Dear DST Students,

This is to inform you of the setup of overseas experience staff - students sharing corner. And the first upcoming sharing will be launched at T29 1st Floor (SSAC), on 17th November, 18:30-19:30. Prof. Kang ZHANG (Professor/ Programme Director of AI) will do the sharing on topic 'How to apply for overseas universities'. Light dinner will be provided.

Introduction about the Sharing Corner

There are many reasons for a student to study abroad. However, is it suitable for everyone to study abroad? What are the pros and cons of studying abroad? Students may have lots of doubts on their minds; whereas they find difficult to get the answers they want. Some of them are too shy to ask; some find nowhere to ask; some do not know what they should ask. In addition, some overseas study agents state only the goods sides of studying abroad. For example, studying abroad can let students meet people from all over the world to create an international circle of friends; build students’ confidence and independence to tackle any challenges come across while studying abroad; students can obtain a different perspective on life, etc. Unfortunately, students may get disappointed when situations are different from what they expect. Some of them cannot catch up with the study progress; some find difficult to form groups with local students there; some lost their confidence; some lost their interest in study; even worse, some adopt unhealthy behaviours.

University education no longer just delivers or spoon feeds advanced knowledge to students. Students also learn and grow in characters from meeting with people during university study. University life gives students an environment to interact with people coming from varying geographical, social and financial backgrounds. The term people should not only limit to classmates or roommates, but also include staff. Students usually meet academic staff in classrooms or in staff offices, whereas the atmosphere is more likely to be serious and rigid. Due to traditional Chinese culture, the relationships between academic staff and students appear to be less interactive than the relationships in western universities. A breakthrough of such relationship indeed further exposes students to rich cultural and social environment for better success. Apart from normal classroom teaching and learning as well as consultation in office, an informal and casual gathering between students and academic staff can create a mutual winning opportunity for all.