Beatrice Lok Yiu

“What is your dream job?” you must have answered this question from parents or teachers before. I still remember a few ideas that popped up in my mind such as being a businesswoman, a doctor or a teacher. I even came up with an answer of being a lawyer during a school admission interview when I was small simply because I watched a TV drama about lawyers at that time. However, I realized that I am more on the "scientific side" rather than the "artistic side"  since childhood. Instead of playing dolls dress up, I would prefer playing Rummikub, solving puzzles and browsing the Internet after school. Perhaps this somehow explains why I did better in science subjects and eventually ended up here at HKUST Engineering.

In my senior secondary years, I was quite struggling to choose where should I pursue my future study and career paths, whether to study in Hong Kong or overseas, to pursue medicine or business, science or engineering, etc. After visiting HKUST a few times during school visits and the annual information day, my interest in studying engineering at HKUST became stronger and stronger. One of the reasons is the diversified community of HKUST that we can meet lots of non-local students even when we are studying in Hong Kong. There are also many resources provided by the School of Engineering so at last, I put HKUST Engineering as my first choice. After being admitted and studying different engineering fundamental courses in order to have a taste of different majors, I chose Computer Engineering (CPEG) as it is a combination of studying hardware and software and there are various elective courses that we can study to explore more opportunities in our career path.

Besides, expanding our social network is beneficial for adapting to a new environment. I met a lot of new friends after joining activities held by engineering students’ societies, and some of them became my close buddies in HKUST. We may have heard of some students giving up their hobbies and social life solely for studying, but for me, university education is not simply about academics. It is also a great chance for all of us to explore and experience something different that may turn out to be life-changing! It has been a while since we are back on campus for a face-to-face meet-up. Spending more time on joining different programs or societies is definitely a way to gain more experience and to shape myself to be a better person.

Come to HKUST and explore your opportunities here!