Cathy
Class of 2022, Hong Kong University
For juniors
When I was in A1, I experienced a period of severe depression. I always boast of being positive; nevertheless, the fear of failing the CIE examination pressured and suffocated me. The scenario of me sitting on the lockers, staring at the sky, and with a chaotic mind still rings in my mind. I felt like a bird that should enjoy a more incredible world but was trapped in school studying for the examination, and the expectation of a beautiful future supported me at the time. Dear juniors, if you are experiencing this kind of desperation or depression, please not be afraid as you are not alone. Many of you will share this as you grow up and become more robust and better people.
You will make it as you are determined
All the schools I have attended are bilingual or international, and I have not received systematic mathematics education. My educational background makes mathematics and even science my shortage. For example, I only got a C in the SCIE entrance examination four years ago, although I had worked hard for a whole month. After entering SCIE, I spent much of my time working on mathematics, and eventually, I got an A* in A-level mathematics. My achievement in mathematics (yes, I am satisfied with my mathematics result as the product of international education) is due to my insistence and patience. On weekends, I would spend the whole day sitting in front of the desk and focusing on the mathematics textbook despite the textbook being without detailed explanations. The effect of staring at the textbook for a whole day is rewarding as I would grasp the knowledge for the entire year. Physics similarly requires my hard work. I could still recall the Friday trip back home from school as I cried and groaned because I could not understand the new physics topic we had learned. My world was filled with desperation. Nonetheless, I still got an A* for my IGCSE physics which I am confident to say ‘is all due to my effort.’ In addition, friendly friends are part of my endeavor in science. Rainy and Mike often helped answer my questions in science on Wechat, and they are part of the ‘SCIE charm. ‘ Because of my tormenting experience in science, I believe I could achieve everything I want as long as I am determined and work hard. Thus the world opens to me.
To me, university application is an enjoyable period
For many of us, university application consists of anxiety, distress, and pressure. To me, it is enjoyable as I got to reflect upon myself as to why I would pursue the course I choose. I re-read the legal books and challenged myself by taking pain in reading real legal cases from Hongkong, the United States, and the United Kingdom. I did everything because I love legal study, and in turn, my love of law deepened. While U.S. applicants are finding their authentic selves, Hongkong or U.K. applicants like me are re-thinking our passion and future. During the period, I stayed confident and steadfast as I believed university admission officers would see my enthusiasm for the law even though my understanding of law must be limited as a high school student.
I had experienced indecision in choosing between law and literature as my university course. But I anchored my choice of law after I audited in Shenzhen, where a middle-aged woman of low income and a strange accent represented herself against an attorney and a sophisticated legal system. The woman sued the defendant for not paying owed money, and I felt heartbroken when she, without legal advice, sued a person legally irresponsible for the debt. She was powerless in front of a professional attorney and could not collect evidence in favor of her. How could our legal system be fair when the lawyer is absent? Law itself is neutral, but law without the professional operating and understanding it is unfair and biased. After leaving the court, I told myself that I wanted to become a Legal Aid lawyer. My personal statement starts with the experience and revolves around how the law should protect the weak, even the professor of CUHK was interested in it.
In addition, the mock trial competition enhances my legal understanding. As the interpretation to the rule varies, mock trial demonstrates the importance of debate. I attended the mock trial competition for three times, however due to the Covid-19, only one was offline in Shanghai. The first time of attending the mock trial competition, I was assigned the task of making the opening statement, and I was so nervous that I forgot to alter my tone, speed and volume of speaking. When performing the objection battle, I had to stop and ask my fellow counsel, during which I made many amusing mistakes. Though we did not rank top, I had a good time, and my team did rank top 1 the next time after we practiced more.
I understood the significance of friendship and support by attending the mock trials. I made friends with Kenny and Paul, who also applied for law. Whenever we see an interesting legal question or question to ask, we would discuss it with each other in the WeChat group. It feels great to be accompanied by friends who have the same goal. As for composing the personal statement, it is not as suffering as I expected. My university counselor David Neff helps with my personal statement with all his effort. He gave me a lot of advice regarding both the structure and content. I was surprised by how knowledgeable a counselor could provide suggestions to students applying for all kinds of courses. I could still remember one time he read a case with me that I doubted if he was a teacher or a warm friend.
Hongkong as the ideal destination
I may be one of the few who only want to attend Hong Kong university. Honestly, I know I will be homesick after leaving Shenzhen, so I want to study in a place close to home. I don’t want to force myself to adapt to life abroad which could be agonizing, and I don’t want to tackle unknown situations. Much time has been spent thinking about where I want to go. At last, in my opinion, what suits me is the best.
There are too many things that I feel grateful for in SCIE, and everything I have encountered made me a better person. I consider myself lucky all the time. Looking back on this time in the future, I will surely smile and miss it.
