If you're from Australia/Georgia/Hong Kong/New Zealand...
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  If you're from Australia/Georgia/Hong Kong/New Zealand...
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Author Topic: If you're from Australia/Georgia/Hong Kong/New Zealand...  (Read 1468 times)
Gustaf
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« on: February 08, 2009, 03:44:35 PM »

...help me out here! I'm considering doing an exchange term at one of the following universities:

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
The University of Otago
University of Sydney
Emory University, Goizueta Business School

Does anyone know anything about those? I will almost certainly be doing economics.

Very grateful for any tips from anyone who may know something about them.
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Bacon King
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« Reply #1 on: February 08, 2009, 04:07:40 PM »

My roommate is actually an exchange student from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Anything in particular you'd to know about?
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snowguy716
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« Reply #2 on: February 08, 2009, 04:48:15 PM »

I'd either go to New Zealand if you really like outdoors or Hong Kong if you like urban environments.

Of course I've only been to Hong Kong on that list.  It's probably on a very short list of greatest cities in the world.  I'm sure you could arrange trips to the mainland for some cultural exploration.

I think it'd be a perfect balance of foreign and familiar.

But my personal choice would be New Zealand by a long shot.
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Miamiu1027
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« Reply #3 on: February 08, 2009, 04:50:05 PM »

flights to the Southern Hemisphere must be tantamount to torture.
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Gustaf
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« Reply #4 on: February 08, 2009, 05:18:20 PM »

My roommate is actually an exchange student from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Anything in particular you'd to know about?

Well, I guess any information on what it is like to be a Western exchange student in Hong Kong (social life, price levels, etc) and how good the university is, especially in the field of economics. Quality of lecturers, etc.

I guess bottom line would be something like "would he recommend it?" Smiley
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exnaderite
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« Reply #5 on: February 08, 2009, 05:32:45 PM »

Since you're from Europe, going to Hong Kong will be more of a cultural shock than the others. On one hand, anything a westerner ever wants, is available there. Unless you live a luxurious lifestyle, prices are generally cheaper than in the west. It helps if you know Cantonese or Mandarin, but English will get you by in most places. On the other hand you are constantly exposed to a very foreign culture and lifestyle, which you may prefer.

If you have any respiratory conditions like asthma, don't go to Hong Kong. It will be troublesome, since it's downwind from the factories which produce everything you use.

Can't tell you about the school, though.
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Gustaf
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« Reply #6 on: February 09, 2009, 01:54:24 AM »

Ok, so that's 1 Hong Kong advice with potential for one more. But I know there are Australians and Georgians on here. Come on, people...
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The Mikado
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« Reply #7 on: February 09, 2009, 01:56:51 AM »
« Edited: February 09, 2009, 02:02:13 AM by Pooh-Bah, the Lord High Everything Else »

Emory's a fantastic school with a great reputation.

EDIT:

Is this a summer term?  If so, have you spent summers in warm climates before?
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Platypus
hughento
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« Reply #8 on: February 09, 2009, 02:40:29 AM »

All I know about USyd is that it's a good uni, but a bit overrated. Sydney is a great city, a bit costly but not compared to Sweden i'm guessing. Plus, the harbour is beautiful. If they have exchanges to Melbourne Uni or somewhere in perth that might be better, but USyd would be a perfectly valid choice.
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dead0man
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« Reply #9 on: February 09, 2009, 03:20:44 AM »

I worked construction on a building at Emory Uni.

Seems nice...but this was 1994 and the only building I went in was that one and it wasn't exactly finished when I left.

It's VERY hot in the summer.  Nice in the winter though.  If you fear rednecks and/or southern, yet urban black people, Atlanta might not be your place.  Traffic is hell.  Lots of Christians too.  The annoying kind.
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Mr. Morden
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« Reply #10 on: February 09, 2009, 06:17:22 AM »

How much world traveling have you already done in your life?  And where have you gone?  Because that might help in terms of trying to put things in context.

Because I can tell you that Australia reminds me very much of the USA (though I can get into the differences if you want, but that won't necessarily help you if you haven't really traveled in the US either).  It didn't take me very long after moving here before I was barely conscious of the fact that I was in a foreign country.

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Smid
Junior Chimp
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« Reply #11 on: February 09, 2009, 06:39:18 AM »

All I know about USyd is that it's a good uni, but a bit overrated. Sydney is a great city, a bit costly but not compared to Sweden i'm guessing. Plus, the harbour is beautiful. If they have exchanges to Melbourne Uni or somewhere in perth that might be better, but USyd would be a perfectly valid choice.

