Lina Lee is one of the two recipients of the Award of Merit for the English Section of the OUHK's 10th Anniversary Essay Competition.

Lina Lee graduated from the BA in Language and Translation programme last year. She found studying at the OUHK a precious experience and has written the following article to share with fellow students.

I enrolled in the OUHK in 1997 with the simple desire of having my dream realized. I fell ill during my first year at the University of Hong Kong many years ago and had to stop my studies. This experience is still painful, more so because all the other members of my family have outstanding academic qualifications.

I did not know that OUHK courses could be so demanding. As a result, I had to withdraw from two courses two months after I took up studying. I then made very detailed plans regarding my daily schedule to ensure assignments were handed in on time and I had enough time to revise for examinations. In deciding on the order and choices of courses to take, one should take into consideration one's personality as well as strengths and weaknesses.

Learning at a mature age is not easy, in particular when one is shouldered with other commitments. Being able to concentrate definitely helps. I have attended some courses on breathing exercises as well as personal growth and development. Regular exercise helps relieve tension and rejuvenates oneself. In times of tension, I often stopped studying or working for a while and did something that I enjoyed, like going to the movies. One should also try to get the support of one's own family and friends. If one is more emotionally stable, one is able to concentrate better, overcome distractions and learn more.

I treated every assignment seriously. I used to discuss the questions with tutors and classmates a few times before attempting to answer. Good assignment preparation saves a lot of revision time. Hard work pays off and good grades bring about satisfaction and encouragement. I used to treat myself to delicious meals whenever I had good grades.

However, when my performance in some assignments turned out to be unsatisfactory, they served as warning signals -- extra effort was needed. To me, it is no shame at all to score low marks if I have tried my best.

One should think about the time of the day one is most alert and productive, and study in that time slot. In order to absorb what I read, I have cultivated the habit of active reading, by making notes, key points or summaries. These notes are carefully kept for revision and references for assignments and examinations.

One serious problem that a student of distance learning may face is solitude and the sense of helplessness. I have found it very useful to make friends with one or two peers, particularly classmates in the same tutorial group. Apart from academic interchange, what is most important is emotional and personal support for each other.

Before the examinations, I would share my ideas about probable questions with members of my study group. We took turns to ask and answer verbally the questions. Such sharing helped us sort out unclear ideas and remember important facts and data. As organization and presentation is as important as content, I often jotted down key points before attempting the actual answers, so that I could answer in a more logical and succinct format, and didn't risk missing important points. Writing fast and legibly is also important and such skills can be learned through practice.

Studying at the OUHK also stimulated my interest in learning. When learning became fun, what followed was that it could be addictive. I have already embarked on the Master of Education programme and hope to resume my teaching career later.

Open education is indeed valuable. It gives a second chance for adults to rebuild and re-adjust their aims in life. Friends, I am sure that studying at the OUHK will be a totally different and unique experience for you, and you are going to benefit a lot from it in your own way.