Liang ZHANG

Student of Harbin Institute of Technology, China
Exchange to The Australian National University, Australia

I was pretty excited when I was offered the opportunity to exchange to Australian National University (ANU) on semester 2 2015. Exploring the different living and studying experience has long been a dream for me, a dedicated learner in a traditional Chinese university with a long history, Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT). Thanks to Endeavour Cheung Kong Student Exchange Program and the support from the Chinese Scholarship Council, my dream has finally come true.

During my days studying at ANU, I encountered many outstanding professors and TAs, who always gave me detailed and inspiring assistance in the lectures, labs and after-class study sessions with great enthusiasm and patience. As a fourth-year undergraduate, I got a basic but rather comprehensive understanding of Concurrent and Distributed Systems, Information Retrieval, Natural Language Processing, and Machine Learning at ANU, which turns out to be an essential preparation for my further academic research.

Another aspect that has impressed me a lot is the heated interaction between students and instructors, as well as the cooperation among students. In China, the lecturers prefer to tell us the content, instead of guide us to think during the class. What's more, we students are not used to group study. As a result, we often study on our own, which is not as efficient as group study. In ANU, my instructor is always asking questions during the lectures to encourage us to think about the content actively, while my classmates often manage group study to review the materials together and help each other with all kinds of subtle problems. The study experience makes me become more active in the interaction with instructors and turns me to the great fun of group study.

Enjoying the amazing natural scenery around Australia is another theme of my exchange trip. I appreciate the quietness and peace walking beside Lake Burley Griffin, Canberra, while Brisbane impressed me with cute koalas and kangaroos in Lone Pine. Sydney and Melbourne have a beauty of metropolis, while Cairns attracts me with its splendid natural view - the Great Barrier Reef.

All in all, this Australia trip leads me to a larger world, and I have benefitted a lot from it. I would like to extensively thank the Cheung Kong Group for selecting me to receive the Endeavour Cheung Kong Awards. Not only did the Award help me with the expenses associated with going on exchange, it provided me with additional funding to explore Australia. I will never forget the memories I have made at ANU and in Australia.

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