【七德校友】什么？我们首届毕业生已经考上研究生啦！| QD Alumni Gear up for Graduate School

文稿：Mr. Robbie Shields

升学指导&职业生涯规划&校友联络

2017年，七宝德怀特首届毕业生获得高中文凭开启海外留学之旅。一转眼三年过去了，他们中的一些人已经完成了本科学习并决定继续读研。七德校友申请到的研究院校非常亮眼，有剑桥大学、斯坦福大学、宾夕法尼亚大学、康奈尔大学、西北大学、帝国理工学院、卡耐基梅隆大学等。近期，我们与三位七德校友取得联系，采访了他们有关申请研究生的经历和建议。

In 2017, the first class of QDHS graduates earned their diplomas and embarked on university education abroad. Three years on, some of our 2017 graduates are finishing their undergraduate studies and have decided to pursue graduate degrees. The list of universities our alumni have received offers from is impressive, including, Cambridge, Stanford, UPenn, Cornell, Northwestern, Imperial College London, and Carnegie Mellon to name a few. We recently spoke with three QDHS alumni about their experiences and recommendations regarding graduate school and they shared many interesting insights. 

2017届House A的施仲威是杜伦大学计算机科学专业的本科生，他将在2020年的秋季入读帝国理工学院继续深造计算机科学。除了帝国理工，他还收到了剑桥大学技术政策专业的offer，爱丁堡、曼彻斯特、杜伦大学计算机科学专业也向他抛来了橄榄枝。

David Shi (Aristotle class of 2017) is a Computer Science major at the University of Durham and will begin his Master’s in Computer Science at Imperial University beginning in the fall of 2020. In addition to receiving an offer from Imperial, he also received an offer from Cambridge for their Master’s in Technology Policy, as well as offers from Edinburgh, Manchester, and Durham for Computer Science. 

2017届House D的汪真源在迈阿密大学主修计算机科学和数学双专业，辅修经济学。目前，他申请到了宾夕法尼亚大学计算机信息科学硕士项目，同时他也可以在工程学院和商学院跨专业地选修一些课程。此外，他还在等待哥伦比亚大学的录取消息。

Dylan Wang (Da Vinci class of 2017) is a double major in Computer Science and Mathematics with a minor in Economics at the University of Miami. He currently has an offer from UPenn to pursue an interdisciplinary Master’s of Science Education in Computer and Information Science, which allows him to take courses in both the school of Engineering and the Wharton College of Business. Additionally, he has an application pending to Columbia University.

2017届House B的于昕彤在伊利诺伊大学香槟分校主修数学，辅修艺术设计与数据。2020年秋季，她将前往斯坦福大学攻读金融工程专业（金融计算方向）。除了斯坦福的offer，她还收到了卡耐基梅隆大学、康奈尔大学、芝加哥大学、纽约大学和西北大学的录取。

Xintong Yu (Buck class of 2017) is majoring in Mathematics with minors in Art & Design and Statistics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne (UIUC). In fall 2020, she’ll be attending Stanford University’s Master’s of Financial Engineering with a concentration in Financial Computation. In addition to receiving an offer from Stanford, she was accepted to master’s programs at Carnegie Mellon, Cornell, Chicago, NYU, and Northwestern. 

当我们问高中生为什么对某所特定大学感兴趣时，最常见的回答是“排名”，家长和学生认为更高的大学排名对应着更好的教育和更光明的前途。然而有趣的是，以上三位七德校友的本科院校都没有排进前40，但是他们都收获了极佳的教育与大学体验。

When high school students are asked why they are interested in a specific university the most common response is “ranking.” Parents and students perceive higher rankings to be synonymous with a better education and experience and better future prospects. But an interesting commonality between these three alumni is they all had a wonderful university experience and received a fantastic education despite not attending universities ranked in the top 40. 

杜伦大学并非施仲威在七德时的第一选择，他说，“起初，杜伦是我的保底学校，我的梦校是另一所。但是，当我IB实际分数比预估掉了1分后，我决定前往杜伦大学，而不是寄希望于上诉申请通过的可能性”。这个决定最后被证明非常明智，他的社交和学术都受益匪浅，“杜伦大学很适合学习，整个小镇以大学为中心，80%都和大学相关联。初来乍到时，我因为不认识任何人而紧张，但我的英国室友和杜伦的学院制度让交友变得容易许多”。

The University of Durham wasn’t David Shi’s first choice when he was at QDHS. “Initially, I had Durham as my insurance choice and another school as my firm offer. But when I fell one point short of my condition, I decided to attend Durham rather than wait for the possibility of an approved appeal” David said in a recent interview. It turned out to be a smart decision that has served him well socially and academically. “Durham is a great place to study. The town is very university focused, with 80% of the town being connected to the university. When I first arrived, I was nervous not knowing anybody, but I got a great British roommate and the college system at Durham made it easy to make friends.” 

