4 years ago, Wang Yuchen captured media attention because he was enrolled by SUSTech from Shandong Qingzhou No. 1 High School when he was only 14?years has passed, how is the young college student? Is he leading a smooth life in the campus? Days ago, we interviewed him and were pleased to know he is about to graduate from?Department of Chemistry at SUSTech in 2016. And on March 24, Wang Yuchen passed the second examination to CAS Graduate School and has been enrolled by CAS Institute of Geology and Geophysics because of his exceptional scores.
Start University Life at 14 with Dream in Mind
“Thinking I was young, my parents wanted me to study in a close-by university. But I prefer the unique teaching methods and innovative education philosophy in SUSTech.”
4 years ago, when students at his age were preparing for entrance exam to senior high school, the 14-year-old Wang Yuchen became the youngest student enrolled in SUSTech in 2012. He said, “Thinking I was young, my parents wanted me to study in a close-by university. But I prefer the unique teaching methods and innovative education philosophy in SUSTech. I had been paying attention to SUSTech in the period of college entrance exam and felt it was suitable for me. So I came with my dream.”
Days ago, he entered the second examination with total score at 362 and English score at 80, granted with proposed admission to CAS. Excitedly, he shared with us his experience in SUSTech and entrance exam to postgraduate studies.
Wang Yuchen had got on very well with his classmates when in the military training in SUSTech. “Without feeling age difference, my tutor and classmates gave me good care and helped me integrate into campus life quickly”. Wang Yuchen had smile on his face when talking about the past. And he commented on study in Year 1 and Year 2 in SUSTech, “General education in the first 2 years expanded my knowledge, laid foundation for my future research and cultivated my science performance. Major selection in Year 2 helps us know the fields and provides a buffer period for major selection”. Out of his interest in chemistry, Wang Yuchen had decided to major in chemistry. “Chemistry is a fundamental discipline and functions as the basis for many other disciplines. Besides, it has many applications in industry and daily life.”
Book Worm & Critical Thinking Cultivated in SUSTech
“The bilingual teaching in SUSTech requires us thinking and communicating with teachers. Giving course reports also trains our critical thinking.”
Wang Yuchen, an eloquent person with smart thinking, is really a book worm. “I love reading since childhood. At the age of 4, I read the classic novels such as Outlaws of the Marsh and Journey to the West. I have maintained my habit of reading books. The abundant resources in SUSTech library and online database give me wonderful convenience”, said Wang in smile. In addition to reading, he also loves cycling and badminton. “I love cycling. Shenzhen is a city with excellent air and environment. Cycling beside Shenzhen Bay is really pleasant. I am an amateur badminton player. Proper sport is good for both physical and mental health.”
Seeing us showing curiosity about his thinking and speaking differently from students of his age, he said in smile, “This is attributed to the training in SUSTech. SUSTech adopts bilingual teaching and encourages students to think and communicate with teachers. Many courses are given in the form of lectures. In this process, my thinking receives good practice and useful critical thinking is cultivated, which is of great importance for my life.”
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Holding Gratitude To Teachers, Selecting?His Own Path
“SUSTech has a good springboard for overseas study because it has international courses and because its professors have experience of studying in first-class overseas universities. However, each person has to select his or her own path and do something in their interest.”
Talking about his academic experience, Wang expressed thanks to his tutor Prof. Huang Limin, “Prof. Huang is a very good teacher with exceptional academic performance and personality. In his research team, my English proficiency and experiment ability were improved. And my enrollment in postgraduate studies is successful thanks to Prof. Huang. When I met bottlenecks in preparing for postgraduate entrance exam, Prof. Huang guided me to concentrate on studies.”
Wang Yuchen started to prepare for the exam in January 2015. “SUSTech does not have very strong sense of preparing for postgraduate entrance exam. Most of senior classmates choose to study overseas. And most classmates of mine prepare for GRE, TOEFL or keep busy in laboratory. In summer holiday in July I applied for the summer camp in CAS. I was given very deep impression by the strict academic thinking and easy-going attitude of teachers in CAS, and the enthusiasm of teachers in the admission office”, said Wang in smile when talking about why he didn’t secure the exam-free entrance to postgraduate through the summer camp, “In September I received notice from CAS for postgraduate & doctoral studies. So I prepared something. Mr. Wang Dejun from SUSTech Department of Teaching and Xue Zheng from SUSTech Department of Student Affairs etc. provided me with a lot of help. However, SUSTech is a new university, whose exam-free entrance system has not been established. So I started to prepare for the exam. Though some of my classmates issued articles and some took TOEFL, making me admire them, I kept working hard”. When asked why I didn’t choose to study overseas like my classmates, he said frankly, “Yes, SUSTech has a good springboard for overseas study because it has international courses and because its professors have experience of studying in first-class overseas universities. However, each person has to select his or her own path and do something in their interest.”
Suggestions for young students: walk robustly towards goals
“Set the target and prepare for exam as early as possible. Though there might be many difficulties on the say, please make sure to keep working on it”, proposed Wang Yuchen.
Entrance exam for postgraduate studies includes 3 steps: set the target, first exam and second exam. It is very important to decide which university to apply for, which discipline to choose and which direction to select. Once the target is set, one should make preparations as soon as possible while staying persistent without giving in. At the same time, one should focus on reviewing English and politics. When taking the second exam, one should be calm down and good at thinking and observing. Wang Yuchen said in smile, “Please don’t hesitate to ask me questions regarding postgraduate entrance exam.”
