This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Kent State chapter.
After introducing you to three awesome programs in three extremely diverse cities, we’ve finally made it to the finale: Hong Kong, an Asian city known for its variety in just about everything. From the incredible food to the fabulous street vendors and staggering skyscrapers, Hong Kong is a dream come true for anyone suffering from severe wanderlust. The fashion program is different and more competitive than the others, making it tougher to get in to. Don’t let that discourage you though—an opportunity like this only comes once in a lifetime and does wonders for your resume! Instead of the program being run by Kent State, think of it as more of a foreign-exchange program; the students take classes within the fashion school at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, learning and living like a true local.
Cody Risinger explores his new home on top of Victoria’s Peak!
Let’s begin with Cody Risinger, 22, a senior fashion merchandising major with a minor in marketing!
Her Campus: When you did you participate in the Hong Kong program?
Cody Risinger: I attended the Hong Kong program last spring semester, so spring of 2015.
HC: How many students did they accept into the program?
Cody: There were five of us.
HC: How far in advance did you put in your application for the Hong Kong program?
Cody: I applied finals week of my spring 2014 semester.
HC: What made you want to go to Hong Kong?
Cody: Well, when I was a freshman I remember coming in and visiting and there was a guy named Scott Bunner, founder of the Fashion School Store. He was talking about the Hong Kong program; which took place during the prospective student event. That was actually the reason I came to Kent was to participate in the Hong Kong program.
“Ever since I was little I had that thirst for travel, that wanderlust.” – Cody Risinger
HC: Pros of Hong Kong?
Cody: The pros of Hong Kong was that it was an exchange program, you weren’t going to a Kent campus it was a separate entity. Kent didn’t really help you very much either which could be considered a con but I actually liked that because it let me be really independent. When you go there, you don’t know any of the Kent students. So I just flew to Asia on my own and met so many other people from different countries. You’re not just with American students in Florence, or the Paris American Academy you’re with Kent students, who you know. When you get thrown in to Asia you live with someone from a different country, you take classes with people from all over the world and you get a very global experience.
HC: How do roommates work?
Cody: When the roommate applications go out you can put if you would like to live with someone from the same country, a different country or a local from Hong Kong. I put down that I wanted to live with someone from Europe, my roommate Cornelius, was from Germany, and he was a business major. We were best friends, when he met me he actually thought I was from Sweden, so when we moved in together, he said something in Swedish to be funny and I looked at him and said, “I have no idea what you’re saying.” Then he was said, “Wait, you’re American?” He got so excited because Germans love Americans!
HC: What were some cons of Hong Kong?
Cody: Some cons I would say from my personal experience was how their classes are run. Teachers are very literal, so when they read the textbook they basically memorize it. Students could tell you the definition, page number etc to each question. I remember when I would try and ask a question to a professor they would look at me confused and give me a page number and say that’s the answer. But I would ask for real world application examples for it and the teachers would just be confused, and tell me no to read the textbook, because all the information was there. Students didn’t always come to class because if you read the textbook you were expected to do well. Classes were in a very relaxed environment but when it came to grading it was a complete different world. Their definition of average is like our definition of an A. Like an A here is a C over there. So if you follow the rubric to a tee, they’re like great, you did average work, you did what was expected of you, C. Kids would be excited to receive that. I remember a passing grade on my Apparel Economy exam was a 33%, like that was passing, and people were very excited to receive that. So you just have to adapt to a different grading scale over there.
HC: How many classes did you take?
Cody: I took four classes. I took Fashion Forecasting, Planning and Buying, Apparel in the Global Economy and Fashion Marketing.
HC: What would you say were the biggest challenges living and adapting to a new environment?
Cody: Honestly, living wasn’t the biggest challenge for me. I would say the weather was a challenge because it’s so much more humid there then it is anywhere else I’ve ever lived. Food was definitely a learning curve. So for example if you wanted your western style cuisine you’d have to pay a premium price for it. However, if you were willing to eat local you would save a lot of money and I wasn’t the most adventurous eater before I left. So it taught me to embrace different styles of cuisine.
HC: Did you travel anywhere else outside of Hong Kong?
Cody: I just went to Thailand. In Thailand, I went with two Kent State students my friends Paige and Sarah. We actually spent one day white water rafting, we went to an elephant sanctuary and rode elephants we went zip lining. We went to an elephant show where an elephant played a harmonica. We spent one day on a boat and went snorkeling where we adventured to several other islands. We laid on the beach a lot, just because the exchange rate was so in our favor that we actually went to a four-five star resort and rented a cabana and had drinks and the conversion was about $25 dollars for the entire day. So we had a blast, it was so much fun!
