Hong Kong has global appeal
Hong Kong's multiculturalism and cosmopolitan feel, coupled with first-class institutions such as the University of Hong Kong (HKU), are common denominators prompting students from abroad to study here instead of at western universities.
Sabutai Haider, from Pakistan, is doing a bachelor of science degree majoring in biology at HKU.
'I came to the Asia-Pacific region to study because it is closer to home,' he said.
'The region is also fast growing into a major economic and multicultural place where the best minds are gathering. And it is much easier to integrate here than other western countries.
'I chose HKU because it is in one of the most beautiful and important cities in the world. [Last year the university was ranked 33rd in the world by the Times Higher Education Supplement] and costs half as much as other [western] universities of equal repute.'
Richard Pierre Edele is from New York and is in his first year of a bachelor of arts degree, and plans to major in Japanese Studies.
'I'm a student of Japanese, Putonghua and Cantonese, and Hong Kong is the perfect place for me to deepen my understanding and appreciation of the east.'
'At HKU I am able to appreciate and learn about Chinese languages and culture, and the international environment allows me to keep up my Spanish and French, and any languages I might begin studying in the future.'
Pelin Ikiz is from Turkey and is studying civil and environmental engineering. 'Right after I got the offer from HKU, I got accepted to two Ivy League schools, Brown and Cornell in the United States, and they both gave me scholarships, so my decision was a very difficult one,' she said.
'I chose HKU, not the other Hong Kong universities, simply because I could only compare HKU with the other schools that I got accepted to in the US. Moreover, the world rankings indicate that it is the best among the Asia-Pacific universities and close to the top globally.'
Julian Gaertner is a German student studying social sciences with majors in politics and economics.
'I can continue to improve my already intermediate level of Chinese language and culture. Besides a few universities, for example the University of Cologne in Germany, Chinese language courses are not yet established that well elsewhere,' he said.
Matsuno Yumi is from Japan's Utsunomiya University and is studying social sciences with a leaning to international politics.
'I chose HKU over a western institution because I thought I could study different ideas or values about international politics than I could at a western university,' she said.
'I expected I could experience different ideas and know more about Hong Kong.'
