University: Hawaii Pacific University

City: Honolulu

Country: United States

Continent: North America

Field of study: media management

Study type: semester abroad

Before I get into the details, let me say in advance that I would like to say that I would like to encourage anyone who is considering spending a semester in Hawai’i. can recommend a semester abroad at the HPU. Check andyeducation.com to see California State University Fullerton study abroad opportunities.

First a few words about the application process. MicroEdu is not only the perfect contact for questions in advance, i.e. before you even know where to go, but also when you fill out and send off the application. Almost everything runs through MicroEdu. Your application will be looked at again and, if necessary, suggestions for improvement will be made and ultimately you can then send the final version of the application to MicroEdu. Great thing. Yes, the chances of being accepted at the HPU are pretty good if you are a paying customer;) Although you also have to send a transcript with the courses you have already taken including grades, this is probably only to make sure that the courses that you would like to take at the HPU also fit into the individual course of study in terms of the requirements. For example, if you notice after the first lesson in a certain course that you don’t like the professor or something similar, you can change courses on the spot; then only costs something (which is a bit stupid, if you consider what the university collects in terms of tuition fees, whether you get foreign student loans or not).

As already mentioned, the HPU gets some money from its students. This is probably also the reason why the on-site support is simply good. On the one hand, there is the International Office, which you can always turn to if you have any questions, and on the other hand, the professors are also very helpful. At least that’s how I experienced it. So, for example, you can talk to a lot of professors if you still need extra credits; fine thing, if you should have really messed something up.

Since I’m studying at a university in Germany, I thought it was great that there were a lot of projects pending…in my case: creating some marketing plans for interesting products. These projects were developed in groups of 2-5 people and the development sometimes took the entire semester.

I also found it very pleasant that the courses only have up to 20/25 people. In one course we were only 6. Great thing.

I also found it really great that the courses are very international and that you get to know a lot of people from all corners of the world.

So, even if the level is not as high compared to Germany, you still have enough to do during the semester and I have to say that I was able to take a lot with me and the courses at the HPU complemented my previous studies very well.

So, now a few words about the negative sides of studying at the HPU.
I find it cheeky that fees are charged if you want to change a course on site and that you have to pay money if you want an official transcript at the end of the semester. And the HPU Bookstore should not be missing in this section either. If you have the opportunity, you should definitely order your used textbooks from Amazon, because the bookstore is undoubtedly out to make a profit. For example, used books are sold for a lot of money and then if you want to sell the books back to the bookstore, it can either be that they no longer take the books or you only get n apple and n egg. So, as soon as you have an apartment, definitely order the books directly from Amazon (it takes some time until they are on the island;)), you can usually save a lot of money there.

You can either look for a room in the dormitory or spend the first week (or the first two weeks) in a hostel without any problems and then start looking for an apartment on site. However, one should bear in mind that it is not the case, as in many German cities where universities are located, that there are many flat shares on the market. But it can also be irrelevant if you already have a roommate or even want to live alone. Oh, Craigslist is the number one place to go on the internet anyway.

So, and now a few final words about leisure activities. There is no question that Hawaii is at the top of the list here, especially if you want to go abroad in the winter semester. In theory, you can never get bored in Hawaii. There is so much to see and discover. Not only Oahu, but also the other islands are worth a trip and if, for example, you make the other islands unsafe with a total of 5 people, you can also keep the costs low (if you want that)… Well, not only await you super interesting people from all over the world, but also beautiful nature.

Despite one or the other disadvantage, I can only recommend Hawaii to everyone. It’s a beautiful island where you can spend a really nice 6 months and if you then meet the right people, it can easily become the time of your life. No question.
Jump in and make your way to the other end of the world!