Surviving HKU: Classroom Culture Shock

By Zahra Sachikonye, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

‘Ranked number 1 in Hong Kong by Times Higher Education ranking (2025), the University of Hong Kong is well-known for its high academic standards.’

This sentence may be received in two ways.  

Firstly, imagine me, a young student just beginning her academic journey at the University of Manchester. I’ve just been accepted into this incredible institution for a year abroad. I’m ambitious and in love with my degree so I can’t wait to be challenged, to study amongst brilliant minds and to be taught by world-renowned academics. What an accomplishment! This is great news!

But also, imagine me, a young student just beginning her academic journey at the University of Manchester. When the past exchange students were giving us advice for HKU we were told to expect the most academically challenging year of our lives. They said that once assessments started, we would be emailing our advisors to ask to come back to UoM. Two years at Manchester and I still don’t fully understand what my degree title means (Someone please explain the difference between Sociology and Social Anthropology?), how on earth was I going to survive at a place like HKU?

Spoiler alert: I survived!

Below I detail some of the changes I had to navigate when adapting to the new academic culture and some advice on how to survive and thrive!

(This is through the lens of a Social Sciences Student but hopefully useful to all)

Academic Environment and Workload

500% more work. I didn’t calculate it, but this is my estimate of the percentage change in workload. One class at HKU that I took for only one semester had the same number of assessments I have taken over 2 semesters in 2 courses at UoM. The assessments are not confined to midterms or end-of-semester exams, but rather continuous throughout the year. The content itself isn’t the difficulty, it’s the sheer amount and constant deadlines that make it feel heavy.

Tip #1: Ask for help. I found my academic advisors helpful in having someone to talk to, but I know that only those who are going through it or have gone through the transition will truly understand how hard it can be. Still, reach out to your advisors, the global ambassadors or other students. Share the load. The UoM mental health services are also still available while you are abroad. There are people whose job it is to support you and people who just want to be there for you.

Group Work

Another key difference at HKU is the emphasis on collaborative work through group projects and discussions. I had not done assessed group work for university before coming to HKU. Whilst it was interesting to learn more about myself and others through group work, these assignments generally brought my grade average down due to conflicting working styles, standards for the quality of work and academic backgrounds.

Tip #2: When choosing a group, make sure you’re all on the same page about the importance of your grade in the class. Many exchange students are purely focused on ‘just passing’ whilst other students may have more riding on their grades. I preferred a combined flexible yet focused approach to my studies.

Teaching and Marking

HKU and UoM have similar teaching delivery methods including both tutorials and lectures. The only difference is the existence of 3-hour lectures, though for these classes you are unlikely to have a tutorial as well. Three hours sounds insane or doable depending on your feelings towards lectures. I found these classes doable if they didn’t have a 9:30am start!

I found the marking like Manchester: fair, sometimes disappointing and sometimes pleasantly surprising.

Tip #3: Go to class. Unlike UoM, points at HKU are awarded for lecture attendance and participation, also most of my work was not graded anonymously, so my relationship with the teacher and engagement with the class affected my overall grade.

Final thoughts

Overall, I found my first semester at HKU challenging and extremely rewarding. I have taken classes that have broadened my perspective, inspired ideas for my dissertation and led me to consider pedagogies of learning from a global perspective. So, you’re going to the best university in the country?! Congratulations and good luck!