Business boosts fair
AN exhibition on overseas studies which highlighted Master of Business Administration (MBA) programmes was recently staged at the Hongkong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The exhibition, organised by the School and College Services, is in its 10th year. It is aimed at giving visitors an opportunity to communicate with representatives from overseas colleges and get updated information on programme requirements.
A new feature was added to this year's exhibition. A section on the MBA programmes of more than 30 colleges was set up.
Ms Esther Hung Oi-san, a student counsellor of the School and College Services, explained why: ''As the Bachelor's degree is becoming more and more common, students are pursuing a higher degree.'' Well-known establishments for MBA studies represented at the exhibition included Canada's University of Western Ontario, the Aston Business School in the United Kingdom and the University of Sydney in Australia.
A total of 36 booths were set up, 10 by colleges in the United Kingdom and the others by schools in the United States, Canada, Switzerland, Australia and Hongkong. Most were tertiary institutes.
A newcomer to the exhibition was St George's School in Switzerland, a secondary boarding school for girls which adopts the British education system.
''With the approach of 1997, we thought Hongkong students might be interested in the security and quality of life Switzerland offers,'' Ms Louise Zund-Cooper, the school principal, told Young Post.
The only local booth was set up by Study Methods International which offers special courses on memory training.
Information on institutions in New Zealand and Europe was available on pamphlets even though there were no representatives.
To make the exhibition more informative, a catalogue called ''StudyPro'' was given to visitors for free.
Besides offering advice to students on college selection and application procedures, the publication also features articles from education experts.
There is also a section on MBA schools and a list of the 450 best US colleges named by the US News and World Report.
Students who want to study in the United States expressed disappointment after visiting the fair.
''Only two or three US universities are represented, and nearly all of them are in California, which is not our choice,'' sixth former Nobel Tsui said.
Meanwhile, a lot of students visited the exhibition because of the special MBA section.
After Hongkong, some exhibiters will travel to Macau, Shenzhen, Taipei and Toronto in another round of recruitment.
The School and College Services will run a similar fair in July.
