Jeffrey Iqbal, a native German, came to UST as a Swire International Young Fellow to pursue a degree in Business Administration. Here he reflects on his first semester in Hong Kong:

When I landed at Hong Kong airport on 24 August 2005, I was filled with uncertainty. My main reasons for coming here were the wonderful education I could get, my wish to experience something very new in terms of culture and, last but not least, the safety of English as a mean of communication.

But still, was it really the right decision to come here instead of going to the US or staying in Europe? Six thousand miles away from my home?

I'm glad to say my experience here has been amazing so far. Apart from the high pressure fellow students create in learning, something I'm absolutely not used to from Europe, all my diverse courses have brought me forward.

I have learned about how society shapes individuals like you and me and how we can contribute individually. I learned about a variety of chemical reactions and active natural compounds without which our body could not work. And finally, the business courses provided a first broad overview of the various disciplines we can go into.

That's what I wanted, a broad overview first, that later helps me to think out of the box and take into account such issues as the social, moral or ecological effects of my decisions.

The Business School has been a major help in adapting to Hong Kong – it has given me a feeling of being cared about and that's the greatest thing a school or a person can do for you. And if I don't spend time on balancing my accounts, puzzling about how to synthesize this fancy compound or feeling like a terrorist with his emotions and motives to find matching psychological theories, I go out and have fun with the wonderful friends I've gained. I love UST!