于昕彤同样在一所并非她首选的大学里取得了成功，当初，虽然被早申ED学校拒绝了，她依然在伊利诺伊香槟度过了积极快乐的大学生活。“我在大一时考虑过转学，但是适应一所新学校得花一个学期，我已经熟悉了UIUC的教授、课堂、机会，而且我喜欢学校提供的平衡”，她告诉我们。在伊利诺伊的三年，她有机会和教授在研究项目上共同合作，包括一个结合了数学和建筑学的课题。另外，她很欣赏UIUC在课程上的灵活性，允许她在数学之外的学科选课。

Xintong Yu also found success at an undergraduate university that wasn’t her first choice. Although rejected from her ED school, Xintong went on to have a positive experience at UIUC. “I had thought about transferring after my freshman year, but it takes a semester to adjust to a new school and at UIUC I already knew professors, the classes, and the opportunities, and I like the balance that the school has provided” she remarked. During her three years in Illinois, she’s managed to work with professors on research projects, including one that combined mathematics and architecture. Additionally, she appreciated the flexibility UIUC gave her, allowing her to take courses in disciplines outside of Mathematics. 

和于昕彤相同，汪真源最开始也考虑过从迈阿密大学转学去一所排名更高的大学，“但当我仔细思考时，我想不出什么转学的好理由，除了想要证明我能进入一所排名更高的大学以外”。在迈阿密，他找到了大家庭，“我被人们对迈阿密大学的热爱打动了，这里有一种凝聚力和多样性是独一无二的”。

Like Yu, Dylan Wang initially thought about transferring from the University of Miami to a higher ranked school. “When I thought about it, I didn’t really have a good reason for wanting to transfer except to prove to myself I could get into a higher ranked university” Dylan recently shared. But in Miami he found a home and a community. “I was impressed by the enthusiasm for the institution and the passion for the school. There was a sense of unity and diversity to the community that I probably couldn’t have found anywhere else.” 

这些七德校友的经历反映出，顶尖的研究学院会从各种各样的本科学校录取学生。卡耐基梅隆大学泰珀商学院的招生主任Kelly Wilson近期告诉U.S.News：“申请学生不需要来自最顶尖的大学，只需证明他们在所就读的大学是顶尖的学生即可”。约翰霍普金斯大学高级国际研究学院的前任招生主任Erin Skelly也重申了这一点，“我会对想报考研究生的学生说，你在哪儿完成本科学位没那么重要，更重要的是你如何在学术上挑战自己、如何最大限度地利用可得的机会”。所以，考虑读研读博的海外留学生与其想着转学去排名更高的学校，不如踏踏实实在原学校精益求精、做到最好。

The experience of these alumni reflect the reality that top graduate schools take students from many universities. Kelly Wilson, the Executive Director of Master’s Admissions at Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School of Business, recently told US News and World Report that “[a]n applicant doesn’t have to have attended the most prestigious institution. They need to demonstrate success relative to the institution they’re attending.” Erin Skelly, a former Associate Director for Admissions at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) echoed this sentiment, stating that “I would tell prospective grad students that where they completed their [undergraduate] degree is less important than how they challenged themselves academically and how they made the most of the opportunities available to them.” Consequently, students going overseas to schools who think they will want to pursue further education may want to focus on excelling at their chosen university rather than fixating on transferring to a higher ranked school. 

选择读研需谨慎，更高的学历也许能加强你的职业前景或是扩充在某一领域的知识，但有得必有失，除了高昂的学费外，你还可能损失时间、机会和工作。因此，考虑读研的同学应当有一个清晰的视野。

The decision to go to graduate school is not one to be made lightly. While further education and a higher degree may enhance your career prospects and further your knowledge in a field, it also comes at a price. Besides the cost of tuition there is also the opportunity cost of time spent not working to pursue further studies. Given the relative pros and cons, it’s important that students considering graduate school have a clear vision as to why they are pursuing further education. 

我们之前采访的三位七德校友都在早期就决定要读研。于昕彤在大二那年意识到自己虽然擅长数学，但并不想深入研究数学，反而想学习金融工程或商业分析。

For the three alumni we interviewed, all indicated that they knew fairly early on in their studies that they wished to pursue further education and it came from interesting inspirations and moments of realization. Yu Xintong indicated that she decided in her sophomore year that she wanted to pursue a master’s. She recognized that while she was good at Math, she didn’t want to do further research in it but instead use her abilities to study Financial Engineering or Business Analytics.  

