(intl student)

Chance Me: International Female Applicant for HK Universities

Hi! I'm an international female student from South America applying to universities in Hong Kong and would appreciate some honest opinions on my chances.

I'm keeping my country, school, and a few specific achievements private because I don't want to be identifiable online.

Intended Field

I'm primarily interested in Choice 1: Electrical Engineering, Choice 2: Quant Finance

Academics

A-Levels: 11 Grade A+'s (~6A*)— highest possible grade

Subjects:

• Further Mathematics
• Physics
• Chemistry
• Biology
• Integrated Mathematics
• History
• English

O-Levels: 9 Grade A+'s + 1 Grade A

Subjects included:

• Mathematics
• Additional Mathematics
• Physics
• Chemistry
• Biology
• English Language
• English Literature
• ICT
• French
• Geography

SAT: 1440 (720 Math, 720 English)

• This was my first attempt with no study. I'm not sure if i should take it again since " International A-levels" is my highest qualifications.

Academic Achievements

• Ranked #1 in south america for A-Levels
• Ranked #1 at my college for O-Levels
• Placed top 10 in Mathematics at A-Level
• Gold medalist in two international mathematics/science competitions
• Gold medalist in an international trading/finance competition

Leadership / Extracurriculars

• National Youth Ambassador for my country
• Founded a tutoring/academic mentorship program that was eventually expanded nationally
• Extensive mathematics, science, and finance olympiad participation
• 9+ years in Rotaract, with extensive involvement in community service, leadership, fundraising, and projects
• Completed the Gold Duke of Edinburgh's Award
• I do have a bit more but it makes me easily identifiable so i will refrain.

Work / Academic Experience

• Interned at an AI tech firm last summer
• Worked as a mathematics lecturer at local community college
• Completed a quantitative finance externship at my country's central bank
• Two additional experiences that I can't publicly disclose due to privacy/confidentiality

Universities

• HKUST
• HKU
• CUHK
• CityU
• PolyU

Questions

1. How competitive do you think I am for these five universities?
2. Which of these would you consider my strongest chances?
3. How much does being an international applicant affect admission chances?
4. Do HK universities place significant weight on international olympiad awards and national rankings?
5. Would my quantitative/finance extracurriculars make me more competitive for QF/Finance-related programs?
6. Are there any major weaknesses in my profile that I should be concerned about?
7. I'm extremely hesitant on placing QFIN as my first choice because i'm afraid that i'll waste that spot and hence my chance at a scholarship. Should i put it as my first choice or lean heavily into the ECE ?
8. Would retaking the SAT be worth it? (My highest qualification is A-levels)

I'd especially appreciate opinions from current students, graduates, or applicants familiar with HKUST/HKU/CUHK/CityU/PolyU admissions.

I'm looking for honest opinions, so feel free to tell me if I'm overestimating my chances.

A*A*A*A*A*A*A IGCSE in bio chem phy math ICT Arabic English

A*A*A*A* Predicted a levels in bio chem math further math

School topper in IGCSE math and chemistry

Reference letters from schools head of department of math and science

President of the schools red crescent team with letters of gratitude signed by the chairman of the Emirati red crescent with 10+ hours of volunteer work(no official record tho)

Partnered with the friends of the environment organisation in a local effort to save stranded animals with a certificate of gratitude signed by the CEO of the org

Brown 1 Belt in Shorin Ryu Karate with multiple gold medals in national tournaments

Brown 4 Belt in Kobudo

Head Boy in the student council

And for the people who already got into HKUMed, please let me know what type of questions y'all were asked in the interviews and if Cantonese was an absolute necessity as i don't have a lick of Cantonese.