Humans of CSE October

Intro

Nearing the end of their university degree, some students start to dream of travelling around the world before settling down. For exchange students, this journey takes on an added dimension, as they combine their studies with the adventure of living abroad. From adjusting to a new academic environment to immersing themselves into a different culture, these students experience university life through a unique lens.

In this month’s edition of Humans of CSE, we will be exploring the joy and challenges of exchange students. Two students will be sharing their thoughts and experiences with their exchange program to their respective countries.Through their experiences, we gain insight into what it truly means to step outside of your comfort zone, and how embracing the unfamiliar can lead to the most rewarding moments of university life.

Amy, 4th year Computer Science/Commerce Student

Can you start by introducing yourself, your name, where you're from, and where you went on exchange?

I'm Amy. I'm in my final year studying Commerce and Computer Science, majoring in information systems. Right now I'm on exchange at The University of Hong Kong (HKU), but only as a business student. I've finished my Computer Science part back at home at UNSW, and I’m here just completing the last few courses to fulfill my business requirements.

What inspired you to apply for an exchange program in the first place?

I've always wanted to go on exchange because traveling was always a big part of my life and my family’s. So the idea of being able to travel while studying on the side, especially the courses being pass/fail, was something that had been on my bucket list since I started uni. The question was really just when I would go.

I spent my first three years of uni in societies like CSESOC, so I was hesitant to leave during those society commitments. But in the end, I decided to go on exchange in my final semester, even though UNSW usually advises against it, since it can delay graduation or make it harder to confirm that you’ve met all your requirements. But that didn't stop me. I just had a genuine desire to travel and take on this experience. You only really get the chance to study abroad while you’re at uni, so I wanted to make the most of that before finishing.

Is there a reason why you chose Hong Kong?

Honestly, I actually would have preferred Korea at first, but when I started doing research, I realised there’s a lot more to consider when choosing where you want to go on exchange. I did my research into Korean universities and a lot of the courses that I wanted to take were not offered in English whereas at HKU, it is purely taught in English, with very small exceptions. Language was a major consideration for me, so even for day-to-day conversations, I felt like I needed to be in an environment where I could still use English predominantly.

Another big reason was to travel, particularly to Asia, so being in Hong Kong was the place to be. It's close to many countries, and China is literally just a train ride away. So being able to travel easily, live in an English speaking city while also being able to study in English were the biggest reasons I picked Hong Kong.

How did you first hear about the program, and what was the application process like? Was it competitive, and what did you have to do to qualify?

It's always been talked about. Everyone always asks, whether you plan on going on exchange, or trying one of the short-term exchanges UNSW offers, so it’s always been up in the air for me.  

The application process is actually quite long. You have to apply a year in advance, I actually applied in September of last year. Initially you preference six different universities around the world, researching which ones offer the courses you need. After that, there’s roughly a five to six months waiting period before you get an offer from UNSW. Only one offer is given, so if you don’t get your preferred choice, you might have to reapply next year. After that, there’s a long wait before you hear back, and then you start planning accommodation, flights, budgeting, and everything else. It really tests your patience.

Competitiveness also varies every year just because it's dependent on demand. The reason why it's called exchange is because UNSW can only send as many students overseas as it receives from that partner university. Some universities also have WAM requirements. So at HKU, specifically for business students, it's considered a high demand university and also has a WAM requirement. That makes it competitive, but the tricky part is that you never really know how competitive that year will be. When I applied, it seemed like Hong Kong actually became less competitive compared to previous years, but that could easily change next year.

What’s something you learned about yourself during the exchange?

Despite the application process sounding like I'm very organised, I learned that I'm actually not as organised as I thought I was, and it's actually fine to not be because there will always be things that you don't know until you get there. But in general, I think my friends back at home will know me as someone who's very organised, just with day-to-day things, and even with my exchange preparation. But for something as big as actually going on exchange, I actually made a couple of mistakes, which is fine, and it's good to make mistakes as long as you act to fix them ASAP.  If I made these kinds of mistakes back at home, it'd take me a while to try to figure out a solution but when you're on exchange, you just need to act on them very quickly. I realised I can actually fix things pretty quickly when I have to. Back home I try to stay organised so I don’t end up in those situations, since I’m usually bad at making fast decisions, but exchange really forced me to adapt.

