<p>I am a student from Bangladesh thinking of applying to these Hong Kong universities (among others) for undergrad. I am planning to major in Economics, and most rankings of economics depts put HKUST in the top 50 and CUHK in the top 100, and that's one reason why I'm applying there. The other reason is that they both have good scholarship programs.</p>
<p>But apart from this I know little about these universities. Are they international friendly, for example? Are they well-considered outside of HK? Anything else I should know about them?</p>
<p>Any help is appreciated, particularly from people who have actually been to the unis.</p>
<p>Try applying to some schools in the Philippines like University of the Philippines (UP), De La Salle University (DLSU) and the University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P). they're all excellent schools for economics and they're quite cheaper than most schools in Hong Kong/Singapore (maybe 1/5 of the cost). Philippine schools are also excellent schools too. The University of the Philippines' Economics, for instance, is one of the best in Asia, as i've heard. </p>
<p>you would get a much better education (and better future prospects) by going to india as opposed to going around asia. if your going abroad, dont stay on the same continent.</p>
<p>yeah the local thing is the one that's been worrying about, i've heard somewhere that there aren't many internationals and most hong kongese speak chinese & so are hard to get along with. But then there is the fact that I will be an outsider pretty much wherever I go.</p>
<p>Any current or former students of HKUST or CUHK with an opinion on this?</p>
<p>I think that among all the universities in HK, only the Chinese U of HK and HK Baptist U have a substantial number of international students. I believe the rest have IS only in the graduate level. </p>
<p>I have also heard that some schools in India are good. But we also have heard that India is not a nice place to study and live in. (no offense meant to our India friends). The top Indian Schools don't have a good proportion of IS students too. </p>
<p>This is my take. </p>
<p>Each and every country has its own "premier" university. Some people call it "National" university. For example, NUS in Singapore, UP in the Philippines, Malaya in Malaysia, Chula in Thailand, Tokyo in Japan, Peking in China, ANU in Australia and so on. We all know those are good schools; those are the top schools in their respective country. But despite their top-notch quality education, they’re not usually the best schools for international students if you after "experience". IMO, those are top schools to consider if you want to pursue a masters/doctorate degree and you can't afford to study in the US or UK. I think that if your intention to study abroad is for the heck of experience, then go to the top private schools in their country. Those schools usually have a higher proportion of IS students and have policies that are friendlier to IS students. </p>
<p>Here are the schools I have in mind:</p>
<p>Thailand:
Assumption University
Bangkok University
Asian university of Science and Tech</p>
<p>Philippines:
De La Salle University
University of Asia & the Pacific
Ateneo de Manila University
University of San Carlos
Xavier University
University of Santo Tomas</p>
<p>Malaysia:
University of Nottingham Malaysia
Monash University Malaysia</p>
<p>Hmm so what you're saying is if I'm after a top-notch education I should look at the well-ranked universities, but for a better overall experience the less well-known ones are better?</p>
<p>The thing is, the primary reason I want to study abroad is not for experience but mostly because the universities in my country are not good enough academically. So from that perspective universities with good academics might suit me well. </p>
<p>Maybe I should apply to a wider range of universities and decide once the accpetances are in?</p>
<p>once again, if its academics you want and you cant afford the US/UK go to india. however, if your current scores are really high, a lot (that is a LOT) of american universities will give you a full scholarship (meaning you have to pay nothing) just because your an international student.</p>
<p>HKUST is really a decent uni in hk. On the other hand, most of the hong kongers speak cantonese most of the time (note: it is NOT even including mandrain yet) If u really wan to go there to study, then you must be mentally prepared cuz the chinese tend to mix with one another first. Another thing is that when the chinese are together, they might not converse in english so you will feel left out. If you are looking at the academic aspect, why dont you look at National Univerisity of Singapore or Australia's uni?</p>
<p>I'm already applying to NUS and in fact it's one of my top choices, partly because I already know many people who are studying there or going to study there. On the other hand, applying to the HK unis gives me more options when I'm actually going to decide where to study.</p>
<p>I'm not a great fan of Australian unis since it seems almost none of the major ones offer any scholarships for international undergraduates. As for American unis, I'm in fact applying to a couple of them but they are both big reaches. </p>
<p>Karan, which universities in India do you recommend for internationals? I have only the vaguest idea about Indian unis.</p>
<p>none in india are really international unis, they are just really high quality ones. as a bangladeshi, you probably wont be considered an international applicant anyway.</p>
<p>what are your grades and sats like? and which US unis are you applying to?</p>
<p>Well here are my stats:
O'Levels: 10 A's
A'Levels: 4 A's at A2 Level and 1 A at AS Level (So it's like 4.5 A's, lol)
SAT I: results not out, scored 2300> in practice tests
SAT II: Taking them in December</p>
<p>I'm applying at Harvard and Yale. I would have applied to more, but I'm already enrolled in a univ in my country and that makes me a transfer applicant anywhere else. I plan to apply as transfer to universities in US if my freshman applications don't work out.</p>
<p>A quick aside about Japanese universities: While Todai (Tokyo) is usually considered the "premier" university in Japan, fair arguments can be made for Kyoto University as well. There also seems to be a somewhat "friendlier to foreigner" streak at good ol' Kyodai as well...</p>
<p>Good good grades. What subjects did you take for A levels? And what do you think you got on the SAT?</p>
<p>Also, applying to Harvard and Yale is silly, cause you are aiming right for the top. Apply to some less great US universities, and they will probably give you a scholarship (with those grades anyway). What are you planning to major in.</p>
<p>I don't necessarily agree. I've met plenty of people who've had good experiences at Asian universities. Even Japanese ones, which are often considered to be very "tough to crack."</p>
<p>It really is on a person-by-person and school-by-school basis.</p>
<p>
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Also, applying to Harvard and Yale is silly, cause you are aiming right for the top.
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</p>
<p>Why is is silly to want the best? Sure, apply to some other schools as a buffer, but why not give it a shot?</p>
<p>Because if you are only applying to the two best (and hardest to get into) schools in the US, and nothing else you are severely crippling yourself if you dont get in. You will end up being forced to go to a (no offense) no name school in the Philippines which is just as good as getting a degree from Bangaldesh.</p>
<p>Apply to say 2 schools like harvard/yale, 2 schools a tier under (match schools) and 2 safety schools.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Apply to say 2 schools like harvard/yale, 2 schools a tier under (match schools) and 2 safety schools.
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</p>
<p>No argument there. But you perhaps should have said, "Applying ONLY to Harvard and Yale is silly." Sending in the app, if you can afford the time and money, is not silly. It's limiting your options that's silly.</p>
<p>Oh, and I say if you can, up the number to 3, 3, and 3.</p>