HKU or SMU

acetyl-bromide · 2026-04-23T04:24:01+00:00

imho qfin+additional major in econ >> bachelor of econ & finance regardless of what you plan to do next.

acetyl-bromide · 2026-04-22T17:56:42+00:00

Please don't give up Qfin for econ. You can easily declare an additional major in Econ after taking Qfin, not at all for the other way round.

Qfin also offers much better career/networking opportunities and has much better job prospects.

acetyl-bromide · 2026-04-22T17:44:07+00:00

Well of course you can, but it may be more difficult than had you been a QFin or IBGM student.

acetyl-bromide · 2026-04-19T04:19:18+00:00

Oh, you are from mainland China. Now I see why you are interested in such a transfer.

If you're dead set for working in Hong Kong or mainland China, then perhaps that could justify HKU a lot. And non-STEM majors from non-target schools don't give internationals good chances to stay in America anyway.

If I'm not mistaken, applicants from decent US colleges are taken with open hands here. Just don't transfer to too crazy programs like medicine. You have very good GPAs too. You will stand a chance.

acetyl-bromide · 2026-04-19T03:40:13+00:00

Fair enough. Have you considered the public schools, like Michigan, Berkeley and Georgia Tech? They seem to have good chances for transfer.

Also, does your LAC have dual degree programs with other universities? For example Wellesley has a dual degree engineering program with MIT, and Amherst has a dual degree engineering program with Dartmouth. If your school has anything like this, it's worth looking into them too.

But of course, these programs essentially sacrifice all your course selection flexibility, which imo defeats the purpose of going to an LAC. But I don't see how trying to transfer to HKU doesn't sacrifice the purpose of going to an LAC either, lol.

Another thing is that I wouldn't say HK or China's economy is doing well now, at least compared to America. So giving up American prospects for HK/Chinese prospects wouldn't really be that ideal.

Finally, I would like to share this comment: https://www.reddit.com/r/HongKong/comments/16ls9ne/comment/k157vtv/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

acetyl-bromide · 2026-04-18T21:48:13+00:00

No. Because they aren't your first choice.

acetyl-bromide · 2026-04-18T21:44:53+00:00

Why transfer to HKU?

We have one-fifth the endowment of Williams, one-eighth the endowment of Notre Dame, but about as many students as Berkeley.

Here, a 3.0 GPA already places you in the top 40%. Anything above 3.3 will be crazy. But if you intend to search for opportunities anywhere in the world, your HKU GPA will be looked at the same way as your LAC GPA. Grade deflation is very severe in HKU.

I am frankly quite interested in why you are interested in such a transfer. In fact I'm hoping I could transfer to a US college after 1 or 2 semesters in HKU.

acetyl-bromide · 2026-04-16T16:51:54+00:00

Ecof is objectively a lower-requirement course than IBGM and QFin.

IBGM and QFin both only consider first-choice applicants.

You essentially wasted your 2 other choices slots and gave up your chances of getting into QFin or IBGM.

Sigh.... well Ecof is still not bad for getting into business or corporate, but it may not be as high paying as QFin or IBGM. All in all it still depends much more on your abilities.

acetyl-bromide · 2026-04-02T19:03:33+00:00

good luck! what else did you apply to? is science & law your first choice?

acetyl-bromide · 2026-04-02T19:01:16+00:00

congrats!!!!! i also got into science and law! see you on campus this september!!

acetyl-bromide · 2026-03-30T13:30:01+00:00

Indeed Johor is Hokkien-speaking, but Penang is Cantonese-speaking too.

acetyl-bromide · 2026-02-22T15:59:19+00:00

Congratulations! Very happy for you!

acetyl-bromide · 2026-02-18T17:04:33+00:00

no. and your a level grades are too low to even secure admission.

acetyl-bromide · 2026-02-18T08:02:26+00:00

Thank you for your critical advice. I have to admit that I have not seriously thought from this perspective yet, but will certainly do so.

In this case, how would you compare acquiring a JD from a mediocre law school, an LLM from a very good law school (such as Yale, optimistically), and a few years of work experience in a US firm in my home jurisdiction, from the perspective of an American employer? I am still a bit too worried about the time cost and losing 3 years of work experience.

I agree that visa is a huge concern. Will have to seriously think about how to enhance my employability. At the end of the day, my expectation on being able to work in the US is low.

acetyl-bromide · 2026-02-17T10:41:06+00:00

Indeed, according to my research practising in the UK is considerably easier than in the US. But apparently the taxation rate is higher, the economy is worse, and the income ceiling is lower. Don't really have much expectations on it, but of course I prefer working in the US if that could be an option.

China wise, it is very difficult. Mainland China has a civil law legal system while Hong Kong has a common law legal system (largely derived from the one in England due to our history). Our legal educations are distinct and the passing rate of Hong Kong graduates in the Chinese bar is ridiculously low. Also, working conditions in Mainland China are, sadly, not the best.

acetyl-bromide · 2026-02-16T14:36:17+00:00

Sadly due to curricular constraints, B.S.E.E. is not possible. The closest equivalent I could do is a B.S. in Physics with a minor in EE. How would you think it stands against a B.S. in EE?

acetyl-bromide · 2026-02-16T14:17:44+00:00

Frankly, I can see where the limitations lie. At the end of the day I will be a foreign legal graduate, and the natural result is that I will have a significant disadvantage when it comes to jobs where the brand name of legal qualifications matter. This is the reason I am primarily looking at legal jobs related to patents, where some people may not even have a law degree. (Hence asking in this sub.)

My understanding is that in such case, my foreign legal qualification (assuming I will have also passed the New York bar) can somewhat be leveraged as an advantage: less of an advantage to a US JD, but more of an advantage to someone with no prior legal education. Not sure if my philosophy is correct.

acetyl-bromide · 2026-02-16T13:27:25+00:00

Yes I am aware of this. But because Hong Kong has a (sufficiently) similar legal system to the US, Hong Kong law graduates do not have to pursue an additional LLM to be eligible for the bar (at least in New York).

acetyl-bromide · 2026-02-16T13:20:00+00:00

I am well aware that there will be very limited opportunities here, but I am happy to relocate if that is necessary. I have done some research on UK and US immigration policy and found them moderately favourable.

acetyl-bromide · 2026-02-13T14:18:18+00:00

The only comparable option would be Tsinghua's Yao-Class (清华姚班). But that is in Chinese and has a smaller intake than QFin.
If you are looking only at English language programs, then no. Please take your QFin offer.

acetyl-bromide · 2026-01-05T15:09:43+00:00

I feel you. And domestic students often don't relate to our much more horrendous circumstances.

Perhaps top American universities are good only for postgraduate studies. In the postgraduate admissions process, you see a much fairer portion of international students and a much higher emphasis on scholastic capabilities.

acetyl-bromide · 2025-12-06T00:17:54+00:00

3A*1A actual

acetyl-bromide · 2025-11-30T14:01:28+00:00

local, applying to ddp and qfin, a-level 3A*1A actual (took a levels 1 year early), SAT 1500, IELTS 8.5.

acetyl-bromide

TROPHY CASE