Strategy get into hot professional programs in the University

hog.wash

Just because you mentioned your boy is going to apply to local universities using IB results and you mentioned the other day about something about the quantitative finance programs, I feel some more words may be necessary as insurance.

The quantitative finance programs in local universities are very mathematical as I mentioned. The first maths course and the first economics course use textbooks which are intended for master students elsewhere. The maths background from IB is not adequate for preparing your boy for the maths requirements of the course. Worse still, you are competing  with people most of them got A in pure mathematics in HKAL, not to mention the NDS (mainland students). Historically, few EAS students (with 6 to 8 As most of them) and non-JUPAS students can perform as well as the A-Level students in their first two years. The final straw is that the students in these programs are separated from general business students. That means it is difficult to get good GPA which is a must if you consider going overseas for master studies. You are basically competing with the mathematically best students in Hong Kong beside GBus students who, on the hand, are taking classes comfortably with hundreds of general business students.

If you really want to go overseas afterward, go for a general business degree, an accounting degree or even an economics degree. You will end up with far better GPAs, other things being equal.

[ 本帖最後由 hog.wash 於 10-11-23 01:54 編輯 ]

hog.wash

原帖由 ANChan59 於 10-11-20 01:57 發表
Strategy 4: OLE/ECA/CAS with focus or theme(s)

Last Saturday, my son'e school organised an University Day with over 30 old boys came back and shared their overseas universities studying experience to ...

One suggestion for future doctors: do volunteering work in hospitals.

hog.wash

原帖由 ANChan59 於 10-11-23 13:14 發表
hoq.wash

Thanks for your useful advice.

My son will sit for IBDP in 2013 and Maths go for HL and aim at grade 7, as no more HKAL, only HKDSE, the competition may not be so keen (My expectation only) ...

Sorry, 原來你係男版張文樂嘅爹哋。There is no HKAL in 2013, then it is a different ball game. But 與一群香港精英學生牢籠困獸斗要GPA高始終不易，所以醫科法津學生一般很難有很高的GPA。GBus學生與general BBA 學生一起上課屈機，低年班GPA爆4還是可能的。到了申請碩士時，你叫LSE面對一個BBA 3.7和一個Quantitative Finance 3.3 時如何選擇？單在二、三年級申請exchange時已有這現象了。

hog.wash

原帖由 ANChan59 於 10-11-24 00:31 發表
Who is 張文樂?

Thanks again for your advice on GPA and diffferent level of different program.
If he can get an offer from LSE at undergraduate level, he will go for it.

張文樂就是中銀廣告中那個未出生的女嬰。雖未出生，其父已幫她籌謀長大後的事情。

可以為你兒子做的，你都做了。你做的，遠比我為女兒做的要多得多。With a solid academic performance, your boy should get into the program he likes, in Hong Kong or elsewhere. Your can check PM later on for my reply to your other questions.

hog.wash

既然呢條thread講係如何申請大學熱門學系的策略，我也就將自己用過的雕蟲小技說一下。

去年我說過女兒讀不成法律系一事，這裏就從她如何報考法律系開始。

根據自己多年坐在interview desk另外一邊的經驗，再加上收集回來的資料，知道申請表中personal statement要做到的，無非是告訴university admission的人why this subject, why this school and why me.

很多人都會泛泛而談，流於空洞；再就矯情造作。但正如我欣賞的eviepa說道理的方式，和我English public speaking的導師所教的一樣，我提議女兒以故事開始。

幾年前我介紹女兒看我年青時喜愛看的一套以Harvard Law School為背景的小眾電視片集The Paper Chase。這片集一直是法律圈子喜愛的片子之一，而學術界人士通常喜歡這類 academic trivia。我就提議她從這片集講起，講裏面Professor Kingsfield(類似女皇的教室裏女教師的角色)怎樣引起她對法律的興趣。要是用John Grisham做引子可能會太普通。接着再講她從閱讀法律入門書籍中，如何被當中的 concepts 如ethical vs legal, sufficient vs adequate consideration for a contract, a minor’s capacity in entering contracts等概念迷著。告訴她不要怕班門弄斧，好的教授只怕學生不弄斧。結果順利得到interview機會(HKU不用interview，基本上只看成績)。

由於當時女兒在美國讀書，interview以電話進行，安排在香港時間星期五上午(女兒星期四的晚上)，而世事有時真的很巧妙，就在那個星期三下午發生香港法律史上的一件大事：上訴法院在法律圈子差不多一面倒預測相反結果的情況下推翻高院的判決，否决PCCW的私有化。

我馬上與女兒講電話，着她上網搜集有關資料，並囑咐她在interview中一有機會就提及自己雖身在異地，依然關心香港法律界的新聞，譬如PCCW一案的判决。我告訴她，只要有機會提及PCCW四個字母，就大局已定。結果一如所料，負責interview的professor一聽到女兒提及PCCW一案，就已滔滔不絕；其實又怎會有law professor能夠抗拒與考生討論此題目的誘惑。女兒本有點担心會不會顯得有點opportunistic，令對方產生有被set up之感。我告訴她，如果見到一個肯做準備功課，懂得捕捉機會的future lawyer也不會欣賞的話，這樣的law school不讀也罷。果然，interview未結束，該professor已明言希望女兒入讀(the actual wording used was “I have no problem recommending the school …”) ，接着再長篇大論(女兒語)勸女兒不要考慮HKU，分析他們比HKU好的地方。

雖然女兒最後沒有入讀，我相信我們準備的過程對一些家長會有所啟發。If you want something bad enough, you'll find a way. Where there's a will, there's a way. 還有，正如今日蘋果林奕華文章的標題：天使與魔鬼都在「細節」裏。下次再說一個朋友女兒報考中學和我小女兒報讀大學的故事。

hog.wash

原帖由 wunma 於 10-12-2 11:57 發表

對, 不同program可能rating又不同, 如某些會乘大英文科公開試的成績.

Yes, it's different for different universities, different faculties, different proproams and for different routes. The whole thing is extremely complicated.