An HKUST Exchange Student's Packing List

Thestudyabroadblog.com has a great packing list for students studying abroad for a year and is applicable to semester exchange students as well. For my list, I've pulled together items from thestudyabroadblog's packing list & UofI's packing list and added a few items/comments of my own.

School

• Cantonese-English Dictionary or App
• Backpack/Day bag
• If your school backpack around the size of a Jansport or smaller, I would recommend bringing another larger-sized hiking/traveling backpack for weekend trips. 
• School's Program Guidebook
• You probably don't need to print these, but just read over the guidebooks before you go. The University of Illinois and UCEAP both have great ones to prep you for your trip and HKUST's Global Student Office also produces a fantastic one with in-depth details about local living. 
• Pens, Pencils, eraser
• Scientific calculator or a cheap pocket-sized 4 function calculator 
• Graphing calculators are usually not allowed for most tests unless you're taking certain engineering or math courses. 
• Schedule Planner for class

      What not to bring: Folders, binders, notebooks 

• HKUST uses size A4 paper (8.3x11.7" or 210x297mm) which is slightly longer than the standard US Letter size (8.5x11" or 216x279mm)
• These can all be purchased cheaply at the campus book store or at some of the dollar stores in Mong Kok. 
• Note: The folders in Hong Kong aren't your typical two pocket folders, but are instead an L-Shaped plastic sleeve. Two pocket folders seem hard to find in Hong Kong, if you're picky about that sort of thing.

Two Pocket folder

A4 L-Shaped folder

Bed & Bath

• Toiletries - Travel size, full size (?)
• Bring at least a weeks worth to last you until you can buy more
• Dove, Head & Shoulders, Pantene, Herbal essences, Tresemme, and Johnson & Johnson brands are really common and are usually priced between 50-65 HKD, but any other American brand will be difficult to find.
• Bring travel size toiletries for your travels outside of Hong Kong
• Anti-Bacterial lotion/gel/
• Bath & hand/face towel
• Bring a small and thin towel because sometimes towels are difficult to dry in the small dorm space. 
• Make sure the towel is something that you'd be willing to throw away at the end of your trip. 
• Small hand towels can be purchased at the school's Park N' Shop.
• Sunblock
• American sunscreens are really expensive in Hong Kong and other parts of Asia. I've heard that some of the Asian brands are quite good, but its much more economical to bring your own from home. The asian brand sunscreens also give you a white cast and are super small in size.

• First Aid Kit
• Bandaids/Plasters are a must for mosquito bites. The bandaids here aren't very breathable and the American brands are expensive.
• Hydrocortisone, calamine lotion, or anti-itch medicine for mosquito bites
• Advil, Tylenol, or Ibuprfoen
• Midol - Not available in Hong Kong

What not to bring: Cough/cold medicine

• Most exchange students usually catch the "Hong Kong Cough" which is a nasty cold that lasts for 3 weeks. Lots of coughing and sniffling during this time, but the on-campus health center will provide cough syrup and medication free of charge. 

Clothes

• Always pack less than you think you might need. It saves space for everything you buy!
• That being said, don't expect to supplement a huge part of your wardrobe here or do too much immediate shopping.  While Hong Kong is a shopper's paradise in terms of store variety and brands, most clothing stores are quite expensive (especially in comparison to the US). Many shops, branded or not,  even small boutiques, often have price points that start at $50 USD just for a single shirt/top and the prices are non-negotiable! Between traveling and studying, I didn't really have time to shop at all.
• Pack for versatility (pants and shorts, long and short sleeved shirts)- winter is really cold, summer is rainy and temperature varies dramatically.
• You'll most likely be traveling outside of Hong Kong as well so you'll definitely need at least one heavy coat if you plan on going around Northern China (Ex. Beijing) during the fall or winter. Temperatures drop below freezing there!
• Nice clothes for going out 
• There are always people going out every Thursday and Friday night. Weekends as well. Some exchange students go out as many as 3-4 times a week, but some don't go out at all. Identify the group that best matches your interests and pack accordingly.
• Good walking/running shoes
• Preferably rain resistant and it’s hard to find sizes larger than 10 in Hong Kong
• Flip flops or waterproof sandals
• These are absolute critical for showers. The bathrooms tend to get really dirty so the thicker your flip flop, the further away you'll be from the grime!
• Laundry can be expensive. 
• You can borrow an iron from the front desk if you need it
• Bring a jacket - one that works as a rain/wind breaker is great
• Sunglasses
• Business formal
• Many management and marketing classes have group projects that require student presentations. It's the culture here to dress in complete business formal for presenting.
• It's also necessary if you plan on finding an internship or interviewing in HK.
• Local HK girls usually wear a black blazer, a white collared shirt, a black skirt, black opaque or semi-sheer black tights, and patent black high heels.
• Local HK guys usually wear a black blazer, a white collared shirt, a tie, black slacks, and black shoes.
• You don't have to strictly follow the local dress code, but looking sharp is well respected and business formal is a must.

     What not to bring: Rain boots 

• Check the weather before you come, but for the most part when I arrived at HKUST around September 3, the rainy season had already passed. Rain boots were definitely not necessary.

Electronics

• Power Converter
• Digital Camera
• SD card(s) for your photos
• USB
• Flashlight
• Really useful for hiking trips that go unexpectedly late
• Watch

Miscellaneous

• Print the Chinese characters for HKUST (香港科技大學) on a slip of paper
• Pack this in your carry on in case your buddy doesn't show up or you're traveling alone. 
• I found that my taxi driver didn't understand "Hong Kong University of Science and Technology." The closest way of saying this in English is "Fo gae dai hok"
• Print out my post on getting Internet access at the dorms
• A duffel bag or a large backpacking bag
• I really regretted not bringing this because this is extremely useful for weekend trips or the week-long breaks when your school backpack won't fit everything you need. When you're traveling to other countries, it wasn't practical to bring a suitcase (even a small one) because they're difficult to carry onto buses and overnight trains. 
• Laundry bag
• Fabric softener/ dryer sheets
• The laundry detergent in Hong Kong is completely unscented. I didn't think I'd miss it, but I realized having fresh, pleasant smelling laundry is really what convinces me that my laundry is actually clean.  
• Pictures of your family
• Non-perishable foods (Poptarts, favorite cereal, favorite candy, trail mix, granola bars)
• No need to bring peanut butter, the on-campus Park N' Shop now sells this!
• Journal
• Hong Kong and/or China travel guide (Lonely Planet, Let’s Go!, etc)
• Water bottle
• Fanny Pack/Neck Wallet
• You won't need this in Hong Kong, but if you plan to travel anywhere, you could consider it.
• Extra bag to bring back souvenirs
• Change holder
• Luggage Lock(s)
• I didn't bring this, but some people had it for peace of mind
• Small personal lock to lock up suitcases while traveling/out of your room.
• $300 HKD to use when you arrive
• A reliable umbrella
• Umbrellas in Hong Kong are of extremely poor quality and are very prone to flipping. It doesn't seem like it would be a big deal, but a higher quality umbrella will save you the headache on rainy days. 
• If you must buy an umbrella in Hong Kong, the locals tell me that they usually buy the higher quality ones from Esprit. You can find the stores here.

Document List

• Visa invitation letter from HK school
• Passports and Visas (plus extra passport pictures)
• Driver’s License
• Immunization record ( I didn't bring this)
• Insurance Card 
• A dozen passport sized photos
• Absolutely necessary for school paperwork, government documents, and class introduction cards.
• Click here to see my post on how to do this cheaper.

Remember to leave photocopies of everything with
your family back home!


Read more for the things I recommend you do before you leave.