SHHO Student On Exchange Life
Every year, College students have a chance to join the exchange programme in collaboration with world-renowned universities, including Yuanpei College at Peking University, Emmanuel College at the University of Cambridge, University College Utrecht at Utrecht University and Brown University. In 2017, College student Mr. Alvin Wong travelled to Emmanuel College at the University of Cambridge for a one-year exchange adventure. Being one of the best universities in the world, the University of Cambridge is rich in history and famous for its scenic campuses. Its lively academic atmosphere also provides a cradle of learning which attracts numerous students across the world. Looking back at his studies at Cambridge, Alvin said it has brought him immeasurable rewards in many aspects.
Alvin has been studying the Bachelor of Laws programme at CUHK. At Cambridge, he chose to study the Programme in History and Philosophy of Science (HPS). The two programmes seem irrelevant but Alvin believed that the training he received from HPS is beneficial to understanding law from a fresh perspective. Since his junior secondary education, Alvin had not been exposed to science courses. Thus, he intended to take history and philosophy courses at Cambridge but despite what he planned, he ended up taking HPS. “It was not my original choice and I had no science background. In the first two months, I was a bit upset.” But as time went on, he gradually enjoyed the programme and the inspirations it led to. “The longer I spent my time on it, the more I started to find that the course was indeed very interesting. For philosophy, in general, it is to understand what scientific questions are about. For history, it is to trace the historic origin of the scientific developments in different time.” This kind of cross-subject investigation introduces students to diversified way of thinking. They are trained to examine a problem from a broader way.
Alvin continued, “In my exchange year, I learned to understand the word ‘law’ from different angles and by adopting more thinking frames. I am able to understand law more critically.” Critical thinking can enhance one’s academic capacity, such as how to find out, analyse and respond to questions. The rigorous intellectual training at Cambridge has paved a solid foundation for Alvin to further study law. He hoped that he can make use of his strengths and contribute to the future academic development of law in Hong Kong.
Alvin (left) watches a football match played by Cambridge United with a friend in Abbey Stadium.
