The Unfiltered

The Unfiltered Education is a student-centered project focused on various topics that concern us daily or make us happy daily in higher education.

The project was born in the settings of HKU Common Core courses. Common Core facilitates the teaching of the trans- and inter-disciplinary curriculum offered by all 10 Faculties of the University, in other words, the "crossroads" of the undergraduate curriculum. In typical settings, students of different majors are rarely united in one classroom, so they find this Common Core experience enriching as it brings them together with peers from other faculties and departments.

What we discovered to be the greatest treasure of the CC classes, is the moment when undergraduates and teachers themselves realize that, despite the significant differences in students' majors, they are united by the challenges and joys they face.

This project is an attempt to embrace the idea that we are all one. It doesn't matter if you are a future psychologist, an engineer, a doctor, or a journalist. We all - as the participants of higher education - face the same challenges and share the same joys every day.

We are all different, we are all one.
And we are here unfiltered.

The Unfiltered Education may have various outcomes, and these outcomes can take different forms, as there are no rules or limitations, only those set by our creativity.

Our first chapter is the Film.

Episode 1: Dear me,

Students are invited to write letters to their past selves, specifically to themselves during their last year of high school, just before entering their first year of university. If you had the chance to tell something to your past self, what would it be? Students can warn themselves about potential challenges, suggest solutions to their past selves, tell themselves when to be bold and strong, and identify times when it's okay to be vulnerable and ask for help. They can also guide themselves through the support that will be available around them.

In the first episode, students will be reading out loud their letters.

Our aim is to reflect on the undergraduate students' experiences and expectations during their transition from high school to higher education, with a particular focus on mental health, well-being, and academic support systems in the first year of their undergrad programs. Another aim is to have a good time together.

We believe that this film can have both institutional and personal implications, leading to recommendations for educators, policymakers, and the students. For a positive changes that support the well-being and academic performance, as well as place first-person voices and student experiences at the center.