Cleo Wichelhaus, 25 March 2020

Study abroad experiences: Studying at the Hawaii Pacific University

semester-abroad-cleo-wichelhaus-at-the-hawaii-pacific-university

"If you love nature, sunshine and surfing, then Hawaii is just the place for you to go," says Cleo Wichelhaus about her studies in Honolulu. Our bachelor's student of Business Psychology studied at Hawaii Pacific University for one semester. She has summarized her best tips about Honolulu and studying a semester abroad at Hawaii's largest private university for you, who hopefully will soon be able to travel abroad again.

This is what you can experience at Hawaii Pacific University and in Honolulu

1. Aloha Spirit

“The leisure life in Hawaii is really fantastic: shark diving, hiking, surfing, canoeing, cliff jumping, camping, bonfires, trips, swimming with dolphins... you name it! I spent every spare minute during my semester abroad on the beach or in nature. In the morning I often went jogging at the river or surfing before my lectures started. In the afternoon I went to the beach with my friends, where I also did my HPU assignments at my favourite café Barefoot Beach Café. In the evening I could watch the most beautiful sunsets in the world there. This is the way to live!"

2. Room with a view

"I lived in the “Wakiki Vista Students Residences” for the semester. In the beginning I lived in a room with four other students, which was quite a challenge for me. The rent was also quite high, especially since we shared a common room with a small bathroom and a small kitchenette without stove. If we wanted to cook, we used the common kitchen on the 19th floor. Nevertheless I felt very comfortable in there. Its huge windows offered a spectacular view of Waikiki, the fireworks every Friday and the sunset".

3. International campus

"You meet students from all over the world, but also many locals at the HPU. The sun shines almost every day on Hawaii and the people are very friendly and positive. I can only recommend taking the Hula course as an additional credit. This way I got to know the Hawaiian culture better. This course is of course not credited at CBS, but I personally had a lot of fun doing it.”

Mehr Informationen zum CBS-Auslandssemester hier.

Would you like to spend a semester abroad in Hawaii? You should be prepared for this

1. Higher cost of living

"Life in Hawaii is very expensive. Food costs more than twice as much as in Germany and especially a healthy diet quickly costs a pretty penny. There are great restaurants in Honolulu where you can get new culinary experiences."

2. Learning intensive seminars

"At the HPU you can expect a lot of weekly tasks, quizzes and homework. In the beginning I really had to get used to it. What I really liked is the great practical relevance. But you can hardly do longer trips over the semester: There is an attendance requirement at the seminars."

3. Urban life

"I would advise you to start looking for an apartment early and maybe in Waikiki. Some of my friends have also lived far inland where you can rent apartments for little money. The nature is breath taking there, but you always have to travel a long way by bus. Well, it depends on what you want to experience during your semester abroad. Sometimes the hustle and bustle in the city got on my nerves and I would have wished to be in nature faster from my apartment."

My conclusion:

“The time I spent on Honolulu and at Hawaii Pacific University was one of the most beautiful and instructive of my life. I can only recommend it to everyone to spend the semester abroad in Waikiki and at the HPU!"

Weitere Auslandssemester Erfahrungsberichte hier.

Cleo Wichelhaus

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