Student Activities Week

Thanks to the kind and staunch support from the various universities and organisations, the Attachment Programmes for Form 6 students again came to a success. Let’s hear what they have to share with us. 

HKU Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine

6B Chiu Pak Hey Christopher

We felt privileged with the opportunity to experience the life of a medical student, attending lessons at HKU. In fact, SPCC is the only school that offers such invaluable exposure to its students. We attended lectures, practical sessions and tutorials with the medical students. We even stayed at St John’s College for a night with some of them.

I was much impressed with their learning attitude, particularly, their “thirst” for knowledge. This made me reflect on my own learning attitude. We always complain that teachers provide us with more than we need for exams. However, should exams be all there is to studying?  This experience has enlightened us to rethink the reason why we go to school.  Knowledge acquisition is something more than just preparing for exams.

HKUST

6A Poon Grace Yen Yen

Universities require students to be self-motivated and self-disciplined. You have the total right not to attend any lessons, stay in the dorm and sleep all day long. Nobody will bother with you. One can enter a top university but learn nothing at all should he fail to acquire the skill and discipline of self-learning.

The HKUST attachment not only let me have a taste of university life, but also provided me with a glimpse of biochemistry, a subject that I have always wanted to study at university. This visit did not disappoint me; instead, it boosted my curiosity and interest in the specialised subject. Example? If you want to grasp the key to anti-ageing yourself without being deceived by advertisements, do study biochemistry.

CUHK

6C Tam Ching Tiffany

Fifteen of us joined the attachment programme to CUHK’s School of Journalism and Communication. We wrote radio drama scripts and turned them into production. We also had quite a few other explorations. Some of us found the psychology lectures very interesting while some enjoyed recording in the studio more. Some were excited about the mini-concert while some indulged themselves in stargazing. Some could express themselves at ease in formal dinners but some preferred a relaxing chat in the dark with Professor Ma Ngok and his students.

We had totally different ideas towards what we learnt, what inspired us, and what was most valuable. After all, it is all about diversity in university, isn’t it? It’s about exploring different possibilities, finding your own dream, and learning to pursue it.

APA

6B Christopher Wong

Think out of the box and break the rules – these were the learning attitudes I observed at the Academy for Performing Arts. Students there participate actively in class, and their passion in learning motivates them. APA is a world of persistence: in reality, not every performer would become a superstar; most end up as instructors or less famous artists. Still, its students never slack or quit; they are always keen to grasp their moment of fame under the spotlight. Their courage and enthusiasm in pursuing a less favoured career in performing arts touches me. Perhaps wealth and power are not the most important in life; working hard to chase after your dream is.

HKU Shanghai Business Trip

6A Phyllis Kay Lam

Being buried under heaps of surveys, running for life amid the flashing traffic lights and horns of motorbikes, and spilling juice from ‘siu lung bows’… these were some of the experiences of my Shanghai trip. Apprenticing with Toys R Us China, we analysed data everyday and conducted face-to-face interviews with the customers. But what I found most challenging was to cooperate and communicate with our mentor and meet her high expectations.

Now I know how tough it is to work under pressure: with the boss demanding from me the impossible – ‘possible’ in her perspective – and challenging me whenever she pleases. But as Dag Hammarskjold said, “Life only demands from you the strength you possess.” If you are strong and perseverant enough, the impossible is actually possible.

Esquel

6D Wong Yan Ling Anne

What sets Esquel apart from the competition and impressed me most is its ‘e-culture’ that encompasses ethics, environment, exploration, excellence and education.

Esquel has set up a kindergarten for the children of its staff and an ‘Eco-mobile laboratory’, a bus which delivers the message of environmental conservation to school kids in Guangdong. It also has to its thermal power plant and water treatment centre which costs Esquel millions of RMB to run each day. There is in fact no need for the company to do all these things that have nothing to do with its business – cotton-shirt manufacturing. It simply does them out of a sense of social responsibility.

Esquel has set a good example of what an enterprise can do and contribute to the society. The five days we spent at its headquarters and factories have certainly changed our view that businessmen only care about making money.

Bank of East Asia

6C Jason Leung Cheuk Man

Every morning we treaded to Kwun Tong in suit and tie, hiding inconspicuously among hundreds of other office workers, and arrived in BEA at 9am sharp. This is a daily routine for hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong people, but for us it was a fresh and unique experience to feel what it would be like to work. Through talks and doing projects on different banking products, we gained a lot of insights into working in a bank, an aspiration of many young people. Some of us might have left with a reinforced aspiration for the banking industry while some might find it not the right occupation for them. Nonetheless, all nine of us have become more mature, experienced and knowledgeable students.

Computime

6B Hang Ka Kee Cathy

The five-day attachment programme at Computime was unforgettable and invaluable. After listening to presentations given by some business professionals there, I had a more in-depth understanding of the complicated business world. Besides, we also had a chance to visit the company’s factory and R&D centre in mainland China. I was amazed by the numerous, well-organised assembly lines in the factory where workers performed their work sedulously and enjoyably. This programme enabled me to step out of the classroom and explore a different world. It changed my view towards business and prepared me for future challenges.