By Moon Wong

1）Study hard

I’m sorry, but yes you still have to study in university! While it is a good time to say farewell to the endless homework and exams in high school, you can expect even more in the coming years in CUHK. There will be academic essays, projects, mid-terms, and final exams for most courses in general, which will all contribute towards your GPA. Therefore, it is very important to have detailed planning of your schedules beforehand and adopt good time management, or else you may be overwhelmed by huge piles of work before the deadline! On a side note, be sure to find trustworthy and reliable friends as your partner in group projects, since there are always free riders around whom tend not to contribute in projects, which will undermine the performance of the whole group. Still, in the unfortunate case of having a free rider as your groupmate, do not panic! You can either take the initiative to engage the student, or simply assign him/her relatively minor tasks to minimize the effects on the quality of your project. As the last resort, you can always approach the lecturer or teaching assistants (TA) and report about the situation.

2）Enjoy dormitory life

Ever since high school / secondary school, most of us would surely have imagined the day when we can finally leave home and become independent. As you now enter the new stage of life in university, this is your chance to finally escape from the constraints! In fact, for international students, colleges will offer a guaranteed dormitory stay for N-1 years of your undergraduate studies (N refers to the number of years you study in the university), so you will be completely independent of your family during your study in CUHK. There will no longer be annoying grumbles from parents, nor being scolded for staying up late or returning at midnight. Still, as appealing as it may seem, staying in the dormitory means that you will now become fully responsible for yourself. You will have to clean your room, do the laundry, etc. all by yourself without any aid from your parents. But don’t worry! You will surely have a great time staying in the dormitory, getting to make new friends and enjoy various activities organized by different student bodies in your respective College. If you need any help or support, your roommate is always at your back!

3）Dating

The special one who brings endless joy and light to your stressful daily life, who offers unconditional support and comfort under setbacks and challenges, who gives you all the courage and meaning to strive on in life. Finding your life-long partner is never easy, but the university is definitely one of the best stages of life to meet your special one. From orientation camps to daily interactions in the lecture hall, from communicating in group projects to participating in college activities, life in university offers you array of opportunities to interact with people, and when the time comes, to meet your one and only one. As you venture into the unknowns of university life, he/she can be your companion to overcome all the ups and downs together. Imagine after all the hectic lectures, as the two of you walk down the University Mall in Main Campus, the sun gradually sets and paints the campus in pleasant gold. It is surely a memory that will be treasured for the rest of your life.

4）Organize student bodies and associations

People always say that university is a miniature society. This description is pretty accurate when we consider how different student bodies, along with the university administrations, establish the functioning of our university. As soon as you enter university, you will be introduced to various associations of variable scale and nature. For example, there is a student body for your major, College, and CUHK as a whole respectively. There are other student bodies like service groups, astronomy society, etc. Not sure where to start with? Don’t worry! There will be promotions by the associations through email and during lectures, as well as briefing sessions that will introduce you with more in-depth information on what the student bodies do. So remember to mark them down on your schedule to know more about the ones you are interested in! It will be a valuable experience to enrich your university life, where you can develop strong bonding with your partners and potentially life-long friendships. You will also learn to collaborate with different people of various personalities, exploring your best working style whilst striking a balance with other people to strive for the common goal of the association. Therefore, be sure to join some student bodies if you are interested!

5）Work in part-time jobs / internship

To get the most out of university, spending large sums of money is inevitable, notably the tuition fees. Having received all the support from our parents, sometimes we just don’t want to add extra burden on them financially. But lying in front of you are various sources of additional expenses: orientation camp, group gatherings, investment on your student bodies, dormitory fee, and a lot more. Some would thus choose to apply for on-campus part-time jobs or internship during their free time. Not only can you earn some bonus income to cover your expenses in university, but it will also give you additional insights into the workplace culture as you enter the society upon graduation. If you are too insecure about working alone, it is always a great idea to invite some friends to join with you! Working together will make the job less stressful and more enjoyable!

分享至: