Advice from alumni: Apple Lam

Apple Lam graduated from EF Academy Oxford in 2016 and is now studying Veterinary Medicine in the UK – she someday hopes to become a zoological vet. Apple, a former IB student, has great advice for current students regarding their studies. Read on to find out what she misses about being a student at EF Academy (and what her favorite animals are!): 

 

Full name: Apple Lam

Age: 19

Home country: Hong Kong

Languages: Cantonese, English and Mandarin

EF Academy campus: Oxford

Program: IB Diploma

Grad year: 2016

Favorite club/activity: Italian Club

Favorite subjects: Biology, Chemistry and Economics

University: Studying Veterinary Medicine at The Royal Veterinary College

 

How did you decide that EF Academy Oxford was the right school for you?

At first I was quite confused about which school to choose so I reached out to the Hong Kong admissions office and they helped me with everything.

What is your favorite memory from EF Academy?

Meeting loads of friends from around the world – I’m still in touch with them today. After graduating, some went to Canada, some to Asia and some stayed in UK. Now we’re not in the same place anymore and that makes me sad. I really enjoyed the time with them.

There were also lots of clubs and trips that I went on. After I went to university, I realized how happy I was and how many clubs there were at EF Academy in high school. I kind of took it for granted. I didn’t know that those trips and clubs were an extra part of studying at this school and compared to that university is boring.

What activities were you involved in at EF Academy?

I joined Dance Club, Cooking Club and tennis.

Veterinary Medicine is a unique major for our graduates – how did you know that this is something you wanted to study at university?

I decided to study Veterinary Medicine before going to the UK, before I even applied to EF Academy. One of the reasons I chose to study abroad was because I want to prepare myself for the university education. Education in the UK is very different from where Hong Kong where I studied for 16 years. I wanted to prepare for this environment and be able to speak English and interact with other people.

How did the guidance counselors and university advisors help you with your application?

I was quite puzzled about what to do – how to search for courses and find out about entry requirements. The counselors advised me to ask some of the senior students. They gave me their names and I got in touch with them and they helped me a lot. I don’t really know anyone who is a vet or studying in the program, so I didn’t have that much help at first. I was the only one who wanted to study this subject in my year so I felt really helpless. But the counselors introduced me to two seniors and I got help from them because they were applying to the same subject.

The counselors helped me prepare for the interview by preparing questions related to Veterinary Medicine. They really told me what the university was looking for in a student and they told me it wasn’t about how much you knew but how confident and resilient you are, how strong your problem-solving skills are and also how hardworking you are.

What A-Level classes are important for Veterinary Medicine?

Chemistry, Biology, English and Mathematics

Did you do any internships that have benefited your studies?

Work experience is important; some universities require 10 weeks. It’s important to take time to engage in different work experiences over summer and Christmas breaks. I regretted not doing this earlier, looking back I think I waited too long. You will need different types of work experiences with cats and dogs and farm animals.

I went to Argentina for a month to do two programs that were animal-related. I did one with wildlife rehab and another with veterinary species like dogs and cats. I also went to an animal rescue center in the UK that is located near the school. I went there on the weekends and then I did one more internships in Hong Kong during my summer holiday.

Describe a regular day…

I have lectures, at least two a day, and then we have “direct learning,” which is like a tutorial where you work with a tutor group to solve problems and cases. Sometimes we will go to other campuses for practical and animal-handling skills. My lectures are anatomy, pathology, animal behavior and animal husbandry and now we’re moving into clinical skills and clinical cases, which teach us how to treat certain animals, how to recognize the signs and how to determine what disease the animal has.

What is your dream job?

To be a zoological vet. I want to work in Hong Kong but there aren’t many opportunities in this field there, so I guess I will be a small companion animal vet.

What is your favorite animal?

I can’t choose! I just hate insects and I love all the animals – even rats! My top two favorite animals are dogs and rabbits.

What advice do you have for current students?

> I heard lots of students saying that you can slack in year 1 and then catch up in year 2, but it doesn’t work that way. In IB, your final exam is on everything that you learned in the two years so definitely don’t slack off in year 1. Of course, you can join more clubs and do more activities in year 1, but keep up with schoolwork.

> Have a balanced life and spend more time with your friends, they are the ones who will support you over the two years. Talk to the teachers because they are really helpful and always there for you.

> Don’t be afraid to ask questions because they love answering questions.

> Before the Extended Essay and Theory of Knowledge essays, the teachers would give us mock essays and I think a lot of people felt like they didn’t count, but they are a good indicator of your level and what you have to improve so don’t just do it quickly. Spend time on them and do the best you can do so that teachers can give you advice on how to improve for the real essay.

> For science students, you really have to think about your interests. For your essays, you have to think about the questions yourself so you need to do something that you think is fun and original in order to get a higher mark. If I could do it again, I would spend more time deciding on the question and I would do it earlier.

How do you think you changed over your two years at EF Academy?
When I first started, I was quite shy and I wasn’t confident speaking in English because it wasn’t my mother tongue. I spent three months improving my English and now I can speak fluently. I became more cheerful and caring because I was surrounded by loads of caring people and everyone was on the same page. We all came from different countries so we understood each other’s struggles with English and homesickness. In university, I don’t really have that connection with classmates because they’re mostly from the UK. We all supported each other and now at university I’m one of the few international students that has experience in the UK. Most of the international students just came to the country this year and I help them get adapted quicker and I can give them advice and tell them what it’s like living in the UK by sharing my experience with them.

Shout-outs…

I want to thank all the teachers and university guidance counselors. I went back to the Oxford campus after I graduated, but I feel like I can’t really say thank you enough for everything they have done for me. Especially, all my subject teachers, and Cy and Mark, were really helpful. They are just really nice people. I didn’t think I would have the courage and competence to apply for this subject – I knew it was going to be hard, but my teachers were so encouraging and always said that I could do it if I kept doing what I was doing. I definitely felt prepared and confident when I started university.