Studying Computer Engineering (CPEG) was wonderful. 3 years ago, I chose CPEG as my undergraduate study because I was interested in both computer hardware and software. It was quite hard to choose which specific area I should study at that moment. CPEG was the best choice for me as it covers extensive knowledge from computer science to electronic engineering. In past 3 years, CPEG provided great opportunity for students to learn different area of subject including software engineering, networking, circuit design and etc. All of them have widened my horizon in engineering.

In CPEG, there were many research activities to enrich my learning experience. One of the most unforgettable experiences was doing final year thesis (FYT) in the Multimedia Technology Research Center (MTRec) under supervision of Prof. S.-H. Gary Chan. Conducting research was not tradition way of learning but it was a creativity and independent learning process. Through the training from professor and postgraduate students, I have learnt how to be a good researcher. Therefore, CPEG was not only a place to grasp wide variety of knowledge but also a good place to train ourselves to face different challenges.

The reason why I took Computer Engineering (CPEG) was that the program consisted of both computer science (CS) and electronic engineering (EE) courses. It is my favorite combination because these two aspects are highly related but quite different. For example, if you want to understand how a cell phone works, either one of the subject does not give you a clear picture. But in CPEG, you can understand how the software and hardware cooperate with each other. Therefore you can know more about how the phone works. It is very interesting (at least for me!) so I chose CPEG as my major.

In the 3-years study, I took many courses and several of them are pretty challenging. For example, I had a group project that was to construct an online shopping system. In the beginning of the course, the project was seemed to be "mission impossible". But after we spent much time struggling, we finally solved the problems and completed the project. We applied the skills that were learnt from the lectures, which could simplify the system building process. When the project was finished, the feeling of success made us excited. Although the project was rather complex and time-consuming, it is still worth our involvement.

If you ask me for some hints about university study, I may provide you a little one. I think that hardworking alone is not enough to be a successful graduate. Curiosity and passion also play important roles. To learn everything on textbook may be enough for the 'A' grade. But the memory will be fragmented and not long-lasting. Instead, if you can connect the lecture notes with other courses or experience, the learning will be much more effective and interesting.

To conclude, CPEG has a well-designed curriculum that can train your analytical mind and technical skill. CPEG also provides us opportunities to widen our horizons like overseas exchange and career building programs. I enjoyed the CPEG courses very much. And I hope you can enjoy it too!

Choosing a university

What are your criteria to select your university education? I chose it based on my interest and the environment of the university.

When I was studying in the secondary school, I had no computer at home but computer class at school with homework every week. To complete the assignments, I had to visit the public library for its computing facility. I knew nothing about it at that time, and even infected the computer with virus! Yet the precious time in using the computer developed my interest in information technology.

Time flew by and I was lucky enough to have a chance to enter a university. I like the ocean view at the student housing hall as well as the laboratory facility at HKUST. This is one of the reasons I chose this university.

College Life

What I expected at the university education was quite different from that of what I experienced. It is because there are lots of options. Fortunately, I joined some activities which are very remarkable and influenced me, including a microprocessor project, IBM programming contest, UROP, student club and exchange program.

I think microprocessor project is unique to the students studying in computer engineering. We need to combine the knowledge of computer science for programming and electronic for implementing a microprocessor device. After tremendous effort, I am glad that our group completed a gaming device of greedy snake using the knowledge that we have learnt!

Last year, I joined the IBM Inter-university programming contest. Top students from Hong Kong and Macau gathered and competed to solve practical programming problems in the shortest amount of time. I am so happy that my team was ranked the third runner up!

Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) is another uniqueness of HKUST. It allows students to experience research activities in undergraduate level. I have the experience of using very expensive RFID equipment to carry out studies of radio frequency signal patterns at different environments.

Majoring in CPEG offered me opportunities in programming like the IBM competition as well as in electronics like the RFID project. I think there are much more experience in the university than only studying. No matter what program you chose, I urge you to seize every chance and enjoy the life at the college!

I have been interested in computer since I was a child, so I chose Computer Engineering (CPEG) for my tertiary education. Among the universities in Hong Kong, I chose HKUST because I was most impressed by its stunning view. All the people in CPEG, including the professors, staff and my fellow classmates, are so nice that I had precious memories of my undergraduate life.

One of the two unforgettable memories in CPEG is that I was one of the representatives of HKUST team in the International Collegiate Programming Contest World Finals 2008. The CPEG program offered me the chance to join the internal competition of UST, and then I was qualified as one of the members of the programming team. After the regional competitions (Asia), our team was chosen to take part in the international contest. The experience of participation in a world class event is something that I will never forget.

Another one is being the Student Ambassador (SA) of CPEG. I gained valuable experience in my soft skill development through promoting CPEG to the public, which is one of the jobs done by SAs. During the promotion of CPEG, I got the chance to know more about CPEG. In addition, I was able to make friends from different years of study and even from different departments. I am glad that I was one of the SAs in year 2007-2008.