TheGrand

HK local students choose to stay mainly because of financial reasons and that HK Universities do know how rigorous HKALEs are compared to anything else. In the UK they compare the British A level to the HKALE by saying an 'A' obtained in HKALE is equivalent to an 'A' in the British A level which is unreasonable because HKALE is so much harder.
(The % who gets A, B AND C in HKALE is equivalent to the % who gets A in the British A level)

Furthermore, US Universities do not really advertise abroad, I wouldn't have even considered applying to the US if I didn't do personal research + influences from friends.
I know recently from the news that the 13- 15 top scoring students (top 0.X%) - about 9 chose HKU and about 4 chose CUHK - none chose HKUST.

The hardest programs I believe in HKU would be Actuarial Science, Medicine, Law, BBA IBGM and BBA Law. Most of the top students chose Medicine followed by Actuarial Science. The requirements for these 5 courses are probably the highest.

ysbera

Oh ok. Is HKUST considered just not as good as HKU or just because the top HK students don't want to do engineering related courses?

Hmm I am also interested to know, is the Dual Degree program on the same level as IBGM for prestige and quality?

But yea its so great you are on this thread. Its so nice to have someone who knows so much about HK universities and be in a similar situation as me haha.

ysbera

Interesting: this is from a hong kong newspaper

More than half of the top students who were offered early admission to university this year have opted for the University of Hong Kong.

Some 423 students who passed the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination with flying colours last year and chose to skip A-levels have been offered university places this September through the Early Admissions Scheme, Jupas said.

HKU scooped up more than half of the cream of the crop, with 226 top students scoring an average of eight As in last year's HKCEE applying for admission to the university.

Medicine was the most popular subject for the 11 straight-A students who chose HKU, with six of them enrolling in the major.

Other popular choices were actuarial science and the double degree in law and business management, both of which were picked by two straight-A students.

Chinese University got 173 students, which accounted for 41 per cent of all scheme applicants. Six of the top students were straight-A scorers who snatched 10 As.

Amidst the financial meltdown, business-related programmes at Chinese University have proved popular with the top students. Subjects such as insurance, financial and actuarial analysis, and risk management have reported a 48 per cent rise in first-choice applications compared with last year.

The university's physics department admitted 10 top students this year - double last year's figure. The department also admitted 13-year-old Kenneth Kan Man-fung through the non-Jupas scheme. The youngest-ever candidate when he took the HKCEE last year, he scored one A, five Bs and a level 5* in English. He is the youngest student ever admitted by the university.

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology admitted 24 top students this year, of whom nine chose to major in the dual degree programme in technology and management. Global business management admitted eight students.

Introduced in 2002, the scheme allows Form Six students who score six As or above to apply for early admission into HKU, Chinese University or the University of Science and Technology.

Flibb

I feel silly asking this, but what exactly is Jupas?

rubichino

what about for engineering??
is HKU still better than HKUST?
My dad went over the program of study in each school and told me that HKUST's engineering program looks much better and engineering-focused...

SDG1

@ysbera: Yeah HKU and CUHK took most of the top students. But you do have to take into account of the size of the undergrad students: Both HKU and CUHK are about twice the size of HKUST. And it also has to do with the entrenched belief that HKU and CUHK are the top schools in HK.

@Flibb: Jupas is not for us

@Rubichino: It is like comparing MIT's engineering w/ Harvard's. MIT is better, but many ppl still go to Harvard b/c of the easier workload and prestige.

TheGrand

@ysbera: That was the article I was talking about (somewhat differently phrased) - I would say HKers STILL (from my perspective) regard HKU as the most prestigious universities because the average caliber is simply higher than that of HKUST and CUHK. This is supported by the figures in your article

SDG's analogy of Harvard and MIT is somewhat right, except I wouldn't use MIT to represent HKUST. To answer your question, I think it is incorrect to generalise that HKers do not like engineer majors. They do, and some are really impressive too, and some choose HKU over HKUST because of the Harvard-MIT issue (again I must emphasize I don't totally agree with the choice of schools but its a good example) My parents will have no doubts choosing HKU over the other schools even if I intend to major for engineering. I + they still believe HKU is a better school overall. For me PERSONALLY, it is not only important that I get into a good course with smart kids, I like the atmosphere of everyone being somewhat intellectual in their area AND that it is in the city-center.

