Hong Kong uni dropout again scores top in gaokao

A high school student, who dropped out of the University of Hong Kong last year after being awarded a full scholarship, scored top among students in Liaoning province for the second time in the annual national college entrance examinations, or gaokao, media reported on Tuesday.

Liu Dingning, a 19-year-old student from Benxi, scored 666 out of 750 in the 2014 gaokao. Liu is applying to study in the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at Peking University, the major she originally wanted to study last year, Shenyang-based Liaoshen Evening News reported.

Liu attracted media attention last year when she quit a full scholarship worth HK$720,000 ($92,880) awarded by the University of Hong Kong after studying there for only one month. She entered the university with the top score in the 2013 gaokao.

She left Hong Kong as she had difficulty adapting to the city, the humid weather as well as the study methods, people.com.cn reported.

Liu's story sparked a public debate online Tuesday. While many Net users appreciate her gaokao success, or applaud her pursuit of a dream major, many said that she wasted education resources which could have been provided to other students.