College Application Sharing Session: "What Seniors Have to Say About College Applications"
  • 2022-05-24
  • Admissions Activities
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大学申请这回事

校园里的枇杷树又结满了黄澄澄的果实,宏润博源的准毕业生们也已基本完成高中学业,准备开启新的人生篇章。功不唐捐,玉汝于成,2022届的学长学姐们成功上岸,他们取得的卓越成绩大大地激励了学弟学妹们对美好前景的向往。5月16日下午CAS时间,升学部展开了升学经验分享会--“大学申请这回事,学长学姐有话说”。几位准毕业生们将自己的高中生涯规划和申请经验倾囊相授,跟学弟学妹们指出不能错过的机会和不能踩的坑,也为迷茫的同学指明方向。

The loquat trees on campus are laden with yellow fruits again, and the 12th graders of SHBS are about to finish their high school days  and start a brand-new chapter of their life. The amazing achievements seniors of the 2022 class have made greatly inspired students of lower grades, making them look forward to their bright future as well. The CAS session on May 16 saw a sharing session organized by the college advising department. At the session, several 12th graders shared with students of lower grades their plans for high school days and their experience in college application. These seniors also pointed out some golden opportunities they must seize and some pits they must avoid falling into in the hope of guiding the confused lower graders.


鉴于各年级升学重心不同,此次线上升学分享会分为两场:预备年级和10年级的同学一场,由升学部的两位陈老师主持;11年级的同学一场,由升学部林老师主持。

Given that students of different grades have different focuses for college application preparation, this online session was divided into two sub-sessions: one was for pre and 10th graders and was hosted by Ms. Chloe Chen and Olivia Chen, while the other was for 11th graders and was hosted by Ms. Chuman Lin.

预备年级和10年级

Pre & 10th Grades


在预备年级与十年级的升学经验分享活动中,四位学长学姐的精彩发言各有千秋,令在场同学收获颇丰。

During the sharing session for pre and 10th graders, 4 12th graders gave their unique speeches, and the audience benefited a lot from their speeches.

首先,陈学姐跟同学们分享了她的心路历程,并着重强调了尽早开始准备升学相关事宜的重要性。陈学姐认为,保持一个较好的GPA是申请的基础。同时,规划好标化考试(如托福、SAT、ACT之类)可以极大地提高效率,也可以避免在申请之前所有压力都集中在一起,引起焦虑情绪。

First of all, July Chen shared her experience and thoughts with the audience and emphasized the importance of starting as early as possible, to prepare for further study. She believes that maintaining a good GPA will lay a solid foundation for the college application. Meanwhile, planning for standardized tests (TOEFL, SAT, ACT, etc.) can greatly improve efficiency and avoid being stressed-out before college application.


接着,彭学长跟同学们分享了他的“反内卷”准备过程,并戏谑自己为“三无产品”,即“无夏校,无竞赛,无标化”,引起了同学们极大的兴趣。彭学长认为,拥有一个良好的心态是升学申请的基础,即使没有其他同学拥有的亮眼简历,也一定要相信自己有自己的闪光点;同时,如果没有拿到自己心仪学校的offer也不必沮丧,适合自己的才是最好的,相信一切都是最好的安排。

Next, Edward Peng shared his application process which was characterized by anti-involution, and he jokingly compared himself to a “3-no-product”, i.e. he had no experience in attending any summer school, participating in any competition, or achieving outstanding Toefl score, which made the audience greatly interested in him. He believes that a good attitude lays a solid foundation for college application, and even though others have eye-catching CVs, you must be confident in your own strengths. Meanwhile, don’t feel discouraged even if you fail to get an offer from your dream college, because what suits you the most is the best for you.

 

之后,项学姐则着重向同学们分享了她的兴趣转变过程,以及选择大学时确定国家和地区的过程。项学姐在10年级时本打算申请商科专业,但是11年级的一个契机让她对传媒产生了浓厚的兴趣,所以她当即决定将重点转向传媒专业。同时,在选择国家的时候,项学姐强调个人兴趣爱好是非常重要的考虑因素。加拿大多雪的气候让她向往不已,与她喜欢滑雪的兴趣完美契合。

Then, Season Xiang shared with the audience how her interest shifted and how she decided on the country and region when choosing universities. She intended to apply for the major of business when she was a 10th grader, but she became fascinated with media when she was in grade 11 because of an opportunity, so she immediately decided to major in media instead. Meanwhile, when choosing a country, Season stressed that personal interests and hobbies are a very important factor to take into consideration. Canada's snowy climate has appealed to her and perfectly matches her interest in skiing.  


