Despite the heavy workload on the bachelor of laws (LLB) programme at City University of Hong Kong (CityU), first-year students are enjoying myriad aspects of their studies and have successfully built up a support network.
'The law faculty is a tight-knit organisation committed to creating a warm, family-like type of learning environment,' says Kamaljeet Kaur, a first-year student on the programme.
Her batchmate, Oriana Ho Yi-yin, echoes this view. 'I have come to understand that laws go beyond the regulations laid down to maintain the stability of society.'
Kaur and Ho are among the 16 recipients of the 2011 LLB Admission Scholarship awarded by CityU's School of Law. Launched in 2008, the scholarship aims to support first-year undergraduates who have outstanding academic results, and a good track record when it comes to extra-curricular activities. The candidates must be LLB students admitted in Band A of the Joint University Programmes Admission System (JUPAS), and nominated by the principals of their secondary schools. Each scholarship recipient is awarded HK$50,000.
Due to the intense competition, Kaur was surprised by her win. 'It is a fantastic way to kick-start the four-year programme. You need an impressive r?sum?when looking for jobs after finishing your law studies. This scholarship will be a great addition,' says the graduate from Good Hope School.
The other scholarship recipients feel similarly. Fong Yan-nok considers the money to be a generous gift that will spur him on to study harder. Fong's alma mater is St Paul's Co-educational College.
Meanwhile, Jeffrey Lee Kwun-lun, who graduated from Ying Wa College, believes the nomination helps to establish a closer link between the secondary schools and universities. 'My experience may encourage students at Ying Wa to enrol in the LLB programme at CityU,' Lee says. 'Although we are only first-year students, the school has already offered us the opportunity to participate in mooting competitions.'