Over 670 senior secondary school students enjoyed an early taste of university life at HKUST in the summer!  Coming from more than 200 local and international high schools, an exceptional group of curious and talented young people had participated in HKUST's very first Summer Institute between 18 July and 12 August 2011.

The HKUST Summer Institute is a well-rounded summer program tailored for secondary school students, providing them with the opportunity to experience the typical life of a UST student. A total of 25 foundational, credit-bearing courses were offered, introducing students to topics that they might not get a chance to study in high school.

Learning

Lee Kwun Yik, who took the course "Chemistry in the Modern World" offered by the School of Science, had enjoyed the practical lab sessions very much. "The lab session is amazing," he said, "[the program] provided a good chance for us to do labs in a university."

The program was divided into 2 modules, giving students the flexibility to take up to 4 courses in either one or both modules. Though students were required to put in a lot of effort to complete these intensive courses, it doesn't make them enjoy the experience any less. "I [had] a great time," said Betty Lau, who took the courses "Information Systems for Business Innovation" offered by School of Business and Management and "History that School Textbooks Never Touched: Violence, Sins, "Great" Men in China, 1800s-1930s" of School of Humanities and Social Science. "My impression of UST is always the best among all the universities in Hong Kong."

Enrichment Activities

While the program's major emphasis is its academic component, we also recognize the importance of students' development in other areas. Students enrolled in the Summer Institute had the option of participating in various enrichment activities organized by the Office of the Dean of Students and the Schools. These include social activities such as Icebreaking Lunches and Badminton Competition, as well as practical workshops such as the University Admissions Preparatory Workshops and Engineering workshops.

Students also had the privileges to attend special luncheons with HKUST President Professor Tony F Chan and Secretary General of HKEAA Dr C S Tong. These valuable opportunities allowed students to gain insights into the latest educational issues and provided them with a platform to exchange ideas with two important figures of the Hong Kong education field. Those who attended the luncheons found the experience very rewarding.

Fun Campus

Aside from enrichment activities arranged exclusively for Summer Institute participants, students were also welcomed to join our other university events. Students were offered free tickets to watch the HKUST Summer Musical – Elton John and Tim Rice's AIDA, a collaborated roduction of HKUST students, staff and alumni directed by Professor Oliver Lo from the Division of Humanities. They were also invited to meet the owners and crew of the world's largest solar-powered catamaran, MS Tûranor PlanetSolar, who visited HKUST while making their only stop in China.

A Great & Fruitful Summer!

From choosing courses to completing their final assessments, from finding the way to classrooms to finding out which cafeteria has the best food, students have learnt new knowledge and acquired new skills everyday throughout the program with the guidance and assistance from our friendly faculty members and staff. 

Becoming more independent was one of the trainings students had undergone – taking initiative and not being afraid to ask questions are the real "survival gears" at the university. "I am getting to be more outgoing because of the program," says Brian Luk.  One of the courses he took was "Engineering and Environment" offered by the School of Engineering, which he described as "very interactive".  "We [had] experiments to conduct and we had to prepare for presentations, so I could make many friends," said Brian.

Overall, students were highly satisfied with what they had experienced at the program.  "It's great and I would recommend it to my friends," said one of them.  Cham Lok Yee, who took two science courses in Module 1, said, "I really enjoy Summer Institute and I think it's the best summer program I've ever joined."

Lorraine Tong sat beside UST President Tony F Chan during "lunch with President" said, "After the programme Lunch with President, I think that I can know more about the policies of UST, and also things about the university admission.

"I think that the course is actually really very good! It made me to enjoy a great and fruitful summer in UST!"  she added.