To say it right away, the semester abroad in Hawai’i was a wonderful and unforgettable experience. This was due, among other things, to the local people, but also to the people you get to know through the university and of course because of the grandiose nature that surrounds you.
Organization:
It all started with the information from MicroEDU. Alone I would never have thought that you could study properly in Hawai’i. After an easy and quick application, whereby MicroEDU always helped me, I got an acceptance from Hawai’i Pacific University in January 2012. Then I started compiling all of the important documents, following the checklist that MicroEDU gave me. One of the first things I did was to apply for an Auslandsbafög. This can sometimes take forever. Because I applied for this very early, everything went well for me and I got enough money.
Another point was the choice of courses. The university offers a variety of courses and you really have to go through them all to find the right course, which was relatively time-consuming.
When I arrived in Hawai’i, I lived in the YMCA Hostel for the first time, which was okay at first. But you can’t stand it for a long time. The search for an apartment began on the very first day. I was looking for an apartment with a friend who also studied there. However, this turned out to be extremely difficult. Apparently we just arrived at a time when all the apartments (2 rooms) were already taken. So I can only advise you to travel to Hawai’i as early as possible and start looking for an apartment. Our search was still unsuccessful after a week, and we were also extremely stressed because we were in a foreign country, telephoning around 100 people, all of whom were already occupied. After 10 days of pure stress, we found an apartment but with only one large room in which both beds were. We only had to pay $ 1,400 a month for this.
The HPU is a well-equipped university and the professors all have a good reputation in their fields. The location of the university is also very well located and easy to reach. Although it is a private university, the level of difficulty of the courses is very low compared to Germany. I found all courses very easily, without much effort. However, it must be clearly stated that the courses require more time than those in Germany. The online courses in particular are very time-consuming. The number of students in a course was never more than 20 students.
One big negative point, however, is the cost. Just before I started my semester abroad, the university increased its tuition fees by another $ 1,000. Furthermore, everything at this university costs a lot of money, they can be paid for anything. Among other things, the introductory week, course changes, as well as the later transcripts. Read more student reviews on Ehuacom.
Leisure:
In leisure time, you can say that you can see and experience many different things on Oahu, such as surfing, hiking, sunbathing and lying on the beach. If you have ever been to Hawai’i then you should also try the local food, for example in Helenas. You can also celebrate very well on Oahu, for example every Tuesday at Moose’s, where most of the students meet. Of course you shouldn’t forget to visit the other islands, such as the Big Island or Maui. The flights to the other islands are not expensive and you can only book them shortly before departure. However, you should consider whether you absolutely have to live in a hostel or whether you can also camp. Because on the Big Island, for example, there are enough opportunities to camp cheaply.
Costs:
One should be very well aware that studying and living in Hawai’i is very expensive. Not only can the university pay for everything very well, but the landlords also really take advantage of the large number of students. Finding an affordable apartment is almost impossible. You should also be prepared for the fact that you will live in at least one flat share with 2 people. You can either search for apartments on Craigslist, but the university can also help you with your search. Regarding the residential area, I can only recommend Waikiki as this is where most of the students are. It is usually just a bit more expensive, but you have the sea right outside the door and also many restaurants and nightlife options.
Conclusion:
All in all, I can only say that this semester abroad on Hawai’i was just awesome and that I can only recommend it to everyone. There are thousands of little adventures that you just have to experience yourself and wonderful landscapes that you can hardly imagine.
