Winnie Tang Yuen-ting of Heep Yunn School believes she has made the right decision by giving up a place at London University to pursue her studies in Hong Kong. Winnie plans to enter the Chinese University of Hong Kong for her degree in Business Administration. Pocketing distinctions in Economics A(1), Psychology A(2), Use of English [AS] A(1), Computer Applications [AS] A(1) and Mathematics and Statistics [AS] A(2) in this year's Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination, Winnie is confident she has made the right choice. The 19-year-old believes there is no such thing as 'the best university', and what matters is the person's attitude. 'For me, university is just a place to train my thinking and a place to learn. Choosing a university is not the most important thing. 'It is always the individual that counts. You might get into a university that is not up to your expectations. But then you can always work harder. In the end, it all boils down to the person's attitude,' she said. 'I will first finish the BBA and then I plan to go for an MBA, so I can still go abroad for the master's degree later if I want to.' Winnie said her father, who is a businessman shuttling between mainland China and Hong Kong, has played a major part in influencing her career choice. 'My father keeps telling me about his business and what he sees all the time. It is attractive to me because the job requires one to be swift and flexible. 'There is no guarantee for good performance, even if you possess the knowledge. It also depends on many other things - such as inter-personal relationships - so it is a very exciting profession.' Despite opting to stay in Hong Kong for her tertiary studies, Winnie does not have much confidence in the territory's future. 'Time after time I hear from my father how people on the mainland handle things. From the media I also know how dissidents are treated by the Chinese authorities, and how they ignore the laws they laid down.' Winnie, who got eight As in the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE), said the A-Level results did not mark a special day in her life. 'Study is one of my priorities in life, but it isn't everything,' she said.
