Two-week exchange opportunity supports development of final year students

Hong Kong recently played host to a group of final year GCU students looking to develop their knowledge as they make the transition into the world of work.

Final year BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science students Kirsten Alexander, Mihriban Nalci and Cameron Gwynne spent two weeks at Tung Wah College in January, allowing them to experience a new culture and develop their academic skills.

We sat down with Kirsten to hear more about their experience:

Initial interest

“I’m doing a microbiology-based honours project, which involved us testing antimicrobials on a fungus. Myself and the other two students involved were offered the chance to go over to Hong Kong and we knew it sounded like a great opportunity because the equipment available at the college would help us improve our project. Getting to see the techniques they used and machines they had was really beneficial for us; however, we were also able to show them a lot too.

“Hong Kong is somewhere I’ve never been and I didn’t think know if I’d ever get the chance to go again. One of the things that appealed to me was that I would have lab experience in a different country on my CV – I’ve already been asked about it in a couple of different interviews.

“I knew that the culture in Hong Kong would be so different to anywhere else, and also the fact I’d never been to Asia definitely appealed to me as well. I love travelling so the chance to visit somewhere like that really was perfect.”

The experience

“We got a tour of Tung Wah College on the first day and got to see the labs and the campus, which was a lot bigger than GCU! The following day we got to see some of the work they were focusing on with cancer cell samples. We then got the chance to plan out what we were going to work on the labs with our project.

“We were in with other final year students who were also doing their final year projects in the labs. One thing that stood out to me was the fact that it was very student-led. There was always help if we needed it but we were also encouraged to get on with things ourselves, which was really good for us.

“The following week involved us working on our project but a lot of what we do involves growing bacteria and fungi, so it takes a bit of time. That gave us the chance to go along to some of their lectures and it was actually a very similar experience to what we get at GCU – other than the fact their seats are a lot comfier!”

Hong Kong

“We had lots of time to do our own thing and see what we wanted to see. The students were also really helpful and took us out for lunch to help show us around. It was just really nice to get that opportunity to explore – we did a lot of shopping!

“We went to the night markets a couple of times and it was just amazing to see all the lanterns and the colourful lights. We also went to Victoria Peak, which just had amazing views of the whole city. The whole experience was just felt really different to anything else I have ever done before.

“The food was also absolutely unreal. Duck and goose is something I’ve never eaten before and I absolutely loved it.”

Benefits of involvement

“The whole experience has massively built my confidence because I was quite nervous to go somewhere so different. I wasn’t massively close to Cameron and Mihriban before the trip, but that’s definitely changed now. I now know I can go and do some travelling myself, while also making new friends.

“Another big thing is the fact that I really trust myself in the lab with my work. Getting to do it in a totally new lab in a new country has definitely shown me I’m probably more capable than I had initially given myself credit for.”

“Studying abroad can be a scary prospect because it really pushes you out your comfort zone, but I would encourage anyone to absolutely do it. I kept telling myself that I’m only going to be 21 and in Hong Kong once, so it’s important to make the most of these opportunities.”

Find out more about the Biomedical Science course at GCU and the opportunities available to students here

Achieved something related to your course or in your personal life? Email me at Ross.Clark@gcu.ac.uk