CH: Ever since I was small, I was interested in STEM fields as a whole. But we aren't taught a lot of science in primary school in Hong Kong, so I joined a bunch of math competitions. I found that to be quite interesting – solving problems and the competition.

From grade 7 on, I learned more science and got more interested in it—particularly chemistry and some biology. Then I discovered competitions. The first one I tried to join was the International Junior Science Olympiad. I didn't get on the team, but I learned a lot of stuff that I wouldn't have normally learned at school through the trainings and the process.

Later, I discovered the Biology Olympiad—partly because there's no Chemistry Olympiad in Hong Kong—and I discovered that biology is actually quite interesting. At school, it's usually not taught in an appealing way, it’s just memorizing. But biology is actually a lot more interesting than that!

I particularly like biochemistry, which is between biology and chemistry, because I'm quite interested in the molecular nature of biology.

CH: They try to focus a lot more on making you interested in the subject instead of making you study for exams. Particularly in the Biology Olympiad, they kind of have a syllabus, but it’s not set where you have to memorize this thing and that thing.

Instead, the questions give you some very new research data and you're supposed to interpret it using what they gave you and some of your own knowledge. It's not actual research, but it simulates that environment. At IBO, you're solving a problem instead of just spitting out things you already know. I think that format, although it has its flaws, makes biology a lot more approachable.

CH: There was one day that was quite memorable, I think it was the day before the award ceremony in 2024, so the exams were over. Me and some other teammates and teams, I think the Australians and Canadians and a few others, had a movie night in the hotel lobby. It was quite fun to spend time together after all the stress of the exams.

I think the most important thing about the Olympiads isn't just getting the medal. That, of course, can be important, especially if you're applying to universities. But the memories and the people you meet are more important to me. It's what made me want to go again after I went the first time, because I found meeting all these people and being friends with them even after the Olympiad was very insightful and I enjoyed that a lot.

In Hong Kong, we don't have a lot of international students. In general, people don't try to differentiate themselves from each other that much. Everyone just tries to do the same thing and fit in with societal norms. Being exposed to an international environment, to me, fits me more.

CH: I think it should be introduced to more people in schools. In Hong Kong, I think Olympiads are thought of as something you do if you're in a more prestigious high school. It should be a lot more approachable to other schools as well, because what you can learn from the training itself can be very useful, aside from being selected on a team.

CH: It's kind of a cliché, but don’t just focus on the results. Especially in other countries, from what I've heard, through the selection process including the national camps you go to, you can meet a lot of people who share your interests. Even though they are your competitors, they can be lifelong friends. Especially if you live in a small country where you can meet up often.

In some ways, it also depends on luck, because you might not be in the best state on the day of the exam. So I would say it’s important to enjoy the process as well.

And a biology-specific one, focus less on just trying to read a lot of textbooks. In some countries, the selection is based a lot more on textbooks, but while textbooks matter in the IBO, it’s more helpful to actually understand what's going on in the questions and the thought process behind them.

CH: Yeah, I would say it has given me a better mindset in terms of thinking about science. Instead of just thinking about exams, you're thinking about science in terms of asking the correct question, why this research is done, and what you want to actually solve. Then you can design the experiments accordingly and interpret the results, and maybe get the result that you want—or maybe there's an unexpected result. That whole process is taught in school, but a lot of people tend to skip over it.

Although some parts of it might seem intuitive, there are some surprising parts in science that are revealed by this process.

CH: I'm still most interested in the molecular side of things, but physiology has also surprised me. The physiology taught here is very comparative. They talk about both animals and plants, and microbes as well. They really want you to focus on the comparative aspects. So if you're talking about circulatory systems, they want you to compare the differences and similarities between a plant shoot transport system and a human circulatory system, or even a squid or an insect.

It's not just focused on humans, it's on all forms of organisms in the world. It's also quite interesting that a lot of the more basic biology is actually discovered here in Cambridge. They really like to mention it in lectures. Many of the discoveries, especially in physiology, were done here in Cambridge, maybe in the building next door, just 30 or 50 years ago.

CH: Recently I've been trying to read a bit more, especially after Grade 11. I finished my exams a bit early, so I had some time. I’ve been trying to read a bit more, mostly fictional books, because before secondary school I used to read a lot, and I just kind of stopped doing that.