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By Debbie Yong
Mr Wong Hong Cheong, 24, found out that friends hated to be within earshot of law students near exam time.
'Friends start to desert you because they can't really tolerate conversations about law cases,' he said with a laugh. But his 12-hour daily slog in the school library has paid off.
He bagged a first class honours degree and won this year's Slaughter and May Best Overall Degree Award, given to the top student of the London School of Economics' undergraduate law programme each year. His cohort comprised about 180 students.
He received a short congratulatory e-mail from the law department earlier this month, but he knew he had clinched the top spot only during the graduation ceremony in London on July 17.
For his feat, he was also awarded £300 (S$710), sponsored by a Britain law firm.
Mr Wong, who studied at Chinese High School and Raffles Junior College, has accepted a job offer from the London office of law firm Latham & Watkins.
He is back in Singapore for a break but will return to London to start his legal practice course this September.
He is modest about his achievement. 'I did not think that I had done particularly well this year,' he said.
As to whether he will be returning to Singapore eventually, he said: 'My contract in London is for at least two years. I will consider my options after that.'
This article was first published in The Straits Times.
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