Happiness is key
A top student has turned down law school to pursue music. It’s a gamble but educators find choices based on talent and passion usually pay off.
[First published on 26 August, 2013] Many students can only dream of earning a place in law school, so turning down that opportunity is almost unimaginable. But that’s what Peggy Wu Hiu-nam did, after achieving a perfect 45 points in this year’s International Baccalaureate exam.
The former student of Sha Tin College, run by the English Schools Foundation, has opted to study music performance at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, rejecting places at the London School of Economics and University of Hong Kong, which offered a scholarship.
Although an exception to the norm in Hong Kong, she has decided to follow her passion – the piano – instead of a high-powered corporate career.
“I very much thought this decision through because I do have a very strong interest in semantics, in the field of law. I wasn’t able to make my mind up until very recently,” says Wu.
The 18-year-old, who started learning the piano at the age of three, describes herself as being “drawn to the stage”.
Law and medicine have always been popular choices among top students, followed disciplines such as business and finance which lead to lucrative jobs.
