In order to help senior secondary students, especially the current HKDSE candidates, to grasp the latest information on further studies, Ming Pao Daily News organized the "Ming Pao Education Expo 2025" at Hopewell Hotel, Wan Chai on July 12 and 13, sponsored by CSL Excellence and co-organized by the Exhibition Group. More than 70 institutions, educational organizations, education consultants and counselling centers participated in the Expo, and more than 60 seminars were held. The two-day event attracted over 5,000 visitors, including local and Mainland students, teachers and parents, and was well received.

Institutions are gathered to provide the latest course information.

With the objective of helping students "grasping the keys to further education and plan for their future", the Education Expo provides one-stop support for local and overseas education. For local education, exhibitors include faculties and departments of government-funded universities, including the Department of Biomedical Engineering of the Chinese Uinversity of Hong Kong, the Faculty of Engineering of the City University of Hong Kong, the Faculty of Science of the Polytechnic University of Hong Kong and the Faculty of Business Administration of the Hong Kong Baptist University, as well as self-financing institutions and private universities, such as the Metropolitan University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Shue Yan University, the St. Francis Xavier's University, the Hang Seng University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, the College of International Education of Hong Kong Baptist University, the Vocational Training Council, and the HKU SPACE Community College. Hong Kong Baptist University International College, Vocational Training Council and HKU SPACE Community College, etc. Apart from introducing their programs and admission requirements, the institutions also arranged staff and students to answer participants' enquiries. As it was close to the release of the Diploma of Secondary Education Examination results, the booths of the institutions were full of people, many of whom were fresh candidates.

Lecturer of the College of International Education (CII) of the Hong Kong Baptist University, Mr. Cheung Kwok Man, and Programme Manager, Ms. Tong Ka Wai, found that some candidates had not made any preparations for further studies, and they were surprised to find that the release of the examination results was imminent, and then they crammed for the advice on further studies. However, there were also some parents who brought their children who were studying in the secondary 3 to the venue to search for information on the curriculum, so that they can prepare for the future as early as possible. Apart from local students, there were also students who had completed their senior secondary education abroad and returned from the Mainland. This shows that the Fair attracted the attention of different types of students. The most popular course enquired about was the Bachelor of Nursing degree program, which is believed to be related to the strong demand for local healthcare professionals.

Series of thematic seminars were organized for local studies, in which representatives of different institutions were invited to introduce their distinctive programmes and prospects after graduation, some of which were innovatively designed. For example, Professor Lau Pui-sang, Associate Dean of the Faculty of Interdisciplinary Studies of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, introduced a series of interdisciplinary undergraduate degree programs integrating different areas of specialization, such as Environmental Management and Technology, Integrated Systems and Design, and Sustainable Development and Green Finance. In addition, representatives from the Hong Kong Association of Careers Masters and Guidance Masters were invited to analyze the latest JUPAS statistics and provide practical tips to help candidates to make appropriate changes after the release of the admission results, so as to enhance their chances of enrolling in their preferred institutions and programmes.

Ought to seize the opportunity of prestigious schools' vacancy

More than 20 overseas study consultancy organizations participated in the Education Expo. In addition to handling application procedures for popular study destinations such as the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States and Canada, there were also organizations specializing in providing services for study in Singapore. Mr. Ho Cheuk Yin, Senior Manager of Skyreach Education pointed out that in the past two years, due to the decline in the number of DSE candidates, the intensity of competition for local university places has slowed down, and the admission scores of some popular courses have also dropped slightly, so that many fresh candidates think it is easier to get into a local university than in the past, and choose to stay in Hong Kong for further study; coupled with the uncertain economic environment, parents' desire to arrange for their children to study abroad has decreased significantly compared to previous years. With the downward adjustment of the number of overseas students applying, some well-known foreign universities have lowered the admission score requirements, and some popular courses even have vacancies. The University of Bath in the United Kingdom, for example, the university's architecture and engineering programs are very popular, in the past as early as March has been full of cut-off applications, on the contrary, this year until now there are still vacancies. Therefore, students who want to study in famous overseas universities and popular programs should seize the opportunity.

Series of seminars were arranged at the Expo helped students and parents keep abreast of the latest trends in overseas education, which were featuring in-depth presentations by representatives of different overseas education consultancy organizations on a wide range of topics. The seminars covered a wide range of topics, such as strategies for applying for admission to UK universities and scholarships, tips for studying health sciences courses in Australia, and trends of popular subjects in the UK, Australia, the US, Canada and New Zealand.

Counseling organizations on-site to help plan the path to higher education

Students are under great pressure to face the public examination results and they need professional support in planning their way to further studies. "Two youth counselling organizations, namely the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups (HKFYG) and the HKDSE Examination Release Counselling Service (Tai Hang Youth Centre), participated in the Fair. They provided counselling services to cheer up the students, and also helped them to learn more about themselves, set up their study goals and career development paths through different games.

Ming Pao U's Corner was specially set up at the Expo, which inviting members of the Hong Kong Youth and Tertiary Students Association (HKYTSA) who are currently studying in different universities to share their experiences of university life and their experiences in choosing university courses, as well as answering questions from students and parents. The JUPAS Navigator system was also placed in the Corner for visitors to use. By entering the name of their preferred university courses and their public examination results, the system can predict their chances of being admitted to the university and help students plan their JUPAS selection strategies. In addition, there is also an electronic version of the "Book of Admission 2025 (入U天書2025)" for free download, which is rich in content, including the scoring method of university admission, the competitive situation of popular programs, etc., which is of great value as a reference.

Participants' Voices
Make good use of tools to be much confident in subject selection

Mr. Chan (left), a Form 5 student, attended the Education Expo with his family to find out more information about further studies and to prepare for his future choice of subjects. Interested in engineering, he visited a number of booths of local universities and learned that engineering courses are very diversified and have their own characteristics and pathways. He also tried out the JUPAS Navigator system, which he found helpful in assessing his own strengths and providing him with a better basis for formulating his JUPAS selection strategy. As for the seminars, representatives of the Hong Kong Association of Careers Masters and Guidance Masters (HKACGM) provided useful data and tips for reference. Mr. Chan, his father, said that the diversified booths at the Expo, which covered both local institutions and overseas education providers, provided parents with comprehensive information and deepened their understanding of the different pathways to further education, so that they could have a better understanding when discussing with their children about their study plans in the future.

Finding a way out, the feeling of confusion is relieved.

Mr. Leung (left), an international school student, is a candidate of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP). With a mid-range score, he failed in one of the advanced subjects and was not eligible to apply for a degree program at a local university under the non-JUPAS system, so he had to look for another way out. Interested in psychology, he visited the stalls of a number of self-financing institutions to search for information on sub-degree programs. He also talked to the representatives of the institutions about the difficulties he encountered in pursuing higher education, and was fortunate to have received their attentive explanations and guidance, which eased his worries. Mrs. Leung, her mother, said, "There are not many channels for parents of international students to find information on further education. Thanks to Ming Pao for organizing this 'Education Expo', we can talk to the representatives of the institutions directly and seek professional advice, which is much more time-saving and effective than making enquiries over the phone or through emails.