对施仲威来说，他读研的原因一部分是因为他热爱计算机科学，一部分是因为他大二申请实习时屡屡受挫，“当我申请实习被问到计算机科学特定领域的问题时，我回答不出令人满意的答案。我意识到本科阶段的知识不够深入，无法符合这些公司的招聘要求。”

For David Shi, he decided to pursue a master’s in part because of his love for Computer Science and in part after being unsuccessful in his internship applications in his second year. “When I applied to internships and was asked questions about specific areas of Computer Science, I didn’t provide answers that were satisfactory. I realized that at undergraduate we wouldn’t go deep enough to meet the knowledge requirements for these companies.” Hence for David, career aspirations and further knowledge were the motivating factors. 

汪真源也想继续攻读计算机科学，但是他还想将本科专业与其他学科结合，找寻一个技术与商业交叉的硕士项目。“宾大很适合我，因为它有沃顿商学院，还允许我在工程和商业专业选课”。

Like David Shi, Dylan Wang was motivated to pursue further knowledge in certain areas of Computer Science. But like Xintong, he also wanted to combine his abilities in his major with other disciplines, looking for programs that were the intersection between technology and business. “UPenn is a great fit for me because it has Wharton and it allows me the chance to take courses in engineering and business.” 

对以上所有学生来说，他们读研的决定做得很早，但也是在一定经历后才做出的。硕士学位或是有助于他们进一步追求自己感兴趣的领域，或是有助于他们未来的职业发展前景。

For all of these students the decision to go to graduate school came early but also after having experiences that helped them identify specifically how their graduate education furthered their interest in a field and their career prospects. 

英国作家奥斯卡·王尔德曾说：“我总是向别人传递好建议，这是它唯一的用处，因为好建议对自己从来没什么用”。秉持着这个精神，我们向七德校友们咨询了有关申请研究生项目的建议，以此分享给其他考虑读研的校友。

British author Oscar Wilde once said, “I always pass on good advice. It is the only thing to do with it. It is never of any use to oneself.” In that spirit, we wanted to ask our alumni what advice they would share with other QD Alumni who are considering applying to graduate school. Here is what we found: 

由于不知道本科毕业后要做什么而选择读研不是一个好理由。选择读研不应该是为了逃避工作或艰难决定的手段，而应该是一个提前做好、有明确目标的决定。汪真源与我们分享：学生在读研前应当多积累经验，这样他们才能更清楚自己想做什么。所以，你最好能清晰表达你的目标，并解释研究生项目将如何帮助你达成目标。

A bad reason to attend graduate school is because you don’t know what you want to do after you finish your undergraduate studies. Choosing to go to graduate school should be a choice made with a goal in mind rather than a way to avoid difficult decisions or entering the workforce. Dylan shared that students should try to have many experiences prior to going to graduate school so they have a better sense of what they wish to do. So, a good tip is to be able to articulate your goal and explain how the graduate program helps you accomplish your goal. 

被采访的校友无一例外强调了提前规划申请的重要性。于昕彤建议在大二就报考GRE，因为大三大四会越来越忙。汪真源也同意这一观点，他建议学生在暑期准备好材料。综上，一旦决定要读研，请确保自己有一年的准备时间。

Our interviewees stressed the importance of planning applications well in advance. Xintong recommended that students take the GRE in their sophomore year of college, because in your junior and seniors years things get busier. This sentiment was also shared by Dylan, who shared that students should take time in summer to get materials in place. So, a good tip for students is once you’ve made the decision to attend, make sure you give yourself at least a year before the application deadline to prepare a strong application. 

为了在申请研究生项目时更有竞争力，你必须有一份成功的简历。这包含：在本科学校选择高难度的课程、努力学习获得高分、积极参加实习或研究项目、和教授加深了解建立友好关系、撰写一篇引人入胜的申请文书。另外，有些学校可能还要求提供标化考试成绩。因此，从入学第一天起，你就要为了未来的研究生项目申请而夯实基础。

To be competitive for graduate school applications, you must build a successful candidate profile. This includes taking challenging courses at your undergraduate university, earning strong grades, developing relationships with your professors who will serve as your recommenders, participating in internships or research opportunities, and crafting a compelling personal statement. Additionally, some schools may have standardized tests that you must complete as part of the application. So, a good tip is to make sure that from the first day you arrive at your undergraduate university campus, you’re building a foundation that will allow you to be competitive in your applications. 

有时候，学生看到顶尖学校的录取概率很小就退缩了，但是，我们唯一能确定的是，不申请的录取概率是0。重新审视三位七德校友的经历，可以发现，他们收获顶尖大学offer的原因，部分是由于他们充分利用本科学校的机会，另一部分是因为他们选择了申请。所以，我们建议你，机灵大胆地申请你想去的大学。

Sometimes students read statistics about the competitiveness of top school admissions and they choose to not apply, thinking they won’t likely be admitted. But the only sure way you’ll know you won’t be admitted to a school is to not apply. In examining our three alumni interviewees experiences, all three earned offers to many top universities in part because they took full advantage of their undergraduate opportunities but also because they chose to apply. So, a good tip is to be bold, be smart, and put in applications to the places you wish to study.