Universities in Hong Kong?

[dessskris]

for those of you who know HK very well, would you recommend somebody to study in HK? why or why not?

my parents want me to study in HK but I don't really want to because I want to go somewhere else, but I might change my mind and end up studying in HK if I really can't go anywhere else.

also which are the top universities in HK, in which the courses are taught in English? is there a ranking table or something?

may I also specifically ask for good unis for Engineering or Mathematics in HK? which are the most famous ones? I'm talking about English-speaking universities too.

thank you all. any answer to some or all of the above questions would be highly appreciated.

[I`m Potato]

for those of you who know HK very well, would you recommend somebody to study in HK? why or why not?

my parents want me to study in HK but I don't really want to because I want to go somewhere else, but I might change my mind and end up studying in HK if I really can't go anywhere else.

also which are the top universities in HK, in which the courses are taught in English? is there a ranking table or something?

may I also specifically ask for good unis for Engineering or Mathematics in HK? which are the most famous ones? I'm talking about English-speaking universities too.

thank you all. any answer to some or all of the above questions would be highly appreciated.

First of all, a good reason to study in HK is that 2/3 of the universities there are ranked very highly in university rankings within the Asia region. In fact, the University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology is amongst the best in Asia for 2010.

There is also not a worry for the teaching language in HK because all courses are instructed in English (except Chinese language based courses like literature etc.), so you do not need to have prior knowledge of Mandarin/Cantonese in order to study there.

On top of that, Hong Kong is very internationalized and it is a cosmopolitan city so in terms of daily life English is well understood by the people there. Within the universities, there is also a high proportion of international students studying there so the international mix is very rich and vibrant. (Though I'd have to admit that the proportion of Mainland Chinese students are also quite significant...)

The top universities in HK include: The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and the Chinese University of Hong Kong, though the latter is not as highly ranked as the first two.

As for studying mathematics and engineering, I'd say HKUST would be the best. HKU is most famous for its dentistry and medicine and I'm not too sure what's CUHK's forte subject, so HKUST would be your best bet.

Hope it helps!

Edited May 15, 2011 by I`m Potato

[suggaplum]

Im planning to go back to HK firstly because I am from HK and secondly, the universities there are very good.

As the above poster stated, all universities courses are conducted in English however for more specific courses for example Medicine and Law, universities will expect students to know a certain level of Cantonese as most would be graduating to serve the Hong Kong community

The three most famous universities in Hong Kong include Hong Kong University (HKU), Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) . HKU is known for Medicine and Health courses while CUHK is known for their Law Department. HKUST is known for their excellent Business and Engineering courses. So if you are thinking of going into engineering, then I think HKUST is the more suitable university for you.

Well, other than the universities in which you can probably get more accurate information online, on their websites, HK is a good place. Hong Kong's transport can take you almost anywhere, especially the MTR (underground) as well as buses. Hong Kong is heavily multicultural and HK itself has a lot of heritage and history to it being an ex-colony of the British. Hong Kong is also known for its food, having a wide diversity available however it does not lose its own traditions including the food on the streets (they are very clean) and 茶餐廳s (Hong Kong fast food) and 點心(dim sum). It is also packed with stores and shops including famous branded ones as well as small boutiques where you can find interesting, cheap and special accessories etc.

However people might think it is a rather expensive place to live (I however don't think it can be more expensive than living abroad for example the UK) since housing is definitely very expensive as HK is a rather small and populous land.

As a HK person myself, I love it there, especially since it celebrates both western and chinese holidays and they have many open markets at certain times of year which I guess makes HK more special than another place in Asia. Most things are bilingual and many HK people can speak a fair amount of English, so I think you'll really like it there!

[dessskris]

thank you guys for the information!

ummmh... why were you guys so persuasive though? now I am interested to study in HK... I've looked at HKUST's website and I think I could get in with scholarship (I hope I could!).. but I need to take TOEFL/IELTS since I only have English B.

is there any other good university for Engineering in HK? apparently the best one is HKUST. what are the second and third best? or just any other university that are known to be good for Engineering?

mmm how about the prices of basic goods in HK? would you say they are relatively cheap or expensive?

and I've heard that HK is quite a safe place to live in, right?

another random question: would the living costs in HK be higher than that in Singapore?

thank you very much all!!!

