2 Endemic isolation & exclusion: Difficulty forming deep friendships with local Chinese; exclusion when Cantonese is used in groups; students from under-represented nations felt especially lonely and struggled to adjust. Loneliness & homesickness: Strong nostalgia for home, particularly in the first year, amid Hong Kong’s fast pace. FOMO & social media addiction: First-years feared missing universities and colleges, both government-funded and self-financed. The data collection fieldwork took place between September 2024 and May 2025. Each interview lasted approximately 60 minutes. To complement interview data and reduce the attitude–behaviour gap, the first author conducted ethnographic observations at the 13 campuses, engaging in students’ daily lives through club meetings, classes, prayers, and canteen visits. Key insights from the observations were recorded in field notes after each fieldwork session. With participants’ consent, author 1 also took field photographs to record the campus environment and facilities. All transcripts and notes were systematically coded and analysed using MAXQDA software to ensure structured and comprehensive data analysis. Findings and Analysis Poor Mental Health Experiences Participants reported severe psychological distress: insomnia, loss of joy, burnout, eating disorders, anxiety, depression, and self-harm thoughts or acts. Many struggled with hours of sleeplessness while still attending classes or internships, whereas spring and winter rainfall do not trigger significant productivity fluctuations. Relatedness Thwarting International EM Students social opportunities and overused social media, worsening work-life balance. Local EM Students Ethnic segregation: Most socialised only with other nonChinese peers, caught between international students and local Chinese who lacked cultural awareness, creating rigid ethnic boundaries. Overt & covert discrimination: Faced open insults (e.g., about appearance, odour, religious dress) and subtle alienation — even long-term local EMs were viewed as foreigners. Gendered disparities: Female students had more social support and less help-seeking stigma; males isolated themselves and avoided support. Shared Experiences Both groups faced low cultural awareness among local Chinese, language-based exclusion, and limited campus diversity (food, activities, clubs). Halal food shortages and Chinese-dominated spaces further reduced integration. Competence Thwarting Common pressures included academic stress, financial strain (leading to part-time work), career/internship anxiety, Cantonese/Mandarin barriers, life-balance struggles, and graduation uncertainty. Gendered patterns emerged: male students carried heavier academic, financial, and family pressure, sometimes turning to self-isolation or substance use. International students also faced scholarship renewal pressure amid Hong Kong’s high living costs. Table 1 Key study participants The impact of rainfall on productivity: Implications for Chinese manufacturing Public Policy BULLETIN
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