STUDENTS ON EXCHANGE Larissa is currently finishing her third year of the CIS bachelor and did her minor at Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). In this article, she tells us all about her experiences abroad! Larissa, why did you want to study at CUHK? ‘’The main reason that I wanted to go to Hong Kong was because it’s centrally located in Asia and I wanted to travel as much as possible during my exchange. Also, I know some people that have been to Hong Kong and they were very enthusiastic about the city. Besides that, the university offered some very interesting courses. Examples of courses I followed are Global Affairs & Public Issues, Media Industries & Practices and Social Media & Crisis Communication.’’ How were these courses organized, and how was the level compared to courses at Tilburg University? ‘’The courses were very interactive, more than at Tilburg University. We had a lot of presentations and projects, and I often worked together with local students. Many of the courses focused on local issues or media in Hong Kong, which was very interesting. In my opinion the level of the courses was a bit lower than the courses at Tilburg University. In Tilburg, we mainly focus on research, while the courses I followed at CUHK were from the School of Journalism & Communication, so writing essays was far less scientific.’’ How do you think this exchange contributed to your studies and self-devel-
opment? ‘’I think that I became even more open minded towards other cultures during my exchange. For me, working together with locals at CUHK and travelling through Asia was the best cross-cultural experience that I could have wished for. I loved Hong Kong, although the situation with the protests was very exceptional. I was kind of relieved to go home in December as the protests escalated at our campus. It made me realize that we should be very, very happy that we have so much freedom in the Netherlands and don’t have to deal with a situation like that.’’ Larissa would recommend everyone to go on exchange. ‘’I started preparing for my exchange one year in advance. Organizing all required documents such as language certificates, a visa and the scholarship took quite some time and effort, but it was absolutely worth it.’’
HONG KONG Larissa
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