Wanyuan Students
Are
Not
Simple
Versatile XieHe
Learning is far beyond classroom teaching and is intrinsic to our lives. The series of “Versatile XieHe” reports aim to help discover a diverse life in school education from different perspectives. “Whilst Mr. East and Ms. West move one step towards to each other, the gap between the two will be getting ever smaller, and I believe they would finally meet up.” Sticking to the value that “unity in diversity, innovation through collaboration”, XieHe is always dedicated to cultivate world citizenship with a great open vision, where east meets west. In Wanyuan, lives are enriched with colorful and versatile elements, which are huge enrichment to the academic achievements.
Zheng Zihan
Frannie Zheng
Grade 12 student
Admitted Universities
The University of Rochester, established in 1850, is one of the top comprehensive research universities in the United States, a member of the Ivy League, the Association of American Universities, and the World University Alliance. In the 2022 U.S. News Best Colleges ranking, it was tied for 34th place with the University of California, Irvine; its programs in Music, Optics, and Finance are particularly renowned. Other fields such as Political Science, Physics, Biomedical Engineering, Economics, Nursing, Clinical Psychology, Computer Science, Chemistry, Biology, and Public Health also enjoy high reputations in academia. The university has 8 Nobel laureates among its faculty and alumni, and 12 scholars have received Pulitzer Prizes in Literature.
EXPERIENCE
My Experience at SUIS WY
I entered the SUIS system when I was in kindergarten. I was in the pioneer class in primary school and middle school. I went to Hongqiao Campus in primary school, then I went to Wanyuan Campus in middle and high school. I have spent nearly 15 years in SUIS, so I am a hundred percent SUIS student. When I was growing up, there were many good teachers and helpful friends who gave me a lot of help. All kinds of activities in SUIS also let me grow up slowly in silence, and I gradually developed a strong interest in mathematics, science, and art.
In primary school, I didn’t have any sense of learning, and my grades were only about average. The two things I looked forward to most every day were afternoon snacks, recess, lunch break, and going to the playground with my friends. But still, a variety of school activities in the happy let me have a strong interest in a variety of subjects. Various class activities, such as Science Fair, creative picture book contest, museum study, and so on, let me give full play to my imagination.
In middle school, I still chose SUIS. There is no special change except that studying becomes more intense. Group learning of various disciplines, as well as museum learning, make my study life colorful.
I also tried new instruments. I was hesitant to enroll in the school band, but in the end, I joined and chose the French horn. In addition to weekly practice, I also participated in performance competitions with the band. During the summer vacation, I also visited and studied in Japan for exchange performances, which gave me a very different experience.
I also tried snowboarding. The first time I went up a steep hill, I was still a little scared, but the feeling of fun and freedom from snowboarding made me decide to challenge myself. After successfully changing the first blade, I was no longer afraid. New attempts give me the courage to be more determined and challenge new things in the future.
When I was in high school, I chose to go to SUIS WY with AP courses. After entering high school, I can choose courses independently, which gives me a lot of space for exploration. AP course selection should meet the distribution of various categories of courses, and there are required courses, but it also allows me to avoid those I am not good at and focus on the subjects I am better at and more interested in according to my own characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses in each category. When I chose AP, I not only chose mathematical science and economics courses, but also chose 3D art, so that I could do my favorite handmade sculpture while studying intensively.
The different scoring methods in high school also made me realize the importance of grades and study. I put down some of the mind of having fun before and treat every course I choose more seriously.
In high school, I actively participated in various extracurricular activities. Since Grade 10, I participated in the music teaching of Baishuihe Primary School and participated in the CTB competition. In the teaching process, I thought about how to improve the enthusiasm of students and make them more confident in showing themselves.
In my spare time, I also try to participate in different extracurricular projects, in order to find the direction that I like more and is more suitable for me. Starting from the subject I am good at, I found my interest in astronomy. After determining the direction, I began to learn some knowledge and content about starry sky and astronomy in my spare time, and participate in related summer camp and the creation of academic papers for the equatorial telescope design project. This process was not smooth sailing. During the learning process, I gradually realized the gap between me and other students who love astronomy. Although it requires me to learn more new knowledge, need to invest more time and energy, but in the end, I still insist. This also allowed me to contact with more knowledge fields, more firm direction of efforts, and learned a lot.
Applications
About University Applications
Usually a little hard work and not giving up at the last moment let me achieve my own satisfaction. I was very lucky to receive an offer from the University of Rochester in the ED stage.
The first thing I thought of when choosing a school was snowboarding, so I started with schools in the north. Besides, I like astronomy, and I am good at math, physics, chemistry, and other STEM courses. I am quiet in personality. Overall I chose the University of Rochester in the northern part of the U.S., which is renowned in the U.S. optics and physics.
I know I’m not a quick writer, so I’ve been working on my ED and EA paperwork since the end of July. In the application, considering the flexibility of UR in selecting majors, I also hope to find a suitable major in optics, physics, and astronomy, so I chose the undecided major. In this way, I can better find my favorite and more suitable major in my freshman and sophomore years of study.
SHARE & BLESS
Message to Younger Students
We will always face all kinds of challenges, how to overcome these difficulties, to accept the challenge is what we have to learn. Like my two favorite anime, Pokemon and One Piece. Like Luffy, you never hesitate to pursue your dreams, take on bigger rivals, enjoy the adventure, and learn how to accept failure. As optimistic as Ash to try my best, less than the last moment never give up. Ash also said, “rather than have time confused, it is better to take action to see, even if the failure can also learn something from, there is no such thing as a fool’s errand.”
At last, wish you all can go to the university of your choice.
Where East Meets West
Integration of Eastern and Western Cultures
