Overseas scholarships help undergraduates prepare for the 'real world of finance', according to a leading academic. Six business students from the City University of Hong Kong (CityU) will leave next month for year-long courses at tertiary institutes in the United States, Britain, Canada and France. Their air fares have been sponsored by Cathay Pacific Airways. Professor Richard Ho Yan- ki, dean of the Faculty of Business at CityU, said the exchange programme - which is in its third year - fostered a greater international perspective among students. 'Such globalisation of learning enriches our students and equips them for the real world of business and finance,' he said. Venus Tsang Tsui-wah, the assistant corporate communications manager at Cathay Pacific, told the undergraduates at the presentation ceremony: 'Try to put what you learn into practice and make Hong Kong a better place.' Charlotte Kwok Wai-lim, one of last year's exchange students to York University in Toronto, Canada, said the experience was worthwhile. 'It has increased the value of my three-year university study,' the final-year business student said. First-year business student Calvin Tang Kwong-yin said the learning process would start before the programme really began. 'We will be meeting a lot friends and learning to deal with things independently even under pressure.' Bound for Group Super ieure des Sciences Commerciales D'Angers in France this summer, Mr Tang is hoping to get the most out of the trip. He is particularly excited about studying in France. First- and second-year students Avis Lam Bik-ha, Tam Yuk-ying, Paul Chung Kai-cheong, Danny Chan Fun and Joanne Cheng Yin-mei are the other winners of the Cathay Pacific Travel Scholarship scheme. The programme has so far benefitted 25 undergraduates since it was launched by the Faculty of Business in 1996.
