My time at Oxford was a truly inspiring adventure. In addition to finding myself in a litany of intensive tutorial discussions with world-class legal academics, it was the personal growth and self-discovery I experienced that made my 9 months there count.

 

1. Work – Essays crises or mirrors of creativity?

Let’s be in no doubt about it. Oxford is demanding. Period. Every week, at least 2 essays (it could be 4-5 in busier weeks) had to be completed and submitted to world-class legal academics of lawyers who have been in the business for decades. For the first few weeks, it could be overwhelming, as the system of work as a student there is so completely different from HKU. Burning the midnight lamps just to get the essays done can be a common occurrence not just for exchange students, but also undergraduates there as well.

Over time, though, it got significantly better, partly because I became used to the pace of work – it is what it is, nothing can be changed about it, and partly because I realized that essays are mirror of creativity and hard work that reward a student’s inquisitiveness. I started crunching not just the main paragraphs but the footnotes of the journal articles, as well as conducting a lot of extra research, scouring cases which are not within the already-long reading lists. For what it’s worth, my experience as a research assistant to Dr. Kai Quek at HKU was invaluable in adding to my toolkit of research skills. Without it, I wouldn’t have been able to make it through the Oxford academic journey.

All of those hard work put me into a thoughtful conversation with professors such as Jonathan Herring (one of the most well-known legal academics who studies areas of law that matter to people, like family law, medical law and elder law) and Edwin Peel (author of contract law textbook Treitel!). The interesting hypotheticals they raised, and the quick and straight answers they gave to my questions all added to my substantive knowledge and sharpened my thinking skills.

 

2. Remarkable individuals

Speaking of remarkable individuals, I had the privilege of meeting many people who are making a difference in their respective fields. From political leaders (mind you, political science is my other major aside from law) to respected academics, I was constantly inspired by the people I encountered. In particular, legal philosopher Jeremy Waldron was an absolute star. He flied all the way from New York University to Oxford to consult opinions for his upcoming paper on the topic of “self-application.” I am really proud that I plucked up the courage and asked him a question on his paper.

Moreover, I also had a chance to discuss briefly with John Mearsheimer on current world affairs. Former Secretary of Defense Joseph Nye was also a pleasure to speak with. I was impressed by his down-to-earth demeanor and his willingness to consider new ideas. Participating in a family law moot also gave me the opportunity to meet the retired Supreme Court judge Lord Wilson. It was an honour to be in his presence. Last but not least, I distinctly remember Jennifer Nagel, an epistemology professor at the University of Toronto came to me and handed me her seminar notes. It was a kind gesture that I did not expect from people of her stature. But I want to be very clear, her course materials, which comprised a mix of philosophical and cognitive scientific publications, were not easy, far from it. Her passion, though, more than compensated for the difficulty of the readings. (In case it raises questions with the exchange team, this is a series of John Locke seminars open to everyone at Oxford. I did not formally enroll myself into it).

The valuable lesson I have derived from these opportunities is: no matter how successful or accomplished someone may be, they can still be kind and approachable. These experiences serve as a reminder that we should treat everyone with kindness and respect, acknowledging our shared humanity. This lesson will remain ingrained in my mind as I enter the legal profession, where egos can run high and people can be too caught up in their own bubbles of achievement. In instances where I may encounter grumpy law partners or senior associates within a law firm, I will draw strength from these experiences.

 

3. Extracurricular activities

Onto the extracurriculars. Oxford operates by a collegiate system. It has approximately 40 colleges. The beauty of this system is that each college holds its own formal dinner. Students can come together and invite each other to their own colleges for a three- or four-course meal, followed by a drink at the college bar afterwards. While I did not go to the dinners of all 40, I reckon I might probably have been to half of them, each and every one of them was a pleasure.

Perhaps another good thing about the collegiate system is that every student belongs to one. They can hang out inside their college – it can be the common room, music room, their own dormitories, or sometimes, even the chapels. And it is not only about the physical facilities. Much more of the sense of community we felt can be attributed to the inclusive and diverse environment Oxford tries so hard to maintain and improve upon. No one is left out, not even the international or exchange students. We enjoyed as much teaching and administrative support from the officers as the local students do. We had as much access to the learning resources as others do.

Punting adds another delightful dimension to my student life. When it comes to Oxford, moving a boat forward on a river by a long iron stick whilst chatting casually with your friends is probably not an experience to be missed.

 

Conclusion

All in all, I am glad I chose Oxford. For one moment, I thought of turning it down because of the high cost of it. But I am grateful for the scholarship HSBC endowed me with, which enabled me to tread on this inspiring adventure that changed my perspective on life permanently.