The art department at National Taiwan Normal University was Chen's first choice, but because of his outstanding academic record, he was specially admitted to National Taiwan University's Foreign Language Department without having to take the joint entrance examination. Making the best of the situation, he changed his plan to "first study foreign languages and then go to Paris to study art."
師大美術系是陳錦芳的第一志願，但因成績優良被保送台大外文系，陳錦芳只好將心願改為「學好外文再到巴黎學畫」。