Experience during the program

As an MBA from HKUST who spent a semester under exchange at The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, my two cents are as follows:

Diversity: My class had 120 odd students from 25+ countries and this was ideal for me. I could develop personal contacts with many and had a good understanding about life and culture in Asian countries. An exchange at a US b-school completed my global immersion with a learning of the western world.

Faculty: I found the compact class size ideal for personal development and learning. Some faculties (admired across the globe) taught wonderful courses such as Effective Negotiations, Global Macroeconomics, Enhancing Professional Skills, Strategic Management. These courses developed in me skills which are not specific to certain job function but lifelong. After studying a semester in Booth, I am satisfied that my academic indulgence in HKUST has been world-class.

Hong Kong: I loved Hong Kong and can come back to this place as many times as I can. Everything about Hong Kong is wonderful - centrally located to most East Asian countries (allows you to travel to various places), exciting hiking trails/beaches (a great break to city hustle bustle), modern architecture and amazing food/nightlife (for planning those weekend hangouts). Although, Hong Kong in general is bit populated with cramped housing spaces, HKUST is located slightly away from the Central area with comfortable student housing facility. I enjoyed my stay as a student.

In terms of career progression, I found seeking a broad based career for English speaking candidates in Hong Kong could be challenging in-general. Due to higher costs of living and dominance of Chinese business, it is some times difficult to find career opportunities which can suit one and all. What I also realized is Hong Kong relies heavily on close network groups when it comes to hiring. I religiously followed a routine to meet professionals in conferences, coffee chats, events and understand their experiences and functions. I found interesting ways to keep my interactions active. Very soon, I had the opportunity to work part time for a local PE fund. It also helped me get recruited on campus for a New York based internship, which ended up in a full-time role. Thus, my investment into the MBA program in terms of time and effort has been rewarded satisfactorily.

All in all, personally I had a great time pursuing the HKUST MBA (combined with the exchange studies).

Overall BSchool experience (5.0)
Schools contribution (5.0)
Classmates rating (5.0)

Strengths of the program:

Curriculum, Classes, Professors
Student body, diversity
Location

Best fit at this program:

Consulting
Finance
Tech
Entrepreneurship
Management

Can be improved:

Brand/Ranking

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Experience during the program

- Good school if you are a native Mandarin speaker or just want to experience life in Hong Kong.
- School positions itself as top 15 and number 1 in Asia,
- Diversity looks good on paper but in reality majority of the class will be represented by a lot of Hong Kong and Chinese people with different passports
- Advertised 12 months program is difficult to achieve as you have to overload significantly and not many people are doing it.
- Although my goals are not met completely, instead I learnt a lot of life lessons.
- Students organize a lot of events and trips.

About professors, classes and curriculum

- There are several very good, world class professors that will teach you a lot and make the HKUST MBA experience worth your time.
- Selection of classes and curriculum are very good.

About job placement process

- University brand is not very well known outside of Hong Kong.
- Job placements are very limited if you do not know Mandarin.
- Career office have got their own agenda and on most occasions are not very helpful, so do not expect any help from university (but they will take credit if you find a good job on your own).
- Night life is amazing and you are close to many Asian cities to travel to during breaks.

Overall BSchool experience (4.0)
Schools contribution (2.0)
Classmates rating (4.0)

Strengths of the program:

Location
Facilities

Best fit at this program:

Finance

Can be improved:

Career opportunities provided by school
Brand/Ranking

Read More