最后,徐学姐跟同学们着重展示了她申请艺术专业所做的前期准备。徐学姐说她在前期探索自己喜欢的方向的过程中,其实是通过排除自己不喜欢的方向外加发掘自己喜欢的方向,两者同时进行的方式确定了艺术路线。徐学姐还说她之前没有艺术基础,是申请前一到两年的时间里开始积累的。最后,徐学姐表示,不要因为自己之前做的不好的事情就否定自己,同时也要尽量保持稳定的学业成绩,这在申请时很重要。

Finally, Elaine Xu highlighted the preparatory work she had done in applying for the major of art. She said that during her early exploration for what she was interested in, she actually decided to major in art by eliminating what she disliked at the same time. Elaine added that she had no foundation in art before, and started to study it only one or two years before applying for college. In the end, she said it is important that you shouldn’t disapprove of yourself because of what you have not done well in the past, and meanwhile, you should keep your GPA at a steady level.   

11年级11th Grade


分享会初始,林老师带领11年级的同学复习了Cialfo平台的使用,并给11年级同学留下了升学任务。紧接着进入本场活动的重头戏-学长学姐有话说。

At the beginning of the session, Ms. Chuman Lin helped 11th graders review how to use the platform of Cialfo, and assigned them tasks. Immediately after that, the seniors began their sharing.

首先,刘学姐与学弟学妹交流了她独立申请(DIY)美国大学的整个心路历程,向学弟学妹介绍了她是如何择校、写文书,把握每一所大学申请的时间节点,做好时间规划,以及如何独立申请奖学金的。刘学姐通过自己的努力,拿到巴德学院(全美排名第62)的全额奖学金。她殷切地叮嘱学弟学妹们平时一定要注重学业成绩,保证良好的GPA;同时,要做好标化考试的规划,尽量在12年级开始之前就取得理想的标化考试成绩。此外,也要利用好暑假开始构思并撰写文书初稿。刘学姐也建议同学们要经常参加大学宣讲会,认真思考大学的办学理念和文化是否与自己相匹配,做好大学搜索工作,与学校的升学指导老师讨论择校名单。刘学姐提到她当时提前批的申请并不顺利,被心爱的ED/EA学校拒绝了。随着身边不少同学朋友陆续传来好消息,一直没有收到录取消息的她有些沮丧。不过她很快调整自己的状态,继续写文书,申请其它大学,最终也收获了几所顶尖文理学院的青睐。

First, Yolanda Liu shared how she independently applied for American colleges, how to choose colleges, write essays, make plans for the deadlines set by colleges she applied for, and how she applied for scholarships independently.  Through her own efforts, Yolanda received a full scholarship granted Bard College (ranked 62nd in the US). She urged younger students to take their academic performance seriously and make sure they get a good GPA. Meanwhile, planning for standardized exams in advance, getting a decent score and writing the first PS draft during the summer vacation before 12th grade are important. She also advised students to attend college presentation sessions regularly, to think carefully about whether the environment and culture of a college matches with themselves, to do a good search for colleges, and to discuss their choices of colleges with the school's college advisors. She mentioned that her early application didn't go well and was rejected by her beloved ED/EA school. For some time, she was dismayed at the fact that many others got their good news while she received nothing. However, she quickly changed her attitude, and kept writing essays to apply for other colleges. Eventually, she received offers from several top liberal arts colleges. 

梁学姐主要从两个方面与学弟学妹们分享她的申请经历。一个是课外活动拓展,这也是大部分同学感到迷茫的地方。梁学姐在高中阶段积极参与了大量的校内外活动,比如参加模拟联合国MUN、去印度参加世界领导力项目、去敦煌研学、创办毛毛乐园、开设心灵充电站、创建社团;在学校担任学生会副主席,主持节目,参加配音比赛、演讲比赛、辩论赛等等;积极参与社会实践,利用暑托班当助教、去云南甘肃宣传家庭教育等等。每一项活动,梁学姐都是“从心出发”,从未抱着“我要拿奖,以后在大学申请的时候有用”,“我要参加这个活动,以后写文书有用” 的功利心态。也正是这种非功利,乐在其中的“玩票”性质促使她能真正投入到活动中,去认真享受体验每一次活动,也顺便锻炼了一些本领。第二个是关于ED择校的技巧。申请之前,周围有不少人都建议她挑战申请排名更靠前的大学。梁学姐也纠结过自己是否应该追随前几届学长学姐的申请路径,方便到了大学相互有个照应,但是随着对各所大学的深入了解,她发觉自己更加喜欢弗吉尼亚大学UVA的办学理念,也被UVA宣传片里“我们来到这里不是为了成为某一种特定的人,而是为了成为更好的我们自己”所触动。于是,她建议学弟学妹在做好功课的前提下,一定要遵循本心,坚定信念,不要轻易被外界的想法动摇自己的决定。

