At this time of year, university students are usually busy with examinations and end of term projects. Wang Yu, a second-year student at University of Hong Kong (HKU), is no exception. She is feeling exhausted, but not just because of her packed study timetable.
In the midst of a hectic schedule, she had spent seven hours attending a high table dinner organised by the dormitory in which she lives.
Living on campus does not mean students can more easily concentrate on their studies. Indeed, campus life to Wang is akin to a constant battle for time. Participating in the dinner, for example, mattered because she might lose the hostel place if she did not participate actively in hall events.
The pressure appears to be the most acute at HKU, which has limited space and at the same time situated in an expensive residential area.
Under a scoring system used by the university to decide students' access to dormitories, participation in hall activities is given much weight. At the Lady Ho Tung Hall, one of the largest residences at the university, "performance and attendance in hall activities" is worth 75 per cent of the overall score, while a student's "academic performance" is worth only 5 per cent.
"Ho Tung Hall is crazy," says Wang, who lives in R C Lee Hall. "My classmate in Ho Tung used to go through a whole month practising dancing from 1am to 3am every night with classes at 8 o'clock the next morning. She texted her leader asking for an exemption, but was told that she had to take part in it, for the sake of an inter-hall dancing competition."
