I've been in Hong Kong for approximately six months now. And although Hong Kong is a wonderful city to visit and in general have a good time, the longer I'm here, the less and less desire I have to actually consider making this city a home. Maybe its the atmosphere or just the competitive pressure or whatever, but this would be a great city to visit just not for me to live in.
Being a student here is quite difficult. I'll admit it makes the US schools or at least the schools I've been to look comparatively easier. However, that's also because it's a different system. I admit that I'm not used to memorizing a book, chapter after chapter, and having the test be pretty much everything I've memorized. I'll admit that I prefer the opportunity to express an opinion or conceptualize and be able to be awarded for that, and also that unlike the locals here, I wasn't conditioned to just study, study, and study. Grades don't mean EVERYTHING at home like they do here, a lot of times these days, it's also who you know. It's tough for us non-locals though. In each course only approximately 10-15% of the students in the course are allowed to receive A's. Participation points are awarded only if the Professor likes your answer (you can participate an entire semester and still receive no points), your group grades are docked if you have any type of group problems rather than the individual at fault, and students take full responsibility of everything (i.e.. if the entire class fails, it's because they're stupid rather than the Professor being a bad teacher). HKUST caters to its Professors, not its students. I was once warned to be wary of a certain Professor, known as the "king of complaints," in fear that if he made a complaint against the group I was in, we would likely lose all rights to the facilities we were using and had the possibility of having our group disbanded. Sounds unfair doesn't it.
People here are so competitive. They're trained to present themselves (even if they can't actually speak English outside the presentation), to study, and to do what it takes to get ahead (even if it means working endless hours with no overpay or recognition or anything). At times, I can see how the competitiveness gives them an edge. But I also thing it's sad at times. They are unable to enjoy more of life because lives here are spent moving so fast. There are no cafes where people can enjoy their food and chat, nobody really sits outside or walks outside just to enjoy the weather, and extracurricular activities usually serve to make themselves more accomplished and to look good on their resumés.
The economy is bad, we all understand that. It's been difficult for us to find jobs, yes. But we also find a lot of jobs through others or connections our parents had. Besides, many successful people don't always have top grades. My roommate only networks with Professors...but I think the fellow students she looks down on will be more helpful in the future than any of her Professors may be.
