A message to the graduating classes
It has been six years since I graduated from WSC, you may not realise it as you read this, but the effect of schooling will covertly manifest your decisions for years to come. So to speak, I hope this message finds you well and can shed some light on every turn of events, be it academic or career related.
If you have not found yourselves overwhelmed by the JUPAS, the implications are threefold. You may have been paying too little attention; you may not have been a twelfth-grader yet; or you just know exactly where you are heading. Even if your A1 slot is as secure as train timetables, you still run a risk of underperforming in the HKDSE. In either case, you should consult your teachers who have witnessed teenagers more than you ever in life. They tend to know your place in a student body, and the role you are playing, better than yourselves. The knowledge can be helpful when you are choosing the A1 to A3 choices. Many bright minds may get offended hearing my assertion. But it never hurts to consult one more person, which I am certain, a person as smart as you will understand. After getting your personality assessed, you should invite our alumni to a coffee (or boba) chat. It is common these days that coffee chats are a remarkable way to gain some industry know-how. While teachers can offer you a job match, alumni can take it to an industry-specific level. You will learn a great deal about the career, the course of studies, and the pitfalls. If you are wise enough, you may survive without any consultation, but you will give up an opportunity to attain a similar height with less effort or time.
During my years at school, rumours about life at university, also known as the “U-life”, abounded. Some of us used to look up to those jovial figures portrayed in college comedies. I am not saying it is impossible; you should be well aware of all the obstacles, besides the embellishments. U-life is notoriously free. You are free to study, and you are also free to not study. You exercise your discretion to partake in any activities, relationships and movements. One conspicuous outcome is not seldom heard: “broken GPA”, as they say. My programme, Dentistry, involves some most laisser-faire mode of learning. I was given no syllabus. The very thing I was counting on, was coursemates and seniors. It is not to say that my U-life has been free of troubles. The fact that I have experienced such a crisis, is a telltale sign of the ubiquity of indolence. The best countermeasure against “deadline-fighting” is to make studying your routine, by asking professors whenever you have a hard time, forming study groups, and maintaining a good relationship with seniors. Socialisation-wise, I believe you guys need no more advice. I have one reminder for you—plan ahead. There are innumerable opportunities at university, which many of them you would eventually miss out. “Seize the day”, is heavily overused, but true. There will be deadlines for scholarships, exchanges, freebies, talks, job applications, welfare packs, and a blossoming confession. If it goes, it goes.
The last point is distant to you yet profound. You will soon graduate from WSC, whatever higher institution, and welcome a new page of your life. Leading a life is not something you can learn from a textbook. You have to reflect on yourself “three times a day”, as the old Confucian teaching goes. If you have luckily landed on a professional programme like me, your life would be relatively easier. It is still a bit of a hassle nonetheless. If a mentorship programme is available, you should reach out to them for industry insights. Mentors can tell you based on their true account what kind of life you will find yourselves in. Let me posit an imagery scenario: you can be earning a handsome income and climbing up the social ladder; but you can be nowhere near happiness. Strange as it may sound, what I have said does not matter, because sooner or later, you will all experience a moment of revelation. My suggestion is to try as many new hobbies as possible, while you are still physically capable. They will come in handy when you are bored by the trifling, tiring, day-to-day and nine-to-seven lifestyle. Also, you will not want to neglect friendship in your life planning. They comprise the majority of your social life. No matter how wonderful a dentist you are, you are only as good as the deeds and words of yours. Be nice; be genuine.
I shall end my verbosity at once with a wish of good luck to you all. My years at WSC enabled me to witness some sharpest and truest minds. These traces of refreshment are nowhere else to be seen.