**One interesting point I heard from some people, it seems that the better students in HKUST are only concentrated in a few courses - so in some other courses the caliber of students slips quites steeply - that's just for a point for reference.

"But yea its so great you are on this thread. Its so nice to have someone who knows so much about HK universities and be in a similar situation as me haha." Thanks

@Flibb: JUPAS admission scheme refers to the application to HK Universities using the strength of HKALE results. Non-Jupas would be vice versa.

@rubichino: True, it may look better, but see my argument above.

Flibb

@SDG1, TheGrand: Thanks!!

TheGrand

T_T
I dunno why it has become a daily routine to check this thread even after getting admitted... LOL
I should really stop now...

@Flibb: you are welcome Have you made your mind where to go?

Flibb

@TheGrand: I have to reply to CMU Qatar by 7th May, and am still awaiting their financial aid package. I guess UST will also inform me of their decision and scholarship (if any). Ultimately, my decision will have more to do with finances! So yes, not decided yet

TheGrand

Ummm. if I were to compare Qatar and Hong Kong ----> Hong Kong by ten miles... (well I mean HKU :P) Good luck! Are you doing the IB? Because 38+ points for IB is automatically eligible for scholarship for first year tuition in UST.

dqbonafide

I think it is not right to compare and be too critical about who is the better one. It doesnt matter if HKU or HKUST is the best school in HK. Be it engineering or business related courses. You can say HKU is better for business but I can tell you HKUSTs MBA is the thing.
Who do you listen to? There is no end to this.

Choose the university you have a heart to go to. See the campus. Talk to your countryman who are there. Its the experience that counts. Not whether everyone beside you is smart.
I will never need everyone around me to be smartasses who are by what you say intelectual. That is wrong.

I prefer good people , friendly , life as an undergraduate student. You guys put too much emphasis on which is no.1 which is no.2 so i should go there when in fact the difference is actually a gray area that no one can really access. Even the rankings by TIMES is not accurate.

Dont forget the little comments you guys make will result in ppl like Donutz to take a stepback and doubt when he got a real good offer from HKUST just because they hear you saying "oh HKU is better"
Mind you HKUST is not far behind either.

If you get an offer for engineering/business from HKU or HKUST. Do not make your decision based on who is no.1 who is no.2 here because both are good in any field you apply.

At the end of the day, its all about you when you graduate and develop your own career path , not about " I came from the no.1 engineering school / no.1 business school from HK".

TheGrand

^ I definitely agree with the points as you have stated. But I guess the purpose of this thread is so that everyone can put their views in - since everyone has a different take on universities. Perhaps donutz only had HKUST in his mind all the time, and while the others who suggest HKU may be a better alternative will open his options and really allow him to compare - be it individual research or through other ways.

I am confident that almost every individual is best at making decisions for themselves because everyone has different expectations. - and I am convinced donutz will not be 'blurred' but instead see the wider picture. For example, I think ysbera learnt something more about all these (my speculation - correct me if I am wrong)

Just as you say "I will never need everyone around me to be smartasses who are by what you say intellectual. That is wrong." - it depends on what each is looking for. I generally like a 'smart' atmosphere which does not go into the 'nerd' category - because it motivates myself to work harder.

So to all who are reading this thread - make sure your final decision is what you WANT. If I sound like preaching at any point, I sincerely apologise as my intention is to share my view and my passion - and I hope at least some people will find my comments useful.

@dqbonafide: To your last post which I don't think anyone answered, there is quite a gap between Polytech's and HKU/CUHK/HKUST 's reputation. Also in terms of academic and international reputation it is also comparatively lower.

dqbonafide

No hard feelings there mate ,
All this comparison happens in every country even in singapore between NUS & NTU. Just grew bored of these rivalries.

I thought maybe we can discuss why it is better rather than saying "it is better" you know because all the rankings & proclaimed status as the top / 2nd top is not a good ground to make a decision on. But lets say everyone says HKU is better in business, HKUST is better in engineering. So why? Why is it the better one? Thats the important feedback that we need.

@ TheGrand : Thanks for your answer .. Oh well I applied anyway just incase..

TheGrand

Hm. are you a Singaporean? Well I thought NUS is overall 'better' than NTU (notice i quoted the word better haha) But I do hear from graduates that the curriculum is too tightly packed and less practical than that of its peers. Well the Singapore government will probably make sure the 'National' university stays in the top in Singapore anyway :P

And yea I agree to the point "So why? Why is it the better one? Thats the important feedback that we need."