I'm not much of a Sydney fan, but like Hugh said... if you can get Melbourne Uni, that would be great, or Griffith University (Gold Coast Campus) is pretty close to the beach. I've got a mate who lectures there.
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Platypus
hughento
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« Reply #12 on: February 09, 2009, 10:39:21 AM »

Haha, i'm no Sydney fan either, but it's still worthwhile. Not as good as Melbourne of course, but at least it isnt the Gold Coast.

/end hijack
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Gustaf
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« Reply #13 on: February 09, 2009, 11:20:56 AM »

Oh, I've been around in the world, as Macmillan would have said. I've never been to the US but I've been to Australia and Hong Kong. Too long ago and too briefly to use for this decision though. The longest I've been outside of Sweden, consecutively, is 6 weeks in England. So I've never really lived permanently abroad. But I've been too a fair share of countries.

It would be for the fall term (Sweden doesn't have a summer term).

And while I appreciate the sentiment, being from Sweden doesn't mean I've never experienced warm weather. Smiley I've spent a summer month in China, after all.

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Bacon King
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« Reply #14 on: February 09, 2009, 11:52:48 AM »

D'aw. Wait a minute, I offer advice on Hong Kong though completely neglect to give you info on the school in my home state!

Emory's a great school, yeah. Almost went there but decided at the last minute I'd rather go to college out of state. The school's at a decent location on the northside of Atlanta, and though public transportation can be a bit inconvenient it can take you pretty much anywhere you need to go. I don't know how good it's economics program is specifically but the school's got a solid academic reputation.

And plus if you go to Emory, that could lead to some sort of awesome Atlanta Atlas meet-up involving me, you, Dibble, Clay, etc, maybe.

I'll ask the roommate about Hong Kong next time I see him, btw.
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Gustaf
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« Reply #15 on: February 09, 2009, 11:57:57 AM »

D'aw. Wait a minute, I offer advice on Hong Kong though completely neglect to give you info on the school in my home state!

Emory's a great school, yeah. Almost went there but decided at the last minute I'd rather go to college out of state. The school's at a decent location on the northside of Atlanta, and though public transportation can be a bit inconvenient it can take you pretty much anywhere you need to go. I don't know how good it's economics program is specifically but the school's got a solid academic reputation.

And plus if you go to Emory, that could lead to some sort of awesome Atlanta Atlas meet-up involving me, you, Dibble, Clay, etc, maybe.

I'll ask the roommate about Hong Kong next time I see him, btw.

Thanks, that would be great! And thanks for the Atlanta info as well.

(and I was a little surprised since I seemed to recall you being from Georgia... Wink) Meeting you guys would be cool, and I would like to see America too.
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Bacon King
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« Reply #16 on: February 09, 2009, 12:31:02 PM »

By the way, a great opportunity to see much of the Eastern seaboard from Atlanta without a private vehicle (and without hassling with airports) is Amtrak's Crescent Line. New Orleans is in one direction, and stops such as Washington DC, Philadelphia, and NYC are in the other. I take it between college and home all the time; it's apparently one of Amtrak's star lines so there's really great service too.
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Mr. Morden
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« Reply #17 on: February 10, 2009, 05:25:03 AM »

I have been to Atlanta a couple of times, going to a professional conference in both cases.  Actually, there were a couple of additional times that I've been to Georgia, when I went through the Atlanta airport, but then drove to Athens, GA from there.  I didn't really see enough of Atlanta to comment much on it, except that, at one of the meetings I was at, there were a lot of homeless people in the immediate vicinity around where the conference was being held.  Seemed kind of weird for the conference to be held in a seemingly poor area, but alas....

I have been living in a suburb of Sydney since September.  I've only been to the U. of Sydney campus once, and it looked like a decent enough place.  I can give you more information about Sydney, but I'm not sure exactly what kind of information you're most interested in.  One question for you is "Would you be finding your own housing, or would the university arrange something for you?"  Because the system for finding apartment rentals in Australia is completely f'ed up....a couple of orders of magnitude more complicated than necessary.

One thing I'll say is that it's extremely easy for a foreigner to get along here without any problems.  No one ever comes up to me and says "Go home foreign scum" or "How long until Bush faces justice at the Hague?" or anything like that.  It took me almost no time before I became nearly oblivious to the fact that I was in a foreign country.  As I said before, I'm not so familiar with U. of Syndey itself, but I live less than a block away from Macquarie U., and there seem to be quite a few international students there.  I assume U. of Sydney is pretty similar in that respect.

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