Full Name: Calvin Ma Yuk Hong

Curriculum: LLB(BBA)

Host Institution: University College London

Exchange Duration: 2 semesters

Type of Scholarship: HKU Worldwide Student

Exchange 2010-11 Scholarship

1 A brief description of the host institution and the city that you stayed in.

The host institution that I studied in was the University College London, the third

oldest university in the United Kingdom and is among the world’s top universities.

Founded in 1826, UCL is situated in some historical buildings, but the facilities and

equipments are modern and powerful. In addition, UCL is very international, as

nearly one-third of its students come from outside the UK. The students are

intelligent and sophisticated, and therefore it is a competitive environment to study

in.

The city I stayed in is London, a world-leading cosmopolitan city. The city is historical

and beautiful, but at the same time very vibrant and dynamic. There are lots of

historical sites and good museums to visit. If you are looking for excitement, there

are all sorts of entertainments that could be provided. Londoners are quick and

smart, but at the same time very friendly and playful. I think it is one of the best

cities in Europe.

2 Information on the academic culture and what you consider as the most

important aspect of your academic experience

The academic culture in UCL is quite competitive. Students in UCL are the cream of

the crop in UK and around the world. Therefore, it could be expected that you will be

studying with some very intelligent students. Nevertheless, the academic culture is

quite different from that of Hong Kong. More emphasis is put on creativity and

innovation. The academic experience was quite impressive for me. The university life

may seem to be less stressful and the workload may be less heavy, but you would

have to be very innovative and passionate in order to outstand from the crowd.

3 The course(s) that you consider as meaningful and impressive, and vice versa

(please state reasons)

The Conflict of Laws course had been impressive to me. Although I was a year 5

student, I had not experienced a law course as challenging and exciting as this one.

Most of the law courses that we have taken were part of the common law system,

and the issues were mostly how we should apply the law. Very differently, in the

Conflict of Laws, you have to solve the problem of which law should be applied, and

how should it be applied when they are in conflict. Private international law is a

difficult topic and therefore it was very impressive that the lecturer could teach it

without using any teaching materials. He could do it in that way and at the same time

make the lectures very informative and interesting. Only a passionate professor who

knows the topic very well could do this.

4 Your experience in residence / university accommodation

I stayed in the Ramsay Hall, which is a UCL accommodation and therefore all the flat

mates studied in the UCL. The hall has catering service, and therefore it is very easy

to make friends with other flat mates, because very often you would have meals with

other residents throughout the day. It is a very comfortable accommodation and at

the same time lots of fun. Quite usually hall residents will have party together and

these are perfect occasions to social.

5 Your personal experience with local as well as international students/residents

UCL is a very international university, with about one-third of its students from

around the world. Therefore it was a very good opportunity for me to make friends

with local students as well as students from other countries. Some of my friends

were from the UK, USA, Germany, Spain, India, Mexico, Singapore and China. It was

an interesting experience that people with very different background will study

together. The local students could teach you a lot about living in the UK, and

international students would widen your horizon when they talk about their home

countries.

6 Your view on the local customs or personal traits of the host culture and how

you assimilate into the local culture

The local people are more relaxed and playful when compared to the culture in Hong

Kong or in Asia generally. Therefore when getting along with the local people, you

would have to expect the unexpected. At first it was not easy because culture shock

is quite common for international students. At the end of the day, I opened my mind

and accepted new things and therefore assimilated into the local culture successfully.

7 Your experience in participating in extra-curricular or non-academic activities

During the exchange I spent a lot of time travelling. I have been to 8 countries with

different people. It was my best and once in a lifetime experience. Europe is perhaps

the best and most blissful region in the world. For students studying abroad in

Europe I would strongly recommend travelling as the best extra-curricular activity.

8 Any difficulty encountered, special moments and information or advice that

you would like to share with your fellow students

For students on exchange it is quite common that sometimes they would feel lonely

and helpless, especially when they are far away from their family and friends in a

place that they may have culture shock. Therefore, it is very important that

international students should keep in touch with their family and contact them

frequently. Secondly, students should try to be active and make new friends, perhaps

with people with similar background at the beginning. When they start to feel

comfortable, then they could make more new friends with local people and continue

to explore.

9 Personal insights and anecdotes about your exchange experience

The exchange experience has been very insightful for me. It helped me to understand

that there are many different ways people live in this world. The living style in Europe

is very distinguishable from that in Hong Kong and in Asia generally. Individualism is

encouraged, and sometimes even applauded. Therefore, European could be more

creative and innovative.

10 In what way(s) your exchange experience have enhanced your personal

development

The exchange experience has enhanced my personal development in many different

ways. Firstly, I had become a more adventurous person. The experience of living in a

very different place and make friend with people from very different backgrounds

helped me to become a person who is not afraid of trying new things. Secondly, I

have become more creative and innovative. The European reminded me that there

are many ways of doing things, and sometimes it could be better when you leave

your comfort zone. Thirdly, I had become more mature. The difficulties that I

encountered and solved helped me to become tougher.

11 Any comment or recommendation to both OISE and your host institution on

improving the exchange programme

In my opinion both OISE and my host institution have done a very good job. They

have provided a lot of support and useful information for the international students.

I believe it would be better if the credit transfer process could be accelerated. I could

not receive my UCL transcript until the end of August. I think OISE could take more

active actions in this regard.

12 Overall comment of the exchange study, which will be used as reference for

prospective students to choose exchange destination

Exchange study is definitely one of the most important experiences during university

education. It is going to strongly enhance a student’s development, both personally

and academically. A successful exchange study is going to have profound lifetime

effects to a person. Choosing the right exchange destination is crucial, as different

students would have different expectation. At the end of the day, choosing the

country that a student likes most could solve most of the problems. I love Europe,

and therefore it was a very pleasant experience for me to exchange there.