[ninety]

is there any other good university for Engineering in HK? apparently the best one is HKUST. what are the second and third best? or just any other university that are known to be good for Engineering?

mmm how about the prices of basic goods in HK? would you say they are relatively cheap or expensive?

and I've heard that HK is quite a safe place to live in, right?

another random question: would the living costs in HK be higher than that in Singapore?

Another good university for engineering in HK is probably PolyU (Hong Kong Polytechnic University). It's a good place offering a variety of courses, so if you go there you'll make friends who are taking different courses from you. My Maths tutor came from PolyU and from what he's been telling me: HKU is the top university in Hong Kong, but the problem with that is that the students there have to live up to the expectations of the university and so they study intensively (... and don't do anything else). To put it bluntly, he didn't think that it was healthy to only have good grades and... no life. My tutor used to be part of the inter-university Maths Society and every time they held meetings, the HKU students would be sitting there like without much to contribute because they were only thinking about their studies. But this is second-hand knowledge so I can't vouch for anything he's told me. Though I really respect my tutor and I think there's some truth in his words.

Yes, Hong Kong is quite a safe place to live in. You're highly unlikely to get mugged on the streets or anything. Unless you like to stroll the streets of Mong Kok or Sham Shui Po at 3 AM (both areas are known to be triad territory)... However a big problem here is domestic violence. Like all Asian cultures people tend to keep their problems and conflicts internally in their heads (you can see this everywhere on the streets - just take the MTR and look at the faces of the people on the train. Nobody looks particularly... happy.), and they do so until they've finally reached the limit - then they lash out and hurt family members/lovers, and some even commit suicide. Tin Shui Wai, an area in the New Territories, in particular, has had so much domestic violence that it's called the 'City of Sadness'. And yes, suicide is quite a common topic to find on the front page of local newspapers.

Oh, and also the crime rates seem to be on the rise, due to many tourists and new immigrants from Mainland China. Some pickpockets from the mainland come to Hong Kong on the weekends just to earn some quick money. They've also been the main cause for many... schemes in recent years - corruption in private hospitals (pregnant mainlanders 'buying' hospital beds so that they can come and give birth, making it very difficult for Hong Kong nationals to book with private hospitals so they can go there and give birth), and just last week, corruption in retail chain stores over powdered milk for babies (the RMB is more expensive than the HKD so mainlanders these days tend to come to HK to stock up on daily necessities because they're cheaper and not fake).

And finally, I think living in HK should be cheaper than in Singapore. I'm not sure about housing, but for day-to-day things like having a meal and buying groceries, it should be cheaper over here. But I've only been to Singapore very briefly so I can't be certain.

Hope this helps! Sorry for the long essay.

[I`m Potato]

As abovementioned by ninety, HK is relatively safe to live in as long as you don't stroll around the streets at these dodgy areas late at night, you're probably 100 times more likely to be mugged during the wee hours (exaggerated, but you get my point).

As for living standards, HK is relatively cheaper than Singapore (I'm from HK but I'm living in Singapore now) and the exchange rate is roughly about SGD 1 <-> HKD 6. HK is also tax-free, unlike Singapore in which you have to pay extra 7% Goods and Services Tax, which makes everything so expensive.

Cost for transportation in HK is, I guess, comparable to Singapore. I don't think there is much significant different between the two places. But as you know HK is much bigger a place than Singapore so getting around might cost you a little more than in Singapore. As for the availability of goods and services, HK is much more '24/7 friendly' than Singapore so you'll be able to get something to eat and drink at any hour of the day given that you're in the city centre. If you want the latest gadgets or fashion, HK is much better than Singapore.

Moreover, Singapore has a more laid-back environment whilst HK people tend to be rushing around all the time. Though be aware that people do get a little agitated if you don't follow their pace in HK, like when you are shopping, ordering food, going into MTRs etc., so that's something very different from Singapore where you'd havea nice and relaxed populace taking their time to do their tasks...

Edited May 15, 2011 by I`m Potato