Six students in the region have won Jardine scholarships to study at Oxford and Cambridge.
The winners are Mie Wong Mei-wai from Hong Kong, He Ping and Michelle Jin Wenchao from the mainland, Jiang Yingxin and Ivan Chen Yiming from Singapore, and Pattanum Achakulwisut from Thailand.
Applicants for the scholarship had to attend two rounds of interviews and write an essay about themselves and their academic and career aspirations, and another essay on an assigned topic.
The scholars recently shared their different approaches to interviews and essay writing.
Ping said he reads the newspaper every day. He said it's the best way to keep up with current events. He also said brief, well-informed replies go down best at interviews. 'In a 30-minute interview, you have to be concise,' he said.
Like Ping, Michelle believes in the importance of reading widely. 'The more you read, the more you learn,' she said.
Besides an outstanding academic record, applicants had to be actively involved in extra-curricular affairs.