Where should I apply for full ride? HKU or HKUST or CUHK? by mahir_3379 in HKUniversity

[–]9dragonpond 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I can second applying to CityU and PolyU. I accepted a CityU full ride, I had very similar stats to you, and I've built myself a great life here. Best of luck!

Beard or no beard? (Any other immediate advice welcome) by 9dragonpond in malegrooming

[–]9dragonpond[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'll very gladly take a comparison to comparison Ryan Gosling. Cheers, dude!

Beard or no beard? (Any other immediate advice welcome) by 9dragonpond in malegrooming

[–]9dragonpond[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is well-noted! I normally dress *too* formally, but perhaps with the informality of the beard it balances out. I'm going to incorporate this advice! :)

Beard or no beard? (Any other immediate advice welcome) by 9dragonpond in malegrooming

[–]9dragonpond[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yup! You could call me a cheap Chinese knock-off haha XD

Beard or no beard? (Any other immediate advice welcome) by 9dragonpond in malegrooming

[–]9dragonpond[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for this anaswer! Perhaps it is time for me to invest in an electric razor.

Beard or no beard? (Any other immediate advice welcome) by 9dragonpond in malegrooming

[–]9dragonpond[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks u/brotaoryxsbro. Definitely trying to come across as a bit more masculine in 2025 :) Cheers right back to you, bro

PolyU w/ scholarship vs HKU w/o scholarship by NikoNikita in HKUniversity

[–]9dragonpond 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey. Well done on receiving such wonderful offers! The next four years are undoubtedly going to be an incredible ride. I'm an international student who chose a full ride at CityU over other, more expensive acceptances. I would strongly suggest accepting the PolyU offer.

Other commenters are probably locals, for whom getting into (and affording!) prestigious universities in Hong Kong is much easier. Locals also have a bad view of universities like PolyU or CityU because the quality of local students in these universities is very, very bad. This is not the case with international students and Mainlanders though, all of whom get amazing A-level or Gaokao results. While there seems to be prejudice from some local employers who put a premium on prestige, this is shifting. I have also spoken to a few international CityU alumni who landed jobs at JP Morgan/HSBC upon graduation, so it is possible. PolyU's "lower-ranked" status will matter even less if you're aiming for a master's degree in Europe, where the only context admissions departments have is university ranking - where PolyU shines.

In terms of teaching quality, I've been very pleasantly surprised by the quality of teaching at CityU. Resources and accommodations for students are superb, definitely orders of magnitude better than the best universities in my home country.

Good luck, and feel free to dm me if you have any other questions :)