03 Feb 2024
The Admissions Counseling Office has welcomed another round of offers. Among the many applicants, NBCK 2024 graduate Herman Mao successfully won the favor of the University of Hong Kong with his outstanding academic performance under the guidance of a personalized admissions counselor, and directly won the offer of Bachelor of Science, one of the most competitive majors at the University of Hong Kong. This article will share Herman's application journey at the University of Hong Kong, and attach a message to his younger classmates, to help students and parents have a clearer grasp of the application direction.
"From the moment I entered NBCK, my teacher emphasized the importance of academic performance to me, because one of the most critical materials for applying to world-renowned universities is standardized test scores, so I have always attached great importance to this item." When the counselor mentioned Binyu's mental journey in the 2023 exam season again, Binyu recalled the scene of making plans with the teacher during the first counselor interview without hesitation. Academic performance is the cornerstone of the application to the UK and Hong Kong, and it is also the first step of the long march that every student at NBCK remembers. No matter which prestigious school you apply to, standardized test scores are always one of the most fundamental and core elements. It was also after that counselor interview that Binyu strengthened his heart and understood that if he wanted to stand out in the fierce competition, he must have excellent academic performance as a support. Facts have proved that Binyu is undoubtedly one of the students who have the deepest understanding and have achieved unity of knowledge and action.
"In fact, I can't say much about my preparation for applying to the University of Hong Kong. Because I believe that professional matters should be left to professionals, and I am very grateful to Mr. Yu from the Guidance Office for the full guidance of the application to the University of Hong Kong."
When talking about the overall plan for the University of Hong Kong, Binyu strongly recommended his juniors to refer to his arrangements for further studies. When deciding to choose the international track, Binyu and his family hoped to find a school that was both high-quality and closely linked to universities in Hong Kong, China. With the recommendation of seniors around him, he learned about NBCK, which had produced many students admitted to the University of Hong Kong, and made an appointment to visit it as soon as possible. I still remember that Binyu and his parents had in-depth exchanges with the guidance teacher on key points such as the school system, examination arrangements and timeline planning. The guidance teacher also shared the preliminary preparations and many details of previous graduates in applying for universities in Hong Kong, China. The numerous guidance information also made Binyu realize that when preparing for university applications, applying to the UK and Hong Kong is a more comprehensive and deep-rooted strategy. This is also the reason behind Binyu's later adjustment of his application strategy and shifting part of his application focus to the UK, which he also intended to do.
"I think the help my advisor provided me can be divided into three aspects. The first is to help me make plans, expand information and prepare materials in the early stage. The second is to keep me on track and adjust at any time during the long application cycle. The third is the confidence and support at all times."
Regarding the further education guidance, Mr. Yu from the Further Education Guidance Office also explained Binyu's application to the University of Hong Kong: "In the mainstream perspective of English applications, the application to the University of Hong Kong is actually a 'survival in the cracks'. The Further Education Guidance Office focused on minimizing Binyu's application pressure in the Hong Kong application. There are three difficulties in the joint application between the UK and Hong Kong: 'tight time, a lot of materials, and early language'." The application to the University of Hong Kong usually starts after the last year's graduates are included (usually the last week of August), that is, after the new year's inclusion standards and plans are completed in September, the application opening time will focus on mid-October. At the same time, mid-October coincides with the deadline for the inclusion of Oxford and Cambridge application batches. A large number of professional entrance examinations such as MAT, TMUA, etc. also need to be prepared and taken, which requires mental effort. Applicants from October to November are usually in a state of anxiety. At the same time, the early bird round of the University of Hong Kong is open until mid-November, and the file upload deadline is in early December. The overall window period is short, and there are more processes. If applicants do not prepare in advance when submitting, it is very easy to make various omissions.
At the same time, the University of Hong Kong, or universities in Hong Kong, China, require quite a few materials for international students to apply. Although some documents are similar to those for English applications, such as personal statements and letters of recommendation. However, since UCAS has Advisor Portal certification, the grades only need to be Qualified by the school to be recognized. The materials for Hong Kong applications require uploading all transcripts and materials, which is more cumbersome. At the same time, this year, the Counselor Portal of the University of Hong Kong has added requirements for GPA files for regular grades, which makes the preparation and time spent on the entire Hong Kong application far exceed that of the UK application.
Due to the number of admissions, the application difficulty of the University of Hong Kong is even more complicated and difficult than applying for the UK G5 prestigious schools. Therefore, when arranging for Binyu to submit his application to the University of Hong Kong, the teacher of the Advancement Office made adjustments in the preparation of the major and documents based on the characteristics of his English application, and arranged with another teacher in charge of Binyu's English application in November to deploy ESL accepted by the University of Hong Kong as a backup plan to prevent Binyu from having disadvantages in language scores.
Regarding Binyu's strategic arrangement for applying for both the UK and Hong Kong, the counseling office teacher was very emotional: "When Binyu was choosing a school and a career in the UK, he had already included the application requirements of Hong Kong schools in his plan. Binyu's final offer from the University of Hong Kong was planted last year, and we are looking forward to the sweet fruits."
The above is the good news that NBCK 2024 graduate Binyu received an admission offer from the University of Hong Kong. I hope that every student who dreams of studying abroad in a world-renowned university can make solid progress, realize their dream school ideals, and start a new challenge in life.
