covers the city very well, making it easy to get around during the day. The one exception is getting back to campus late at night, as public transport options become limited, so Uber is the practical go-to for late-night returns. It's worth budgeting for this, especially if you plan on going out regularly. Hong Kong itself has a lot going on. The city has a vibrant social scene with plenty of events and activities to fill your weekends — horse racing at Happy Valley or Sha Tin is a classic Hong Kong experience and worth doing at least once, there are good nightlife options, and hiking is surprisingly popular and accessible given how urban the city is. The trails around the island offer some genuinely impressive views. On the sports side, HKUST has a wide range of student sports clubs to choose from, so it's easy to stay active and meet people through shared interests at the same time.

My semester at HKUST was one of the best experiences of my life. Meeting people from all over the world, traveling across Asia, and throwing myself into everything the city had to offer made it truly unforgettable. Hong Kong has an energy that's hard to describe — you just have to experience it yourself.