What troubles did you experience before or during your time on the program? For example, cost and cultural differences?

Despite having friends in Hong Kong, I never asked them about how they pay for things, so I purely went on exchange with just my Wise card, which is equivalent to Revolut or UpBank, like an international travel card, and I didn't bring a lot of cash. But then once I arrived here, I actually found out that to top up their version of the Opal card, which is called the Octopus card, and also to pay for things like my accommodation’s air conditioning, washing machine, etc. All these things require cash, and a lot of stores don't take cards either. They only take payments through their Octopus card, which can only be topped up using cash. So I really needed to find a way to get cash ASAP because travel cards like Wise have a limit on how much you can withdraw every month before you start to incur a fee. So I won't lie, I did crash out a little bit, but it's all good now.

Was there any time you felt homesick and how did you deal with it?

Surprisingly, I haven't sat by myself and been upset or terribly homesick yet. It’s because the past two months that I've been here have been very busy but sometimes when I got off phone calls or even when I first left Sydney and my parents at the airport, I was a bit teary, but I didn't cry at the airport because I told myself I shouldn't. Though it's perfectly fine to cry, I was like, if I'm by myself at the airport right now and I start crying, there's no point because I'm literally just going to be crying in the line waiting for security all by myself.

It does get upsetting sometimes. To deal with it, it’s important to surround yourself with people and find friends in exchange. I live at student accommodation that the university provides that I applied for and I have a roommate, and she's also an exchange student from Europe, so I just got really lucky to have someone who is also sharing these kinds of experiences and be able to hang out with. I also text and call people from home from time to time just to do mini updates and I also recently downloaded the Locket widget with my friends so that we can share those mini updates on each other's phones as well. Time flies by really quickly on exchange, so honestly, I haven't had the time to be terribly homesick. I'm just trying to make the most of it.

What are some interesting stories of your time in exchange

When I meet other exchange students, but also local students, it's funny to realise all the stereotypes that everyone has about everyone. For example, I say “hi I'm Amy and I'm from Sydney”, and they go, oh my god, you know Bondi Beach? Do you love Bondi Beach? Do you go there every day? Then I'm like, oh yeah, Bondi Beach is a great place to be but I've probably only been there two times. Then they start asking about drop bears and Australia having a lot of snakes and spiders.

These kinds of questions make me think about how people from other countries think about Australia. Sometimes I think about trolling them about riding kangaroos at school, but then I tell myself not to do that. Some people also think the Australian accent is very distinct, so when they hear me talk they can't really figure out where I'm from. It's really interesting to hear everyone's accents from every country, and to hear about what they think about Australia when they hear that I'm from Sydney.

It also goes the other way, because when I first met my roommate she said she was from London. I remember thinking, oh my gosh she must be friends with the Queen, because that's the only thing I could think about when I think about London.

Also my roommate and I were never prepared for Hong Kong's typhoon weather, so when we first got here there was a pretty big typhoon that was happening in Hong Kong. When we heard about it, we were super stressed out, because when I hear of typhoons, I think of cyclones and hurricanes, and I think, oh my god I'm going to live through a natural disaster. Me and my roommate and some of the other European exchange students living on our floor, were like we should put our mattresses against the windows. We need to stock up and buy all the food from the grocery store COVID-19 style. We need to prepare for the worst. It's going to be like war but when it actually happened, it was just a bit of passing wind that was passing by Hong Kong.

It was really funny that all the exchange students were freaking out over the typhoon when in actual fact a bunch of the local students were telling us, oh it's fine, don't even worry about it. It's really funny to go through that experience with other exchange students because if I was on my own I'd be stressing way too much, but it's fun to stress with others.

It's just very interesting to see all the cultures kind of blend together because even though you meet people whose families are from different cultures back in Sydney, here you actually get to meet people raised in different cultures, and that’s been the most fun part of being on exchange.

Would you recommend exchange programs to other students? Why or why not?

