What are the differences between UK and US applications?
How do you find a university that suits you? How can you learn more about your favorite university?
How do you balance academic and extracurricular activities?
How can you prepare before deciding on your university?
On April 8th during the high school assembly, under the arrangement of the Xiehe Alumni Association, we invited two Alumni from our 2020 class to give a lecture on their journey and application process to Wellesley College and UCLA.
Ella Xiao
SUIS Wanyuan Class of 2020
Wellesley College
International Relations-Economics
Hobby: Music, travel
Offer：Wellesley College
Happy Zhao
SUIS Gubei Class of 2020
UCLA
Applied math
Hobby: BRPG, travel
Offer：UCLS, Emory, Cambridge
During the session Ella and Happy talked about three modules: understanding the university, understanding the application, and understanding the preparation process.
At this stage, our high school students should look to discover and develop their own interests. They should also explore the universities to discover things that might interest them: the location of the university, the style of the school, the professional resources available. Do you prefer cities or the suburbs? What about your preferences inside the school? Do you want something more modern or something that feels closer to nature? What is the cultural atmosphere of the school? What is your focus on? Maybe you want to find a high paying job or pursue higher studies. Are you more interested in liberal arts colleges or maybe a college that focuses more on the hard sciences? What are your academic strengths? What clubs, exchange programs, and learning resources are available to you?
Later, the two alumni talked about their experiences in applying for Wellesley College and UCLA. Students must strive to achieve a high GPA and high scores on standardized tests. In addition, American universities also pay attention to the qualities of a student such as their attitude towards study, their passion to learn, and their ability to think independently. Many schools require applicants to submit multiple essays to display themselves. British universities also require applicants to submit documents that reflect on their own experiences and unique opinions. British universities do differ, conditional offers and unconditional offers are attached to the student enrollment. Oxford and Cambridge university do require students to complete interviews. In addition, students who wish to focus more on the sciences often have to submit STEP and MAT forms.
High school students at this stage should strive to achieve high scores in their academics as well as participating in extracurricular activities. If your scores are below satisfactory don’t get discouraged. Universities pays more attention to the progress students make in their academic courses and appreciate upward trends. You should maintain and pay attention to your planner in your daily studies and try to prevent homework from pilling up so you can complete deadlines on time. Try to read more and develop your reading speed. Find activities which foster growth and allow you to express your enthusiasm.
The 30-minute lecture was full of useful information. After the lecture, the student union collected all the questions so that the two alumni can answers these questions carefully in writing.