The guest of this interview is Bao Minjie, a 2016 graduate of the International Department. In 2022, after graduating from Columbia University’s graduate program in biostatistics, she successfully joined a New York consulting firm amid the current fierce competition for employment. It was not all smooth sailing for Bao Jiujie to study and find a job in the United States. However, under the guidance of clear goals, she handed in a satisfactory answer for herself with a positive attitude and down-to-earth efforts.
2016 international graduates
Undergraduate at Rutgers University
Mathematical Statistics with a minor in Economics
Master’s degree at Columbia University
Biostatistics Major
Currently working for a New York consulting firm
market analyst
Strong drive comes from a clear sense of purpose
I have always believed in the importance of purpose. When you first entered college, think about what kind of person you want to be and what kind of life you want to live in four years from now. Only when the goal is clear can we work hard in this direction step by step, and in the process of chasing the goal, we will divide the abstract big goal into practical small goals one by one. Looking back on the past six years, I have always been driven by my purpose.
learning experience
When I first entered college, I had two clear goals: to go to a better school for graduate studies and to stay in the United States to work. In order to achieve my goals, I know that I must accomplish two things: First, learn professional knowledge and maintain a good GPA. Second, gain relevant industry experience and start preparing resumes and interviews as early as possible.
When I was a freshman and a sophomore, I focused on my studies, and I almost finished my professional courses very early on. In the second semester of my sophomore year, I started looking for research at the school, followed the professor to do research on genes and machine learning, and persisted until I graduated from the senior year. I also participated in the school’s tutor program. For two years, I have been teaching SAT Math and AP Calculus to American high school students in New Jersey every Saturday, helping more than 20 American high school students graduate from high school and prepare for college. The experience of undergraduate tutor and research assistant has not only exercised my English expression ability, but also played a positive role in my application for graduate school.
I started my career planning very early. I made full use of the free resources provided by the school, and went to the school’s career center to find teachers to modify my resume and mock interviews. I also participated in the school’s summer study abroad program and went to Europe to study for a month, and I gained a lot. Because of these valuable experiences and a high GPA, I was accepted into Columbia University’s Biostatistics program on my graduate application. In order to better prepare for my graduate studies, I attended the summer school of biostatistics at Peking University during my undergraduate summer vacation, which gave me more confidence to start my graduate studies at Columbia University.
Job hunting experience
Two years of graduate school at Columbia University came amid the coronavirus pandemic, which has made job hunting in the U.S. even more difficult. Fortunately, my diverse undergraduate activities and research experiences helped me find a summer internship during my freshman year. My first job was as a statistical programmer internship in the drug development department of a listed pharmaceutical company in the San Francisco Bay Area. I worked in a pharmaceutical factory for half a year, from the summer vacation of the first year to the end of the first semester of the second year. I gained a lot from the internship experience in the past six months and gained a clearer understanding of myself. So, when I was looking for a full-time job, I successfully found the New York consulting firm I am now working for. Since I had already signed a post-graduation job offer in the first semester of my second year of graduate school, it was relatively easy for me in the six months before graduation, and I traveled to many places in the United States with my friends. After graduating from Columbia University in May this year, he officially started his career in the United States in June.
During my six years in the United States, I completed the goals I set myself and achieved satisfactory results. There is still a long way to go. I have left school and entered the next stage of my life. I will set new goals in career development and life direction, and do my best to achieve them.
A positive attitude determines a positive life
Looking back on my six years in the United States, I encountered many difficulties, setbacks, and pressures. However, my character is relatively independent and optimistic, and I am not afraid of difficulties. When encountering difficulties, I always seek solutions and never give up.
I couldn’t understand math formulas when I took the test, and I received a final round rejection letter from a company I really wanted to go to. I was a little worried when I moved to a new place because I didn’t get used to it. My classmates and colleagues around me were very smart and felt pressure from my peers and suffered setbacks. When I’m down, I’ll tell myself first, yes, I’ve encountered a big hole now. There are two choices in front of me. I can stay in the pit all the time and can’t get up, sad and wasting time, or I can be a smart person and make a little effort to overcome the difficulties and move forward. And I decided to choose the latter.
I have always believed that people’s choices and mentality determine everything. We can never predict what we will encounter in life, however, we have the right to choose what kind of attitude to meet the challenges with.
Words to new schoolmates
When entering the university, students can try to learn as many courses in different directions and majors as possible to clarify their interests. When I was in high school, I found that I liked and was good at math, so I took AP Calculus and Statistics, which helped me not be so confused about choosing a major when I entered college. During my study at Rutgers University, I also took different courses such as French, Japanese, economics, and computer. Finally, combining my own advantageous subjects and interests, I decided to choose a major in mathematics and statistics, and a minor in economics.
In addition to study, during overseas study, students must participate in different activities of the school, get to know different people, it is very important to find like-minded friends, and at the same time, they must also consciously establish a network that is beneficial to their future development.
Finally, I would like to thank my teachers and friends for the best support along the way! Thank you to my family for letting me grow independently and helping me become who I am now. I used to be an ordinary child, but fortunately, I have been working very hard. Under the guidance of my goals, I took every step down-to-earth and steadily. I hope my experience can help you all!
