Did you know that Allard Law students can take their studies abroad?
Through UBC’s Go Global exchange programs, you can spend a term or a full year attending law school at one of UBC’s partner institutions in international cities like Tokyo, London, Beijing or Sydney.
We caught up with Allard Law students Jason Liu in Hong Kong and Farzeen Ather in Edinburgh to hear what they’re enjoying the most about studying law in a different country.
Jason Liu – University of Hong Kong
What's been your favourite part of your experience so far?
My favourite part has been meeting other law exchange students. Navigating a foreign country can be daunting, so I’m happy I don’t have to do it alone!
The University of Hong Kong arranged an exchange orientation specifically for law students, so I was able to meet them on the first day. I became close with students from other Canadian law schools pretty quickly, since we were all learning to navigate Hong Kong for the first time. It was comforting to have that shared experience.
Within the first week of school, we did some really cool things, like hiking Victoria Peak, dining at Hong Kong's oldest restaurant, and visiting the Tian Tan Buddha. We’ve even used our term breaks to travel together throughout Mainland China, South Korea and Taiwan.
Tell us about some of the local activities that you've enjoyed.
With Hong Kong’s history as a former Crown colony, it’s been interesting learning about the integration between Chinese culture and the traditions that the British brought to the region. My favourite way to learn about this fusion has been through food!
When the British came to Hong Kong, they introduced Western-style foods. However, these were initially expensive and inaccessible to the local Chinese. Accordingly, the locals began making these foods themselves, with the ingredients available to them. My favourite snack has been Hong Kong egg tarts, which Cantonese bakers developed from recipes for British custard tarts! I’ve also been enjoying drinking Hong Kong-style milk tea, which the Chinese developed from the British traditions of afternoon tea.
How are you finding the academic side of your experience?
My favourite courses have been from HKU’s “LITE” programming (which stands for Law, Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship). Law students partner with local startups and companies to help grow their businesses, providing legal, regulatory and policy research. In the classroom, students learn about the role of law in the technology landscape, specifically in industries such as AI, blockchain, cloud and data. It’s also a good chance to get to work with law students from other jurisdictions and learn from them too!
More generally speaking, I’m consistently impressed by local Hong Kong students’ work ethic. Many HKU courses involve some group project aspect, and the local students are comfortable leading the projects, while also being supportive of the exchange students in the group. Social culture in Hong Kong is built on respect, trust and support, and I found that local students were happy to take time to explain what professors expect of students and how to succeed in law school here.
Farzeen Ather – University of Edinburgh
Why did you decide to go on exchange?
A big reason I chose to go on exchange was honestly because I missed out on the opportunity during my Bachelor’s because of Covid. However, another huge driving factor was wanting to experience living in a different city for a period of time, and challenge myself to get comfortable with doing activities completely on my own, but also making connections with strangers.
What's one thing you've learned during your exchange that you think will stay with you?
Exchange has really made me reconsider a lot of my priorities, and how I spend my time. It’s made me realize how important it is to try new things, and that there is so much of the world out there waiting to be experienced and admired. Studying, living and travelling in a completely different continent has also allowed me to meet so many people with life experiences and outlooks completely different from mine which has been really rewarding.
Tell us about some of the local activities that you've enjoyed.
Edinburgh has been an absolute dream to live and study in. I’ve done the Arthur’s Seat hike a couple of times, which is simultaneously deceptively athletic but extremely rewarding. I’ve also been enjoying Edinburgh’s cafe and restaurant culture – it’s a surprisingly cosmopolitan city (and yes, I have come to love a Scottish breakfast). But most of all, I just adore walking around a city that looks like something out of a storybook and being able to call it my home, even if just for a little while.
Thinking about going on exchange? Applications for 2026-2027 Term 1, Term 2 and full year JD exchanges close on December 10, 2025. Applications reopen on March 2026 for Term 2 and split year exchange.
