Oi Sum Li

The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Exchange to The University of Melbourne, Australia

My Academic Experience at The University of Melbourne
One of the most remarkable points of the learning environment at the University of Melbourne is that every student can access a purpose-built multimedia online resource, called ‘Learning Management System’ (LMS). Students can download all study materials on the LMS, including tutorial and assignment answers, so that they can adopt their own learning style. The impressive points of the LMS are the provision of lecture recordings and the online tutor system. All lectures are recorded and it is always helpful for consolidating and understanding the materials by listening to the lectures again online. Apart from that, the online tutor system allows students to post questions on the LMS. Tutors will answer the questions and other students can also give responses and comments on them, very much like a forum.

Normally, the contact hours of a subject is three hours every week, including two one-hour lectures and a one-hour tutorial. Most lectures only last for an hour, making them more ‘endurable’ and ensuring that students are less likely to lose concentration in the middle of the class.

Moreover, few contact hours, together with the assistance of the LMS, leaves plenty of room for self-learning. Taking only four subjects in a semester gave me lots of leisure time and I really enjoyed the relaxed studies and self-learning experience there. The workload there was lighter than at the University of Hong Kong so I was able to enjoy my life and pursue my hobbies after school.

My Favourite Subjects
There were not many restrictions on course selection of exchange students, except that I could not choose more than three subjects from one faculty. I chose two subjects from the Faculty of Economics and Commerce and two from the Faculty of Arts. Among the four, I really enjoyed Baroque Art and Introductory Macroeconomics.

Life at Residential College
Over the semester, I stayed at Queen’s College, which is one of the twelve student residential colleges at the University of Melbourne. It accommodates about 210 students and is only a five-minute walk away from the campus. The college has a history of 120 years. The beautiful historic buildings, together with a grassy quad, provide a very pleasant living environment.

The accommodation fee at the college was quite high. However, it is absolutely worth it. All of the rooms there are single, equipped with heating, broadband Internet connection and basic furniture. It provides three meals a day in its own gorgeous dining hall. What makes it worthwhile to pay that huge sum of money is the strong peer support it provides. Most residents at the college were local students. We met each other in the corridors, dining tables, courtyard and various activities and parties. It was very easy to make friends and they were all very helpful and funny.

My college life was so great and memorable! I made many good friends there and had great fun! Many sports and cultural activities were held inside the college. I tried to play Australian rules football (footy), as well as attended many soirees, concerts and drama performances. I was impressed by the students’ enthusiasm and devotion to all activities held by the college. There were many parties throughout the semester. Undoubtedly, there was plenty of drinking at the parties (most of them like it), and wine was served at formal dinners too. No one forced anybody to drink, and they did provide coke!

Traveling
I joined the International Students Outdoor Programme (ISOP) for a weekend trip to the Great Ocean Road and an eleven-day trip to Central Australia. The trips were inexpensive and I got to know many international students, whom I still keep in touch with. I also went to Sydney with friends in December. That was unforgettable and it was the first time that I organized a trip all by myself. The traveling I did after exams was one of the most memorable parts of my exchange programme!

Difficulties Encountered
Life in Melbourne was easy, and I can say that I did not have any great difficulty in adapting to the new environment, especially as my friends in my college took very good care of me. The main challenge for me when I first arrived in Australia was that I could not fully understand some people’s English. Many people there speak ‘proper’ English, when every word is clearly pronounced, while some people speak English with a strong accent that I could not fully understand. Moreover, quite a lot of slang is used in casual conversations. I had difficulties in getting used to all these language barriers at the beginning. I resolved this problem by asking for clarification and they were very willing to explain.

Personal Feelings
I am so glad that I have been on exchange. I have to express my sincere thanks and gratitude to the University of Hong Kong and the Endeavour Australia Cheung Kong Scholarship Programme for offering me this precious opportunity! I gained a lot from the exchange programme and it is a choice that I will never regret. Everything was so wonderful! Returning to Hong Kong, I miss my life in Melbourne – in particular, the cafes and coffee. Most importantly, I have found myself becoming more cheerful, outgoing and active in communicating with strangers. Furthermore, my spoken English really improved a lot. When I was in Australia, I only spoke in Cantonese when I was talking to my parents and mentors. I spoke in English for the rest of the time, so speaking in English has become natural to me now.

Conclusion
Exchange is awesome!!!

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