Medical students' surprise

Twenty-one out of 25 Form Six students have been offered places at the University of Hong Kong (HKU)'s Faculty of Medicine after just one round of interviews.

The normal procedure of the early admission scheme requires two rounds of interviews. The first is a group interview, conducted by university staff. The second is an individual interview at the faculty or department to which the students applied.

However, when 21 of the applicants to HKU's Faculty of Medicine showed up for what they thought would be a second interview, they were made the offers. Most had scored either nine or 10 As in the HKCEE.

'We were kept waiting for about half-an-hour, then someone came in and delivered a long speech on how special this scheme was. Then came a very simple

sentence stating we were accepted, but the written confirmation would not come until the end of May,' said one of the students.

'It was a big surprise,' said another.