Hina Liang shared her application experience with students in two aspects.  One is on extracurricular activities, which is also where most students feel confused about. In her high school years, Hina actively participated in a large number of activities both on and off campus, such as attending Model United Nations, the World Leadership program in India, and Dunhuang research trip; founding Furry Park,  Spiritual Power Station and her own club. As the vice chairman of the ASB, she hosted shows and participated in dubbing competitions, speech competitions, debates, etc. She also took an active part in social practice: she once worked as an assistant teacher in summer nursery classes, and went to Yunnan and Gansu to promote family education.  In each activity, Hina always held on to her original aspiration, and never adopted any utilitarian attitude like "I want to win the prize, which will be useful in the college application", and "I want to participate in this activity, which will be useful in writing essays in the future".  It is this kind of non-utilitarian attitude and "finding pleasure in experincing them" that enabled her to really engage in activities, to enjoy every activity and experience seriously, and also to develop some skills.  The other is on skills in choosing colleges during ED/EA.   Before she applied for college, many people advised her to challenge universities with higher ranking. She also found it hard to decide whether or not to follow suits of the previous graduates.  Having had a deeper understanding of various colleges, she found she fell for the educational ideology of UVA, and was deeply impressed by its promotional video "We came here not to be a particular type of person, but to become our better selves."  Therefore, she suggested that younger students, as long as they do well in their schoolwork, should hold on to their own original aspiration and faith rather than be dominated by others.

接着,张学长戏谑自己属于申请链的“尾端动物”,把高中三年应该完成的标化等目标全部压缩到一年完成。他强烈建议学弟学妹要以他为反例,要提前做好升学规划。在紧张高压的申请过程中,张学长最终以强大的自律能力完成了大学申请的种种挑战,也最终收获了梦校罗切斯特大学(全美排名第34)的录取,但是他仍感到有遗憾。所以,他诚恳地建议学弟学妹们,一定要学会如何拒绝诱惑,培养强大的自律性,而不能只靠他律。比如,面对同学打游戏的邀请,应该学会如何冷静判断自己此时决定的机会成本,孰轻孰重。该学习的时候就要认真学习,这样可以玩的时候也可以好好享受。

Next, Eric Zhang jokingly described himself as “an animal at the end of the application chain”, who took all his standardized tests in grade 12 instead of throughout the 3 years of high school. He strongly recommended that students of lower grades should never model him but should plan for their college application earlier. Though faced with stress from college application, Eric finally succeeded in coping with various challenges during the application process with strong self-discipline. Therefore, he earnestly advised younger students to learn how to resist temptation and develop a strong sense of self-discipline, rather than expect others to keep reminding them.  For example, when invited by a fellow student to play a game, one should learn how to calmly judge the opportunity cost arising from the current decision and what is more important.  "Study hard when you should, and enjoy yourself when you can relax. "

最后,Chris校长也鼓励同学们在接下来的大学申请季一定要放松心态,充分探索自我的需求,寻找合适自己的大学。

Finally, Principal Chris encouraged students to adjust themselves and explore their own needs to find the right university for them in the coming college application season.

12年级12th Grade


除了以上两场升学分享会外,其余的12年级同学在年级主任苗老师的带领下梳理了毕业前大家需要注意或者完成的事项:如何完成骑自行车考核,没有修过厨艺选修课的同学如何完成做八道中国菜的考核,没有完成服务性义工的同学还有哪些机会可以抓住等。此外,会上也向同学们汇报了毕业典礼的筹备情况。尽管大家由于疫情被封锁在家,但是学校也在积极地筹备线下毕业典礼。一旦条件允许,学校就可以抓住机会,给毕业生们的高中生涯画上圆满的句号,给他们创造美好且珍贵的回忆。目前,2022届毕业生纪念小熊、校友徽章以及毕业典礼主题诗歌都已经由12年级同学代表创作完成。线下毕业典礼的整体设计方案也在推进中!期待疫情早日退散,大家早日返校!

In addition to the above two sharing sessions, Ms. Miao helped the rest of the 12th graders review what they should pay attention to and complete before they graduate, such as riding a bike, learning how to cook 8 Chinese dishes, and seizing the opportunities to complete their volunteer service hours, etc. Besides, she informed them of the preparation progress for the commencement. Though we are kept at home because of the covid epidemic, the school has been busy preparing for a commencement on campus. If permitted, the school will try its best to make the grand commencement possible. The class of 2022 mascot Bear, the alumni badge, and the commencement poem have all been created by 12th grade representatives.  The overall design of the commencement on campus is also in progress. We hope the epidemic will die out soon and we all can return to campus soon. 


在一个小时的时间里,几位准毕业生为学弟学妹们带来了一场言真意切、生动有趣、干货满满的升学经验分享会,相信同学们都收获颇丰,也对该如何做好每一阶段的大学申请有了进一步的认识。最后,也非常感谢几位12年级的同学毕业临行之际反哺母校,也衷心祝愿宏润博源2022届所有毕业生们乘风破浪,未来绽放。

Great thanks to the 12th grade representatives for their sincere, interesting and useful sharing session. Though it only lasted for an hour, we believe younger students must have benefited a lot and have had a further understanding of the college application process. We wish all the best for our class of 2022 in their new chapter of life. 

文 | SHBS

翻译 | Dawn Xu

排版 | Jang