Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

[Ahhcrap]

Hi,

I just got accepted to The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology for a Masters in Electrical Engineering. I haven't been able to find much information on them other than from their website and international rankings (they placed pretty high) which are both pretty vague. Anyone have any experience or thoughts about them? Would a masters degree from say UofT or McGill be better regarded than a degree from HKUST if I were to apply for jobs in North America afterwards?

Thanks

[smellie]

If you plan on coming back to N.America and get a job, I'd think it makes sense to do your degree here. That way you're in the loop, getting to know people and be aware of the potential job market.

[aricyo]

If you plan on coming back to N.America and get a job, I'd think it makes sense to do your degree here. That way you're in the loop, getting to know people and be aware of the potential job market.

There is always a possibility that Ahhcrap does not live in North America but just plans to find a job and move here

[abcxyz]

i'd say a n. american degree is the best if you plan to stay in the US after you finish your degree. also, if you plan to do a phd (presumably in the US), definitely get your masters in n. america unless HKUST is ranked much much higher although HKUST is the best university in HK.

i'm from HK myself. i can tell you what to expect if you go to HKUST.

HKUST is really isolated. expect to go out and hop bars only during weekends. people in HK are nice and friendly, and the city never sleeps so you won't get bored when you're outside the campus. however, expect to compete against lots of students from mainland china who have very strong technical skills and have no life aside from studying. and right, my guess is, most of your instructors will be chinese. what i'm trying to point out is, if you're not chinese, expect some cultural shock.

[Nardo]

For what it's worth, I did a semester abroad at HKU. Maybe my time there will help you out. The students student population broke down into a few pretty well defined groups; the "Honkies" or students that grew up HK, the mainlanders, which was a pretty sizable group of people on campus, and a percentage of international students. There is some natural interplay between the groups, but it took me a lot of effort to make friends with people from the mainland and HK. Many of my international friends gave up, even ones who spoke Cantonese. Don't expect to make fast friends, unless it's with a fellow international student.

Furthermore, what abcxyz said about the students, I found to be true as well. The average student was more technically sound than I was used to, ie their math skills off top. My classes tended to be lecture listening/note taking centric, ie questions where not common, and eliciting participation was usually met by defeat. I didn't leave the school with a greater love for my field.

That being said, I didn't go there for the education, I was there to see China and for the adventure. No doubt, Hk blew my mind. It's a great city, with endless nooks and cranies. The mainland is 45 minutes away. Thailand, Vietnam, Japan and the Philippines are easily reached cheaply. The Himalayas aren't too far away, either if that's your style.

Bottom line, it's a great place to be for a while, but being a student in HK can be a bit a a drag at times.

[Ahhcrap]

Thank you all for sharing your experiences and opinions. It's disappointing to hear that lectures are listening/note taking centric. Since many of the professors (at HKUST not HKU) attended prestegous North American Universities I would hope for small duscussion based lectures. With regarding to making friends, I wonder if living in residence or joining clubs would help unless its a language barrier. I'm starting to think staying at a n. american university would be a safer option, its unfortunate that one would become so disadvantaged just by attending a school in a different country.

Anyways, thanks again.

[Nardo]

Keep in mind I wasn't enrolled in graduate school during my time at HKU. Also, many of my profs tried to spark some discussion in class, it just wasn't very successful, which resulted in them falling back on a more traditional lecture style. Again, this was in a range of 1st, 2nd and 3rd year courses, not their graduate offerings, so take this with a grain of salt.

Regarding living in the campus residential halls, I lived in one while I was attending HKU. There was only one grad student on the floor, and his main purpose was to be a big brother sort to the undergrads. I don't think you'd be in position to take up that position in a hall at HKUST, but you might be able to find a graduate hall. I seem to remember there being some at HKU.

Anyway, the residential halls in HKU are known for their "hall spirit," meaning they have many traditions (songs, sporting activities, social activities, hall dinners, Orientation Camp for the new members) that the residents are expected to carry on. You live in the same hall and floor your entire time at school so the floor becomes a very close knit bunch who also have their own floor specific activities. My experience was that both the hall and floor events are conducted in Cantonese, which makes participation a bit difficult for a westerner. For this reason, most of the international exchange students opt out of these events, making the divide between the two groups even wider. If you want to participate, any hall or floor member is always welcome, you just need a friend to translate whats going on.

Some of the events were great, for instance I always enjoyed going out to eat with my floor mates and playing soccer. Some weren't, like the singing and chanting. Some were weird and comical, to get a sense of what I mean, search for "happy corner HKU" on youtube. I'm pretty sure there's a video on there from every university in HK, including HKUST.

My understanding is that "hall spirit" is strongest at HKU, being the oldest and most traditional school, but it exists throughout the city to various degrees depending on the school and specific hall. I'd imagine that a grad student hall would have their hall spirit toned pretty far down down; school is more demanding and the local students already had the experience in their undergraduate education, but that's just my guess. The take home message is that the residential halls of HK are very different to what a student from Canada or the US experienced in the dorms, and it's best to know what you're signing up for.