Pressure is also the driving force for me to keep moving forward
Hello everyone, I am Chen Longyu. I am fortunate to study at the University of Washington Seattle, which is known as the most beautiful university.
Unlike many other universities, when new students enter with a decided major. When you enter my university, you can only be assigned to a college or pre major, and then you need a major placement similar to the university application to have a major. The computer-related majors of our school and the majors of the business school are extremely competitive. Many students even failed to apply for several semesters and eventually had to study in other departments, and even many people did not have a major in their third year. Since I took some APs during high school and maintained a relatively good GPA in my freshman year, I entered the Department of Electronic Engineering during the summer vacation of my first year.
Engineering undergraduate education in the United States is recognized as a world leader, and it is more demanding than other colleges to graduate. We are a quarter-system school, and a year is divided into three shorter semesters, including summer vacations, there are four, and undergraduates graduate with 180 credits, usually 12 to 18 credits per semester, usually about 15 points, and 18 points could be too busy. Taking my Department of Electronic Engineering as an example, I need to complete 68 credits of professional courses starting with EE, which is equivalent to at least four to five semesters to complete only professional courses, so the pressure to graduate in four years is still a bit high.
When I entered the Department of Electronic Engineering, I found that there were many bigwigs around me, and my foundation was still very weak. Beginners are often very struggle and stressful. However, I was not overwhelmed by the pressure, took every assignment and exam seriously, and often consulted professors and classmates. Later, I gradually realized that electronic engineering is not so suitable for me. However, if I want to change my major, I still need to re-placement, and the previous EE credits will be voided. I have the idea of working hard to finish the undergraduate course and changing direction at the graduate level.
Explore your own advantages and gain admission to your dream school
The courses in the Department of Electronic Engineering are basically inseparable from group projects. In countless projects, I have discovered my leadership and project management talents, and I have the idea of turning to a product manager instead of a technical post. Based on this, I also started my graduate application.
When applying for graduate study, I focused on writing my graduation design of embedded systems into my resume. Our four-person team developed a portable, wearable and Bluetooth-controlled massager, which was approved by the instructor and got full marks. In the resume, I emphasized in addition to the technical level, the experience in project management, product development and market research, combined with community experience, internship experience and hobbies, has shown a very three-dimensional image to the admissions officer.
When choosing a postgraduate major, I repeatedly researched UCL’s professional official website. Among many majors, I found a major that perfectly matched the background and career planning. I started to prepare my application materials. I asked my American friends to help me peer review my resume and documents, accurate to every word used, and then repeatedly tortured the copywriter teacher, confirming that I had revised it many times before submitting it finally. In the essay I showed my excellent abilities and knowledge of the ICT industry, and my eagerness to learn other than technology such as business and management, and clarified my future career plans and what it can bring to the school and the community.
Based on my clear positioning based on my own advantages and sufficient academic preparation in the past, I was finally admitted to G5 University College London.
Study hard, play hard
In addition to professional courses, I also took Italian as a second foreign language for a year. The atmosphere of a small class with only a dozen people in a class is really good! In addition, I took film studies, materials science, engineering economics, urban planning, and music theory courses because of my interest. If you want to brush your GPA, you are advised to choose carefully, because some courses are still quite difficult. But if you are interested and want to enrich your knowledge, you can still gain a lot.
During college, I also became an officer of the planning department of the BGI Cheyou Club. I planned many activities, exercised my leadership and management skills, and met many friends with similar interests. In addition, we often drive in Seattle, which is surrounded by countless national parks and natural scenery, and the scenery along the way is very beautiful. During the holiday, I also traveled more than half of the United States. At the end of 21, I even took turns driving from Seattle, the northernmost part of the West Coast, to San Diego, the southernmost part, passing through Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas. Along the way, the snow-capped peaks of Washington, the forests of Oregon, the skyline of Northern California, the coastline of Southern California, and the deserts of Nevada are vividly remembered, and I cannot help but sigh the charm of this land.
If I want to study in the UK, I also want to experience the different customs of Europe. Take advantage of the youth to feel the size of the world, the future world is ours.
Words to young schoolmates
The most important thing in high school is language. I completed TOEFL 100+ and ACT 30+ very early in high school, so that I didn’t feel any discomfort at all for college admission. Secondly, I think that you can make plans for the future as soon as possible, and think about what you want to learn and do in the future. I chose electrical engineering because I was looking for a job, not a major that I really liked. Finally, in addition to academics, American universities attach great importance to the cultivation of personal characteristics. American universities hope that everyone is independent and individual, not students whose GPA is very standardized and whose documents are general. Now that studying abroad is getting more and more exams, everyone can get very good grades, but each person’s characteristics are reflected in their understanding of themselves and their future plans expressed in the essay. I think it is the standard that admissions officers pay more attention to.
During the three years in the International Department, I met many life-long friends. In the United States, we often traveled together, went to friends’ schools, and even made an appointment to go to graduate school together. It is hoped that the younger students will make good use of the platform of the International Department, communicate with foreign teachers more, and participate in activities, so as not to disappoint the teachers’ good intentions.
“Inquire into your heart and explore your true self. Take your own map and find your own path.”