The Hall System of HKU

Last night, I was wandering in the website of answers.com, aimlessly searching for introductions to famous universities, when I came across such a paragraph from the "Criticisms" part of "University of Hong Kong" page.

Hall system

The Hall system has created controversy as some students have complained of being subject to hazing, and to harassment in their daily lives at Hall, being compelled, for example, to engage in late night meetings and other "social" activities, even though these incidents would be considered quite tame by the standards of certain other countries.

Many students also argue that the current Hall administration and admission system is unfair: each Hall is dominated by a small elected committee of students who have significant control over who is accepted to the Hall (there is an objective point system for admission, but subjective interviews also play a role in giving committee members control over acceptance). It is alleged by many former students that they lied about high-school extracurricular activities to be accepted, and upon joining the Halls must participate regularly in activities or else run the risk of being forced out of the Hall. Furthermore, newer halls such as Starr Hall, adopt (to a lesser extent) the traditional Hall customs rather than developing their own culture, such that only a narrow range of Hall culture is available for choice by prospective students. Hall-committee students have recently expressed the view, in letters to the newspapers and elsewhere, that overseas exchange students should not be domiciled in Hall, since they do not appreciate Hall culture.

A committee was set up in 2002 to examine the development of the Hall system, but it has been criticised by many students and academics as being non-transparent, and dominated by a select few students who are pro-tradition.

That said, most students who have gone through hall life have retained fond memories of it, and even consider it as being one of the most rewarding periods of their lives. Many have remarked that those sports and social activities, harsh and time-consuming they may be, have managed to foster in them a sense of esprit de corps and has also helped to enhance their strength of character, social skills and EQ, which have stood them in good stead in the years after graduation. Many friendships gained during that period also proved to be life-long.

Well, I have to say, I used to appreciate HKU, even struggled to be accepted in it. However, after reading this, I felt I was so lucky that I've failed to enter HKU!