Undergraduates From All Corners of the Globe Embark on Their Learning Journey at CUHK Business School
Around 500 students from all corners of the globe were welcomed into the lap of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) as the new school year unfolded. All of them had applied to the University with brilliant results achieved in an impressive array of public examinations, such as IB, SAT, GCE A-Level, Taiwan GSAT and Mainland gaokao.
CUHK Business School advocates building a culturally, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse academic environment. For this academic year, CUHK Business School welcomed outstanding non-local students from Argentina, China, Germany, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Macau, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Tajikistan and Thailand.
As the coronavirus rages on, these promising young men and women are denied the pleasure of setting foot on campus to breathe its air and feel its breezes. Yet their enthusiasm is by no means dampened, as they familiarise themselves with the School, their fellow schoolmates and coming university life through online orientations and activities. This may be an eerie time to start an important life chapter, but why should we say no to the lesson life took pains to teach us: that our lives are moving feasts taking no definite shapes, and an openness to the inconceivable shall allow us to make the most of it?
This year, the School admitted many high-calibre non-local students through various channels, including:
Zhenglong Cui (Integrated BBA)
Zhenglong Cui, the freshman taking Integrated BBA as his major, is from Hubei. Despite pressure brought about by the coronavirus outbreak, Zhenglong managed to stay positive and make good use of the one-month extension to gear up for the examination. He stayed focused taking online classes at home and took care to work and rest at regular hours. All this brought him good results and the award of a University Admissions Scholarship by his dream school.
Lucas Hernandes Echaniz (Integrated BBA)
Lucas Hernandes Echaniz from Spain is enrolled in the Integrated BBA programme. Lucas chose to study at CUHK Business School because it is a modern and reputable school strategically located in the global business hub residing on the Pearl River Delta. He is impressed by the programme and believes it is one of the most innovative and flexible business undergraduate programmes in Hong Kong. “The concentrations offered by the programme catered to my inquiring personality. The double concentration option offers me the opportunity to delve into more than one interest, which in my case was important due to my strong interests in both marketing and finance,” shared Lucas. “In addition, the availability of experiential learning programmes, such as overseas exchanges programmes, internships and study trips allows us to enrich our studies with a variety of memorable and enjoyable activities.”
Even though Lucas is not able to physically attend CUHK Business School at the moment, he can hardly wait to join student run associations and clubs such as the CUHK Case Competition Team and the Cambridge Consulting Network. He looks forward to continue learning and equipping himself for his future career at CUHK.
Jigang Bryan Kim (Global Economics and Finance Programme)
Bryan from South Korea takes a liking to Hong Kong as a metropolitan city with a rich blend of cultures. He chose to study the Global Economics and Finance programme because he was attracted by the University’s forward-looking education policy, international reputation, and the flexible credit-based curriculum. He hopes to make friends with schoolmates of different majors in his College and enjoy the full benefits and unique characteristic of CUHK education.
As a child of a diplomat, Bryan moved around the globe during his childhood. He is interested in global relations, especially on how different economies interact with each other. His interest in global economy was further solidified after taking a number of economics classes and internships when he was a high school student. Bryan realised that, to learn more about the global economy, he must be sensitive to the changing world, and it is crucial for him to be constantly exposed to a multicultural environment. He thinks CUHK meets these criteria, as the University has been devoting tremendous effort in equipping its students with a multicultural experience and professional knowledge to help them succeed in the global economy. He also believes CUHK is open to changes which will help him get closer to his full potential.
Apart from courses pertaining to his business major, Bryan is also taking courses such as psychology and mathematical economics. He thinks the courses will help him develop into an expert on the global economy in the future. He shared, “CUHK Business School offers a plethora of learning experiences that I couldn’t have imagined before. I truly believe that the School can nurture me into a successful professional in the economics and finance sector.”
Xueji Li (Integrated BBA)
Twin sisters Yuji and Xueji from Henan were admitted to the science and Integrated BBA programmes at CUHK respectively. Elder sister Xueji was a winner of first-class award at the National High School Mathematical Competition in Henan province. She is also an excellent painter and Latin dancer.
Xueji cited Isaac Newton to explain why she chose to study at CUHK: “If I have seen a little further, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.” She added, “As a time-honoured university, CUHK lives up to a long-standing reputation for nurturing many great minds in the economics and finance fields.” With enlightenment and instructions from CUHK professors, she believed she could succeed in her life and contribute to the Hong Kong community.
Xueji is passionate about finance, and recounted her experience of choosing new furniture for her new home, through which she had found the charm of finance and made up her mind to pursue a career in the sector. In sharing what she is looking forward to in her university life, she said: “‘All over the place was six pence, but he looked up at the moon’. If you’re focused on looking for six pence on the ground, you’ll never notice beautiful stars in the sky. Likewise, Xueji said, “I am interested in finance from an academic and a professional point of view not because of the potential wealth generated from a successful career, but I truly believe it can help to improve the quality of life for people around us.”
Thant Thiri Min (Hospitality and Real Estate Programme)
Thant Thiri from Myanmar was admitted to the Hospitality and Real Estate programme. She is impressed by the programme’s robust curriculum and the University’s study environment. Thant Thiri intends to join scores of extracurricular activities and cross-pollinate ideas and talents with schoolmates. She plans to return to her home country working in the hotel industry for the benefit of the community at large upon graduation.
The original article was edited by amyli@cuhkcontents with information from Office of Admissions and Financial Aid.
This article is an extended edition of the story entitled “Into Our Fold – Meet the new non-local students in a time of distancing” which was first published in the CUHK website. The story was repurposed and edited by CUHK Business School’s Marketing and Communications Office with permission from Information Services Office, CUHK.