Yes definitely. It requires a lot of effort but it's really something you can only experience in uni. It really tries to teach you to be a bit more independent and now that you're older to start trying to figure out what you want. So whether it be if you want to travel every weekend? What kind of activities do you want to do every day? How do you choose to eat your meals? Are you going to cook? Do you want to make loads of friends? New hobbies? Career opportunities? It's like a key opportunity to just do whatever you want without feeling like someone's going to judge you or anything which is the mindset that I had.

So when I came on exchange I was like, I'm going to do everything because no one's here to judge me or look at me weirdly. No one knows who I am. I will warn that you do need to be on top of it just because it is very overwhelming to try and figure out when applications are due, like how housing is going to work, how much money are you going to prepare, if you need financial assistance, etc. The experience isn't for everyone and that's perfectly fine. There are also short exchange programs if you just want a taste of living abroad. It's all up to personal preference but it is the experience that you can only get while you're in uni and it does just require you to set some time aside to just decide a year in advance if this is something that you want to do.

Do you have a final comment that you want everyone to know?

The final comment is to just do it. There are a lot of things that I hesitated to do back in Sydney like even just day-to-day things. Back in Sydney I'd be like, should I eat out today or should I try out this new restaurant, should I go to this festival or should I try out a new hobby? Then I'd say I'll do it next month or I'll do it next year, whereas when you're on exchange you don't have anything beyond the months that you're on exchange. So just do it. I tell myself that every time I try to make a decision here. Sometimes it's like a little activity that's being held 20 minutes out from where I live and, I'm kind of too lazy to get dressed and to leave the house but I'm like, no just do it. There's no other time that you're going to do it. It applies to the whole exchange experience as well. Just apply, even if you're not too sure, just because the application is so long that you might regret not applying for it. It's better to just apply for it and when you're waiting for that whole process to kind of start falling in line to then decide how you want to play out the rest of your uni life.

Patrick, 4th year Computer Science/Biology student

Can you start by introducing yourself, your name, where you're from and where you went on exchange?

Hi, I’m Patrick. I’m currently in my fourth year with a double degree in Computer Science and Biology at UNSW. Last year, I had the opportunity to go on exchange to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

What inspired you to apply for an exchange program in the first place?

My parents always encouraged me to study overseas, but I didn’t get into the universities I initially applied to overseas. So I decided to pursue an exchange instead, which turned out to be a great experience. I chose UCLA mainly because it’s a well known university in the University of California system and it’s located in LA, which felt like a cool place to live. Other options I had, like universities in Japan or Switzerland, had language barriers since many courses weren’t offered in English.

How did you first hear about the program? What was the application process like and was it competitive and what did you have to do to qualify?

I first heard about the exchange program vaguely, but didn’t know much about UNSW’s specific options until I looked into it myself by searching UNSW exchange. It was always in the back of my mind, but I only seriously considered it once I felt ready and had a clear plan.

The application process was quite challenging and mostly self directed. You need to nominate six universities and research their course offerings to find subjects that credit towards your UNSW degree. This can be tricky, especially with international universities. For example, the ETH Zurich handbook was a 200 page PDF in German, so I had to translate it manually. Japanese universities had similar language issues, while American schools like UCLA were easier to navigate but still had their own quirks.

Once you pick courses, you have to match them to UNSW equivalents. This is easier if you have free electives, but I was completing a double degree in Computer Science and Biology, so I had to carefully ensure my courses aligned with degree requirements. This involved comparing syllabuses and proving equivalency.

The program is competitive and based on WAM (Weighted Average Mark), especially for popular universities like those in the UC system. I was the only UNSW student at UCLA that term, while only one went to UC Berkeley - my first choice, but UCLA turned out great. Higher WAM students can also receive scholarships, which helps offset some costs. The application was complex and time-intensive, but definitely worth it.

What is something that you learned about yourself during the exchange?

During the exchange, I learned a lot about connecting with people in new environments. At UNSW, most of my close friends are from high school or classes where we already had common interests, so making friends felt natural. But on exchange, I met people from very different backgrounds and cultures, which was initially a bit intimidating.

