Be Thankful for Everything I’ve Met, Run Expectantly to the Next Station

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Anny Qiu

Class of 2022, London School of Economics and Political Science

1. Those repeated “no”s finally got a “yes”

When I chose the direction of my major, I used the method of exclusion. It was not until the end of G2 semester that I accidentally took the Further Mathematics lessons that I realized that mathematics was the only subject in which I could get high marks without too much effort. After a rough understanding of the mathematics majors in universities, I thought that the mathematical theories and proofs in pure maths were too monotonous and boring, while statistics tended to be practical. Therefore, I wrongly concluded that learning statistics could make me lose less hair than pure numbers, so I decided to apply for the direction of mathematics.

After A1 international examination, I found that except for the statistics courses in school, I did not know any knowledge related to statistics, let alone making professional preparations in advance. I decided to catch up quickly. I read three introductory books on statistics and R language, and completed a small scientific research under guidance. In this process, I gradually realized the charm of statistics — using data analysis and statistical tools can enable me to see various connections behind seemingly unrelated things, and it can rationally and objectively explore and even predict the world. For the first time, I realized that my major choice was correct.

Celebrate birthday with my friends

With this experience in the summer vacation, the first draft of my essay was completed quickly, and the structure and content were approved by my counsellor Roger. After A2 began, I met with Roger for at least half an hour every week. We detailed the meaning of sentences word by word, and strived to accurately express every trace of tone and thought. Our communication was very efficient and only four drafts were revised before the draft was finalized.

Throughout my application season, it seemed to be idle, but in fact it was not easy at all. My A2 courses only included Physics, Economics, EPQ and Further Mathematics with two papers left. I did not apply for Oxbridge or US, so I escaped from the overwhelming interviews and personal statements. Still, the angst of the application season set in. After submitting UCAS at the end of October, I received the offer from The University of Manchester at the beginning of December and the offer from HKU at the end of January. I felt a little relieved. However, after two months without any messages about my application, I gradually lost confidence in myself. Meanwhile, IC’s rejection hit me in the head. One evening a week later, I got the offer from LSE without expectation. The email reminded me of the change of UCAS. Taking a deep breath and getting prepared mentally. The mouse was pressed with a glimmer of expectation, and my mind was blank at the moment I saw the offer…… I finally could go to London! There were too many lessons learned during the application season, such as too little preparation and too late to choose major; For example, when choosing a major before applying, I did not carefully research for the admission rate. As a result, I unknowingly chose Statistics with a very low admission rate. Later I checked the data and found that the admission rate of pure mathematics in Oxford was 9.96%, while that of Statistics was less than 4%. The admission rate of my major from LSE was only 12.78%. If I realized the acceptance rate in advance, some choices might be changed, and the waiting process might be less stressful. But I was lucky to meet an amazing counsellor, Roger, who gave me a lot of advice and positive energies. I gained huge encouragement from my classmates. We gave advice and help each other in action and spiritual support. My parents had always believed in me unconditionally, hoping that I got the desired offer and had a happy and unforgettable year in high school at the same time.

Senior Week Water fight
Charity Week with my Friends

2. A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instill a love of learning.

With my Teachers: Michael Jin, Allen Liu, Cherry Xu Roger Underhill, Issac Fu

Roger Underhill is my counselor. He provided many constructive suggestions for the revision of my personal statement, and gave me the most direct suggestions in the early stage of my major choice. He had a lot of students, even so, he seriously replied to every question I asked, and delivered important information to me. He was a very humorous teacher, and it made me relax to communicate with him. Even when I was at my most anxious, Roger would look for some convincing data to comfort me and ease my impatience. I was lucky to meet Roger during my application. He gave me positive feedback and encouragement in a timely manner, which helped me gain a relatively stable state of mind in the chaotic application season.

Michael Jin is the only teacher who has taught me for two years. I think he is one of the best Maths teachers in SCIE. His lessons made me trance back to the Maths class in the common high school, and I could not be distracted for one second. I could get the fastest and most accurate reply when I asked him questions after class. Michael’s teaching style is an important reason for my good performance of marks in Mathematics throughout the high school.

Allen Liu is also one of the teachers I particularly would like to thank. When I started to attend her business class in G1, I was completely confused about this course, and my exam results were in a mess. She guided me to find the logic of essay writing, and her class style was very delicate and serious. With her guidance and encouragement, I was able to get A* in IG international Examination . Allen is the teacher who enlightens and helps me most in economics.

Robert Liu was my form teacher when I first entered the school. I was deeply touched by his care for his students. When I was in G1, I was wronged by a teacher for no reason. I had no idea how to deal with it, but Robert firmly stood by me and fought for my rights for me. When he knew that my academic performance in some subjects was not good, he would take the initiative to chat with me and encouraged me to find learning methods and quickly adopt to the study life in SCIE. I heard that he is also an excellent chemistry teacher. It is a pity that I has not been assigned to his class.

There are many teachers who had a profound influence on me. I am very grateful to meet them in SCIE.

3. Missing and saying goodbye are all gifts of life.

A Cappella’s performance at the graduation ceremony
Group photo of ACATogether on stage

There are many colorful activities in SCIE, but A Cappella is the only club that I have persisted in for four years.

From member to leader, I have gained a lot of memories in these four years. We performed over 20 songs together, and we couldn’t be more familiar with everyone’s voices. It is not easy for many people to sing together, but our A Cappella group has always been a very loving and cohesive family. While practicing our voice parts as much as possible, it is the most exciting and rewarding moment when a song shows its shape after harmonization. It was the first time to win the championship, the first time to participate in the New Year and Christmas concerts, the first time to be invited to participate in the annual meeting of external companies, the first time to attain professional equipment in the public performances…… We try our best to break through ourselves.

All the graduates of A Cappella went to the recording studio to record our last collaboration in the last summer. With the most beautiful memories of in SCIE, we rushed expectantly to the next station.