From UCL to HKU | OSSD Alumni Return to School Sharing from International College
Recently, the academy welcomed an outstanding alumnus - OSSD course graduate Cao Zhengding, who returned to campus to share. With a solid academic foundation and continuous self motivation, he successfully entered University College London (UCL) in the UK and is currently pursuing a master's degree at the University of Hong Kong.
This time back to school, he had face-to-face communication with OSSD students, sharing his real experiences and practical suggestions on key issues such as choosing a path for studying in the UK, adapting to overseas studies, and life planning. Let's review this sincere and valuable conversation together.
Interview Record
Real experience and rational thinking
Cao graduated from University College London (UCL) with a bachelor's degree in Public Health and is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Food Safety at the University of Hong Kong.
During his study in the OSSD program of the International Academy of Classical Learning, his British undergraduate application scores were very impressive, and he received five applications and five records, and was admitted by many famous British universities, such as King's College London (KCL), Edinburgh University, Durham University, and the University of Manchester, and finally entered UCL.
Q1
What key roles did OSSD courses play in your application to top universities in the UK?
The OSSD course has a high degree of connection with subsequent university courses in terms of academic system, including learning system usage habits. The recognition of this curriculum system by British universities is also high. This played a crucial role in my successful acquisition of offers from multiple British universities back then.
Q2
What are the plans behind this professional path from public health to food safety?
These two majors are closely related in terms of overall framework, both belonging to the field of public health or public safety. Choosing food safety during graduate studies is a further refinement and specialization based on undergraduate studies, with a particular focus on food related sub fields. This choice is closely related to my future employment opportunities, industry direction, and possible countries and regions of development, and is the result of my systematic thinking.
Q3
Do you have any suggestions regarding dormitory or rental housing in the UK?
British universities generally prioritize the application for dormitories for first-year students, which is usually available upon application. The biggest advantage of school dormitories is their high cost-effectiveness, often located in the heart of the city, but at a price equivalent to rent in the outskirts of the city.
At the same time, dormitory life is also very conducive to communicating with classmates from the same school, different or similar majors. So it's best for us younger students to develop good self-care habits in high school.In addition, in their sophomore and junior years, students usually need to rent their own apartments, whether it is a shared social apartment or a student apartment, and the economic pressure will relatively increase.
Q4
Currently pursuing a master's degree in Hong Kong, what are your plans for future career development?
From my undergraduate and graduate major choices, it can be seen that I am currently more inclined towards directions such as public health and disease prevention and control, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or related public departments. Of course, the specific path still needs to be flexibly adjusted based on the actual situation, but the overall direction is consciously planned.
Q5
What advice would you like to give to younger students who are planning to study abroad?
Before studying abroad for my undergraduate degree, I did not have any long-term experience of living abroad. When I first arrive abroad, I feel uncomfortable with culture, environment, and people, which I think is a very normal phenomenon.
This adaptation period may last for 1 to 2 months, or even longer. At this stage, if you feel uneasy or your studies are affected, please do not panic, as this is a process that almost every international student will experience. As you gradually adapt, you will find that you can actually handle it very well.
The inheritance of experience, the continuation of growth
A return to school sharing by alumni is not only a transmission of experience, but also a relay of confidence. Starting from the International Academy and moving towards a broader world; Experience and settle in further places, then return to my alma mater, share the road I have walked and the scenery I have seen with future generations, and light up the direction for them to move forward.
This is exactly the growth platform that International Academy hopes to build for every student: connecting the past and the future, connecting the campus and the world, so that every student can continuously accumulate and improve in a real and visible path, steadily moving towards their own further distance!