Surprisingly, it turned out easier than I expected. I made some amazing friendships—some even closer than those back home. It taught me that meaningful connections don’t require a lot in common; they can grow from openness, curiosity, and shared experiences.

Leaving was bittersweet, but I still keep in touch with many friends and hope to visit them again. Overall, the experience showed me I’m more adaptable and socially capable than I realised.

What troubles did you experience before or during your time on the program? For example, like cost and culture differences?

Before going on exchange, we attended several preparation workshops, including one on culture shock. They explained the typical stages including the initial shock, adaptation, and reverse shock when returning home. Honestly, I didn’t experience much of that since Los Angeles culture is quite similar to Australia’s. It was more interesting than disorienting, with only small lifestyle and attitude differences.

The biggest challenge was the cost. Living in LA is expensive. I was lucky to have financial support from my parents and a UNSW scholarship, plus some savings from part-time work, but it was still a significant expense.

Socially, it was tough at first. Making friends in a new place takes effort, and initially, I felt intimidated because I didn’t know anyone. One day, I went through the UCLA student societies list and joined a few clubs, which was the best decision. That’s how I made most of my friends and started feeling at home.

There was also some social unrest on campus related to the Israel Palestine conflict. Students set up a large encampment in the main quad, leading to a week of cancelled classes. Police eventually cleared the area, with helicopters and tear gas, which was quite confronting to witness nearby. I wasn’t in danger, but it was a stark reminder of the different political climate.

Was there any time you felt homesick? And how did you deal with it?

In terms of homesickness, I actually didn’t experience much of it. Los Angeles felt surprisingly similar to Sydney in many ways, even though the weather was almost identical. It gets down to around ten degrees in winter and up to about thirty in summer, so it really felt quite familiar.

That said, I definitely missed my friends. To stay connected, I found a slightly unconventional solution. Back home, my friends and I would often play games together late at night, usually around 10 p.m Sydney time. But with the time difference, that worked out to about 4 a.m in LA So what I’d do is go to bed early, set an alarm for 4 a.m., wake up just to play games with them for a few hours, and then go back to sleep. It was a bit of a funny routine, but it really helped me feel close to home and stay in touch with the people I cared about.

What are some interesting stories of your time in the exchange?

Another memorable experience I had during my time at UCLA was going to a fraternity party, which is something that felt like a quintessential part of American college life. One of my roommates, who was also an exchange student from the UK, had joined a fraternity there. He invited me along, saying I should experience it at least once. I’m not usually someone who goes to parties, but I figured since I was in the U.S., I might as well see what it was like.

He took me to a “pre-party” at one of his friend’s apartments, and then we headed to the main event. The party itself was enormous, more like a small music festival than a house party. The fraternity owned an entire apartment-style building, and the courtyard had been transformed into this huge event space. The theme that night was “Blackout,” so everyone was dressed in black, with neon paint and lights everywhere. There were fog machines, music, and hundreds of students.

It was definitely unlike anything I’d ever seen at UNSW, it’s chaotic but also a lot of fun. It was one of those moments where I thought, Okay, this is the full American college experience.

Would you recommend this exchange program to other students? Why or why not?

Yes, 100 percent. It really gives you a new perspective on life. It makes you realise there’s so much more to being a uni student than just studying at UNSW. The campus culture at UCLA and in American universities in general is completely different. Because everyone lives on campus, there’s this incredible sense of community. You can just message a friend and say, “Hey, want to grab something at the dining hall?” and meet up right away. Here, it’s a lot harder to organise anything, it might take two hours just to get to campus. Over there, everything and everyone feels so much more accessible. You’re constantly surrounded by people, energy, and opportunities to connect. I think that’s what makes it so special. You really feel part of a close-knit community, and for that reason, I’d 100 percent recommend the experience.

Any last ending remarks that you want to say?

Definitely go for exchange if you can. Life is short, and this is a unique chance to grow and experience the world. I’d recommend doing the exchange as early as possible because securing spots and matching courses gets harder later in your degree due to prerequisites and WAM requirements. I found the course matching process particularly challenging, but it was worth it.