Did you really go to Thailand if you didn’t ride an elephant? (Above) Cody, Sarah Murphy, and Paige Meacham take a nice stroll through Thailand on the back of an elephant.
HC: Did you get the chance to go hiking in Hong Kong?
Cody: Hong Kong is one of the number one hiking destinations in the world. Which a lot of people don’t realize, so a lot of tourism that comes through Hong Kong is for their hiking trails. I went on so many, my favorite though was Dragon’s Back it’s the most famous. You travel along the ocean to get to big wave bay. It’s a secluded beach, because you had to really hike to get there; it was really out of the way.
HC: What do you miss most about Hong Kong?
Cody: Everything. If I had to choose one I would have to say that I miss my roommate, Cornelius. We still talk all the time. He’s actually moving to New York soon and I’m excited to visit him.
HC: So now that you’ve had this experience how do you think this will put you ahead when it comes to career applications?
Cody: Something interesting to point out is that at my internship this summer, every single intern had been abroad. That was how they filtered through applications. Most fashion companies in order to be successful and make the money they want, they are going global, and in order to global you need a team of people that are experienced in the global community. That is a key differentiator for me personally; I’ve been abroad to two very different places. Once in Europe where it’s very higher end side of the market and then again in Asia where all the mass production is being done.
HC: What was your favorite meal while you were in Hong Kong?
Cody: I went to a Dim Sum restaurant; it was a five star Dim Sum. In central Hong Kong, it’s traditional Cantonese food with bbq pork and fish dumplings. My favorite meal in Thailand was the Pad Thai, it was the best meal I’ve ever had in my life. Paige and I went back three times, to the same restaurant to get Pad Thai.
HC: Now that you are a senior, what field do you plan on going into?
Cody: I want to go into being an assistant buyer after graduation. It’s very hard to get an abroad position directly after graduation because we’re not technically specialized yet. Why would they hire a new American graduate when they can hire someone from their country to fill that entry-level position? My goal right now is to graduate, specialize in something, preferably Men’s Wear and then go abroad in the next three to four years.
(Above) Cody snaps a pic at a nature reserve outside of Phuket, Thailand!
HC: Where do you hope to end up long-term?
Cody: Honestly, I don’t care. I hope it’s somewhere I’ve never been before. I would love to go to Scandinavia, but I’m really open to anything.
HC: What advice do you have for KSU students who are about to go abroad to Hong Kong?
Cody: Every opportunity that comes around, even if it makes you a little nervous, just do it. I felt like I tackled every opportunity I could have while in Hong Kong and in Florence. I would also tell them to not always focus on traveling to all other countries. Really embrace where you are living, because you’ll never have a chance to live in that specific spot again. Fashion is essentially travel, so don’t shove everything into that four month period. Really embrace living in the city.
(Above) Paige Meacham strikes a pose during a quick trip to Vietnam for a week!
Next let’s introduce you to recent KSU graduate, Paige Meacham, 21. Paige completed her education last spring with a major in fashion design.
Her Campus: When did you participate in the Hong Kong program?
Paige Meacham: I went there in January, I left right after New Years and I went a week early. So that was my second semester senior year.
HC: How many students do they accept into the program?
Paige: They accept five students it’s between design and merchandising. Anyone can apply and they’ll choose the best applicants.
HC: How far in advance did you put in your application for the Hong Kong program?
Paige: As soon as they sent it out, I filled it out that week. They send it out early and then you have a few months, so you have plenty of time.
HC: What made you want to go to Hong Kong?
Paige: My mom grew up in Hong Kong for twelve years. So I’ve always been super interested in it. But I’m just really interested in Asian culture in general, like design and then personal reasons. I really wanted to go over there because when you go to western countries, it’s fun but for the first time ever I actually felt like a foreigner in Asia. Like, people will look at you because you’re white and I had people who would touch my skin because I was white so it was the first time I felt like an actual outsider. For me that was really cool, from the cultural background that I have.
HC: What are some pros of Hong Kong?
Paige: Hong Kong from the design standpoint and just from talking to people with Merchandising. They learn a lot differently so it’s really cool to see how they learn and to be taught that way. It was really hard for me to grasp how they learn but the school is incredible. It really pushed me creatively and design wise. Just being in Hong Kong and being able to see that city is really eye opening, as well as all of Asia. Because it’s an exchange program you meet other people from all over. So you won’t just go over with Kent State students, you meet people from Australia and other European countries, and Korea. You meet so many types of people that push you to learn about all these other types of cultures even though you’re in Hong Kong.
HC: How do you set up roommates in Hong Kong?
