First Cohort of CUHK-Shenzhen Bachelor Degree Graduates: 65% Chose to Continue Studying Overseas
The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen ("University"), which was founded in 2014, held its graduation ceremony for the first cohort of bachelor degree graduates, honouring the achievements of 271 students.
The first CUHK-Shenzhen undergraduates, who grew with the University, graduated
Prof. Xu Yangsheng, President of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, introduced the graduation situation of the first undergraduate students of the University in the speech.
Among total 271 students from the School of Management and Economics (“SME”), as of the beginning of May, the percentage of those who went abroad to pursue graduate studies was about 65%, and that of those who immediately pursue a career was about 35%.
About 70% students chose to continue studying overseas
Four-year international education contributes to graduates’successful application to Top 100 universities in the world
As of the beginning of May, graduates who chose to continue further studies averagely received more than three offers from world-renowned universities. The international education and the quality of talent training at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen have become the main reasons why world-renowned universities of the United States, Britain, Hong Kong and other countries and regions find the first graduates of CUHK-Shenzhen attractive. More than 41% of the offers came from well-known universities in the United States. Yale University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Duke University, University of Chicago, Northwestern University, University of California, Berkeley, University of California, Los Angeles, University of California, San Diego, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Michigan, Boston University, New York University, Johns Hopkins University, Oxford University, London School of Economics, Imperial College, London, Bocconi University, University of Melbourne, University of Sydney, Kyoto University, Waseda University, National University of Singapore, Hong Kong University, Chinese University of Hong Kong and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology are very popular among the graduates with the largest number of admission notices. In addition, some students are directly admitted to doctoral programs in prestigious universities in the world.
About 30% students chose domestic and foreign well-known companies for employment
Shenzhen has become the most preferred destination
Graduates who have chosen to work have received offers from major domestic and foreign companies. Since the first graduates all come from the School of Management and Economics, the employment industries mainly consist of investment banks, banking, accounting, consulting, Internet, and fast moving consumer goods. Most of the offers came from China International Capital Corporation (CICC), HSBC, Bank of China Hong Kong Branch, Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola, Strategy&, Tencent, Huawei, Deloitte, PWC, Ernst & Young, KPMG, JinRiTouTiao (Today's headlines), etc. According to the employment statistics at the beginning of May, the first graduates of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen are mainly employed in first-tier cities such as Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Shenzhen, with an average annual salary of nearly RMB 140,000. Shenzhen’s geo-advantages and the introduction policy of international innovative talents have become an important reason why 61% of students who chose to work have chosen to stay in Shenzhen.
Outstanding graduates received offers from several prestigious universities while entrepreneurial talents made donation to the University
Four years ago, the first cohort of students of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen came to the brand-new campus from Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Fujian, Jiangxi, Shandong, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Guangxi, Chongqing, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan and Guangdong, in total 17 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions. They witnessed the construction of the campus as well as the ever-increasing world reputation of the University. As the pioneers of the University, the first cohort of students keep working with courage and creativity. Their hard work is the key to the success of the University. The education philosophy of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen has been demonstrated and practiced during the growth of the students.
Prof. Jean Tirole, Nobel Prize Laureate in Economics Sciences for 2014 and distinguished CUHK-Shenzhen visiting professor awarded the "Outstanding Graduate" certificate to Ying Yue.
Ying Yue (Class 2018, Global Business Management, SME,) received offers from Oxford University, Duke University, London School of Economics and London Business School. Ying said, “I’ve received offers from many world-renowned universities. I think it’s my ability to think independently, rather than my grades, that impressed those professors abroad." “From Ningbo, a coastal city, to Shenzhen, the well-known innovation capital, to Oxford on the other side of the ocean, I experienced an exponential growth at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen. I’ve been thinking about why people want to go to university. My inner feelings tell me that a university is to cultivate a rich mind of an individual and link him or her with the world for becoming a realistic idealist. This kind of talents will, from the inside out, observe the world with curiosity and insights and explore the world with inclusiveness. I was very fortunate to have met the brilliant yet nice professors at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, who let me grow from an ignorant teenager to a qualified citizen.”
