Several top scorers in Hong Kong’s university entrance examinations overcame personal adversity to achieve their exceptional grades, with an almost entirely blind student vowing to become a legal advocate for the vulnerable and four others driven to study medicine by the trauma of childhood illnesses and witnessing friends suffer.
Secondary Six students across the city received their results for the Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) exams on Wednesday. Of the 24 top scorers, 20 planned to study medicine.
Nine hoped to attend the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and three have applied to the University of Hong Kong (HKU), while the remaining eight are still undecided.
Of the remaining four top achievers, two plan to pursue HKU’s double-degree programme in business and law. Another has chosen the university’s double-degree in government and laws, while the fourth will head to Oxford University to study computer science.
Five elite schools produced more than one top scorer, with St Paul’s Co-educational College leading the pack with a record-breaking five.
Po Leung Kuk Laws Foundation College in Tseung Kwan O, HKBU Affiliated School Wong Kam Fai Secondary and Primary School in Sha Tin and Shatin Tsung Tsin Secondary School all produced their first top scorers.