I realized that I forgot to properly introduce myself in my first post.. so here it is!
Most people call me Jenn. I'm currently of senior standing as a third year at UC Riverside. I wanted to prolong my college experience (read: I don't want to start looking for a job yet), so I decided to apply to study abroad through UCEAP. I chose CUHK because of its Yale-Chinese Language Center. I'm going to take Cantonese and Mandarin. I might look into translation and interpretation classes too. I'm focusing on improving my language skills there because I don't really have the opportunity to do that in California.. and I figured it would be a good thing to talk about during my job interviews.
I looked into studying abroad in the fall of 2010. I was actually going through the process of applying for it, then I started to change my mind because it was kind of costly to me at the time. I just continued on with life at UCR. However, during my winter break in 2011, I considered it again. I really didn't want to graduate yet. :( If I didn't decide to study abroad, I would be done this summer! I don't want to look for a job yet. I mean.. I'm going to be working for the rest of my life after graduation, so what's the hurry right?
I probably looked into studying about two weeks before the application due date. I got the paperwork done really quickly (I love filling out forms), but the hardest part was finding a letter of recommendation. :( I emailed my Chinese professor from last year to see if she would help me out... and she said yes! I am so thankful for that because I gave her such a short notice. I got the application completed a few days before the deadline. Then... I had to patiently wait to find out if I would be accepted into the program.
I thought I was an applicant with pretty strong stats, so I didn't even really worry about not getting in. BUT, about a month later, I got a call from the EAP advisor, and he told me that was I was wait-listed for HKU. There were only four spots, and I was the fifth person. My initial reaction was that it must have been some sort of sick joke. -_- I was given the choice of either staying on the wait-list or applying for another program or doing both (I think). I just told him that I would just stay on the wait-list (I was kind of in HKU-or-nothing mode at that time), but I changed my mind after a few hours. Why? Because I would still have to go through all the pre-departure paperwork, meetings, etc. even though I'm not guaranteed a spot. I was like.. well, i'm not trying to waste my time, so I decided that as long as I'm in Hong Kong, it's all good.
HKU was really appealing because it's in the city and it's really prestigious in Asia. CUHK is also a prestigious university, but it's in a region called the New Territories (新界). I think that was why I never really considered it. It's in a rural area with a lot of hills and trees. There's going to be so much walking up and down hills, which is something that UCR does not have (thankfully). It's definitely going to take some getting used to. I'm also allergic to pollen, so if CUHK is really surrounded by mother nature... then hello allergies! My main concern is the mosquitoes though.. I went to China in third or fifth grade and came back to America with a million scars from mosquito bites! Actually, I still have those a few of those scars.. -_-
Anyway, CUHK ended up being a better fit for me because of the extensive language classes that it offers. That was also what inspired my essay for my Gilman Scholarship essay. I also changed my plans to stay there for a year rather than a semester. It just worked out better for me when it came to financial aid and what not. :) I might be a tad far from the city, but HK is known for its super efficient transportation. I'm not too worried about getting around. It might take half an hour or so to get to Mong Kok or Causeway Bay from CUHK, but that's really not too bad. I'm just sitting on a train or bus or whatever it is. I didn't end up with my original choice (although a spot for HKU did eventually open up), but I was presented with a better path.. And.. no, this is not a cases of sweet lemons. I am genuinely happy with my decision!
The moral of the story is.. don't dismiss other opportunities just because you didn't get what you originally wanted. Even if things don't work out as planned, you can always change it to make it work out for yourself. Always seek alternatives. The last thing you want is to be stuck not knowing what to do next. It's a little dramatic, but it's certainly food for thought.
There's a Chinese saying.. "船到橋頭自然直" which means things will eventually work out in the end, and it did for me. Not that this is the end... it's really just the beginning.. :)
On a brighter note.. I will be sending in the portion of the pre-departure checklist that is due March 20th this weekend. One step closer to going to HK!
Jenn