Prof. Myron Scholes, Nobel Laureaete in Economics Sciences for 1997, Distinguished Professor at Large of CUHK-Shenzhen, awarded the "Outstanding Graduate" certificate to Wan Wei
Wan Wei (Global Business Studies, School of Economics and Management; Class 2018) entered the University with a full tuition waiver scholarship. During her university life, she won the championship at CFA Institute Research Challenge 2017 (South China) and represented China to participate in the Asia Pacific Final; She also participated in L'OREAL BRANDSTORM 2018 and won the championship and the “Most Influential Award” in the China finals. Wan teamed up with two schoolmates to represent China to participate in the global finals and became the global top six which is the best results ever achieved by Chinese teams. After graduating, she will join the Coca-Cola Greater China South Korea headquarters. She said: “When I look back at the past four years, the biggest growth is to understand myself, discover myself, and identify future development paths and goals in constant trials and challenges. The biggest gain at the University is that I understand that as long as I have the courage to try, life will showcase endless possibilities."
Li Zhixuan (second row, right one), Yan Danyang (second row, left one), and Prof. Zhu Shiping, Vice President, and Prof. Gu Yang, Master of Diligentia College, took photos at the commemorative bench.
Li Zhixuan and Yan Danyang are also among the first cohort of undergraduates of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen. Although young, they offered a special gift to The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen at the time of graduation – a donation of 1 million yuan. Under the support of the University, they have started an entrepreneurial project and now they become the first cohort of undergraduates who donated back to their alma mater. The University hosted a Bench Naming Ceremony to thank the students for their feedback and support to CUHK-Shenzhen, during which Li made a speech on behalf of their entrepreneurial team. She stated that “this donation is a tribute to CUHK-Shenzhen and is also a token of thanks to the enterprises that have always supported the development of our university. In the future, we hope that more alumni will be able to give back to the University as well as to the society.” She also said "I hope all CUHK-Shenzhen students will believe in themselves, believe in the future, and always remember responsibility and gratitude."
Guo Yuxiang (Class 2018, SME) is a native of Longgang, Shenzhen. His studied in Shenzhen from elementary and secondary school to tertiary education. As a business student, he has taken some courses at the University's Innovation and Entrepreneurship Base and has been responsible for user experience design for the startup companies of the University. In this year's Master Application, as a Marketing student, he received a Master's Admission Notice for the Human-Machine Interaction Programme at Carnegie Mellon University, a world-class institution boasting computer-related programmes. Among the first undergraduates, there are many cross-border talents like him. Lin Haili, an SME graduate, self-studied law and passed the national judicial examination. After graduation, he will go to The Chinese University of Hong Kong to pursue a postgraduate programme of law.
The fusion of Arts and Science education at the University has cultivated international talents with comprehensive quality
The first cohort of undergraduate graduates of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen has been recognized by world-renowned companies and prestigious universities around the world. This is inseparable from the educational philosophy of the University to encourage students to appreciate both Chinese and Western culture, learn from the past and the presence and pay equal attention to both Arts and Science. Its international curriculum considers the development trend of the world and values the development of an international vision of students. Therefore, the University and its students are seamlessly connected with global companies and world-renowned universities.
In the past four years, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen has introduced more than 200 young and middle-aged academic leaders and young teachers who are among the academic frontiers with a global and innovative perspective, including four Nobel Prize winners. The University currently has established first-class research platforms such as Arieh Warshel Institute of Computational Biology, Ciechanover Institute of Precision and Regenerative Medicine, Kobilka Institute of Innovative Drug Discovery, Hopcroft Institute for Advanced Study in Information Sciences, Shenzhen Research Institute of Big Data, Robot Institute of CUHKSZ and Shenzhen Finance Institute.
As of the end of April 2018, CUHK-Shenzhen has conducted substantive cooperation with 69 top-notch universities around the world, including Bacherlor/Master joint degree programmes, exchanges, study visits and international summer classes. The proportion of students with overseas study experience has exceeded 60%.