Paige: I did a random roommate; some people had preferences I just said I’d like her to speak English. That was the only thing, I really requested. My roommate was Korean and we got along perfectly, she was actually in hotel management she wasn’t a fashion major. It was like a random process similar to the dorms freshman year. But I really didn’t hear of anyone who didn’t like his or her roommates. Because when you travel around the community becomes smaller, so the people you’re picking from are people like you. They’re people who have chosen to go out of their comfort zone and go traveling. You won’t get someone who you really won’t get along with.
Did you do a double take? If you didn’t, scroll back up to our other KSU student who we interviewed! (Above) Paige and Cody smile for the camera while on their adventures in Hong Kong!
HC: What were some cons of Hong Kong?
Paige: I don’t know, I mean there are always little quarks that bother you when you’re in certain places, but I don’t really have a con for it. That’s so hard because I absolutely loved it and there were things I found to be different and harder for me to understand. They were just things for me to get used too, like things that were apart of their culture. So like for example, they say we’re the fastest walkers, and they actually walk quite slow. Other then that I can’t really think of any cons because to me Hong Kong was just so awesome.
HC: How many classes did you take while you were in Hong Kong?
Paige: I took 12 credit hours, they recommend you only take 12 so you can explore and see the city. When I went, I left my senior year so there was only one class I needed for credit so I took a bunch of electives.
HC: What would you say were the biggest challenges living and adapting to that environment?
Paige: I would say for like any environment, things are going to be different and sometimes it’s hard but it’s just a different culture you have to get used to. It was definitely hard sometimes to adapt to little things, but you’ll find a new routine when you’re there so it’s just about being open-minded about doing things a little more differently then what you would traditionally do at home.
HC: Can you tell us about your hiking experiences in Hong Kong?
Paige: For me that’s why I loved Hong Kong so much it was the perfect mix between a big city and nature so we went hiking almost every weekend. There are so many different places you can go because you can hike up and then you can hike down right into the beach. My favorite trail we hiked was Lions Rock; because it’s the only mountain you can hike on Kowloon side, which is our school side, not Hong Kong. Kowloon is known for being more residential and not as pretty, but I thought it was really cool to go on the top of that mountain and really see the other side that’s known for being not as beautiful. But I took one of the most beautiful pictures there. I hiked all through Asia, I went to Thailand, Vietnam, and Mainland China and hiked through rice patties, little villages and caves it was awesome.
(Above) Paige gets a pic after hiking up another mountain top, one of her favorite hobbys while in Hong Kong!
HC: What do you miss most about Hong Kong?
Paige: I definitely miss that I could do anything. Like for me if I want to go hiking here, I have to get in my car and drive somewhere. When I was in Hong Kong I could literally walk 15 minutes or hop on a train and be there within 25 minutes to go hike. That was my favorite thing, and I realized after being in Hong Kong that’s exactly what I need in life to be better in design and my life in general. I needed so much of that to let go of all the hard stress or worries from that week.
HC: Did you travel outside of Hong Kong?
Paige: I went to the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and Mainland China.
HC: How do you think attending the Hong Kong program affects future careers?
Paige: Well, there’s a ton of people who actually have corporate offices over in Hong Kong. For example, Nike has a corporate office in Hong Kong so just being able to go over and show companies that you will go across the world to live for six months says a lot about your character and who you are. Maybe they are looking for someone to travel places; maybe you’ll stick out to them because you already are traveling and you’re experienced now in a culture you weren’t used to before.
HC: What advice do you have for future students who will attend the Hong Kong program?
Paige: Keep an open mind, things are always different and I had the most culture shock there out of all the other abroad programs I attended. Keep an open mind and have fun because the teachers there love the exchange students. So keep up on your work and really learn how to push yourself and perfect your time management skills. You want to travel and see everything so keep your grades up. Learning that now is one of the best things, so when you go over there you’re not struggling to balance both.
HC: Do you want to tell us a little bit about what you do now?
Paige: Well I actually just got done with the Supima Design Competition. I just showed my collection at NYFW and Paris FW. Right now I’m kind of in the whole interview process with some companies. I’m really just working on that and working at a boutique right now to gain some more experience. I’ve never worked in a boutique, I’ve only ever worked for big corporate companies for retail. So I wanted to gain more of that and see how it’s run so my sister and I can open a boutique when she graduates school.
(Shown above) Is a peek at Paige’s collection she entered in the Supima Design Compeition!
From those who wanted a taste of the big city to those who were looking for adventure a little (or a lot) farther from home, we’ve now presented you with the perspectives of many students who got to (or are getting to) live out their dreams. Kent State’s fashion school provides its students with some of the best opportunities to gain experience in the global fashion industry, and we are extremely lucky! From just a month in the summer to a whole semester abroad, Kent offers a program for everyone. So pick your destination, save up, and start packing those bags—your adventure is waiting to begin.