British Council Education UK exhibition attracted over 3,500 visitors on the first day
Obtaining the latest information on UK education from over 100 education institutions
The British Council opened its biannual Education UK Exhibition today, attracting over 3,500 visitors to explore UK education opportunities from over 100 UK primary and secondary schools, institutions for further education, and universities, offering thousands of places for the coming academic year. The exhibition also runs tomorrow from 1.00 – 7.00 p.m. at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wanchai.
As of the end of December 2013, applications to UK colleges and universities in 2014-15 have risen by 6.7 per cent to 3,024 compared to the same period last year, according to figures released by UCAS, the Universities & Colleges Admissions Service. The number is expected to increase after the 15 January 2014 UCAS application deadline and the exhibition.
Sophia Chan-Combrink, Head of Education and Society at British Council, said, “UK education is renowned for its quality and diversified subject choices. We have seen a steady increase of Hong Kong students pursuing higher education in the UK in the past five years. In 2012-13,the double cohort year with a larger pool of students graduating, the number hit a record high in ten years of 13,065, a 15 per cent increment compared to 2011-12.”
Three UK exchange students currently studying in Hong Kong under British Council’s Scholarships for Excellence were invited to share their study experience in the UK, the benefits of UK education, as well as its culture and lifestyle, to help Hong Kong students better prepare for study in the UK.
Arvind Norris, one of the scholars of “Scholarships for Excellence” scheme, is a BA Politics and International Studies student at the University of Warwick and is currently on exchange at the University of Hong Kong. He said, “British universities focus on personal development. While students are expected to study hard for their degree and engage with the academic literature, British universities highly encourage students to take a wide variety of extra-curricular activities. The interaction between international and local students is widespread on campus, both in academic and extra-curricular life. I have found that this interaction is especially valuable because it allows both groups of students to learn more about different cultures and viewpoints, and to have a more globalised outlook.
“Being an exchange student in Hong Kong under the ‘Scholarships for Excellence’ scheme broadens my horizon. I became a Student Ambassador and started learning Chinese with the help of the local students, which has brought a lot of benefits to me in developing into an all-rounded individual,” continued Arvind.
A series of seminars on a wide range of topics, such as UCAS application procedures and tips on writing a good personal statement, will also be held during the exhibition. Students who plan to study undergraduate or postgraduate programmes in the UK or other countries around the world should take advantage of the opportunity to apply for the British Council IELTS 25th Anniversary Scholarship 2014. In celebration of IELTS’s 25th anniversary, the British Council is extending the IELTS scholarship to the East Asia region for the first time in 2014 and increasing the amount of individual scholarships of up to £25,000, aiming to award outstanding students who have career aspirations and demonstrate the potential to contribute to society what they have gained from their undergraduate/postgraduate study experience locally or overseas. For details of IELTS and the scholarship, visit the IELTS booth or attend IELTS test preparation seminar to get professional advice from the British Council IELTS team.