Dream in Reality – the 6th Must-do in University Life

Freshmen often hear seniors talk about the “5 must-dos in university life”（大學五件事）. Whether it be getting good grades, studying abroad, or even dating tips, your own definition of the 5 must-dos often reflect the way you live (or hope to live) your university life. Co-authored by seven young people, “大學第六件事” (translation: The 6th Must-do in University Life), discusses the theme of “dreaming in reality” from the perspectives of university students and young working professionals. Each author touches on a slightly different aspect of the theme, including CUHK Business School alumnus Christopher Wong [BBA-International Business and Chinese Enterprise (IBCE) 2013] who talks about how he has learned and grown from setbacks.

Writing a book may have been the dream of many, but few have taken the initiative to actually do so. Having experienced the university years, these seven authors hope to share with and encourage the youth of their generation by telling tell their own stories about actualizing their childhood dreams in reality. The book was launched by the end of May 2016, and is currently available at major bookstores. It will also be sold at the upcoming Hong Kong Book Fair during July 20-26.

In his chapter, Christopher takes readers through his university life characterized by his participation in various student organizations, from the Business Administration Society of the Chung Chi College（CCBA崇基工管）, to the Chung Chi College 61st Founders’ Day Celebration Activities（CC61崇慶六一）and beyond. The following excerpt gives a preview to his story:

經歷了四年大學生活，上了四支莊，在工作了一年多以後的今天回望過去，我還是感觸良多。其中在我參加的某個學生領袖會議當中，我特別深刻記得有位嘉賓說的這句話：「你要放下你的鹿角，才能經歷真正的成長。」

鹿角，可以是過往上莊的一些陰影，可以是讀「神科」的光芒，可以是在Google工作過的驕傲。面對人生的每一個明天，你要放下你的鹿角，放下你以往的輝煌戰績，放下你的興奮和淚水和一切過往的認知和執著，才能以謙虛的心擁抱新的事物新的未來，再次踏上失敗與重新振作的征途，經歷真正的成長。

在我們人生當中的每一個難關，「生命不要求我們做最好的，只要求我們盡最大的努力。」

(Translation below)

Today when I look back, after 4 years of university life, experiencing 4 student societies, and working for more than a year, I still get very emotional. I remember in particular what a guest speaker said during a student leadership conference – “You’ve got to let go of your antlers, before you can experience true growth.”

Antlers – they could be the painful failures from student society times, the “aura” of studying in a competitive business program, or the pride from having worked at Google. In life, we have to let go of our antlers, our past glories, excitement and tears, perceptions and stubbornness – in order to embrace a new future with a humble heart, to step back onto the path of failure and rebounce, and to experience true growth.

During each hardship in life, “we are not required to be the best, but rather to try our very best.”

Dreams do not come actualized at a cheap price. For many successful people, it took them numerous setbacks and uncountable sweat and tears behind the scenes, to reach where they are today in the spotlight. Failure itself is actually not scary; but our pride and ego blinding us to see our failure is. If we dare to honestly face our own shortcomings, failure can help us understand ourselves better, and pull us closer to our dreams in life.

To current students: the world may seem discouraging, and realities in life may let you down, but never lose hope or stop dreaming. “Nobody said life would be easy, they just promised it would be worth it.” When you need some advice or a pat on the shoulder, go to your friends, alumni and mentors – they will be there for you, smiling and ready to share their own war stories, about how they persevered and made it through.

About “大學第六件事” (The 6th Must-do in University Life):

－Availability – in most major bookstores of The Commercial Press（商務印書館）, Joint Publishing（三聯書店）, and Popular（大眾書局）

－Suggested Retail Price – HK$78
－Publisher – In Publications Limited（研出版）

Contributed by Christopher Wong, an IBCE alumnus and a co-author of the book “大學第六件事“