Victoria Xie
2020 graduate of SCIE, studying at University College London
If I would describe my four years in SCIE with a musical composition, it would definitely be Debussy’s <Arabesque No.1>, which flows smoothly yet embedded with all different types of colours. Although the dramatic twists that are normally seen in novels are absent, it is still a piece of memory which I will never get tired of retracing.
I have lived through so many unforgettable experiences throughout these four years, among which the most unforgettable is definitely my Literature university application. During the first two years of high school, I didn’t really know where my future lies. I had a wide range of academic interests, which made it extra hard to decide which specific major shall be the one for me to pursue during my university study. It was already the second semester of A1 when I finally made up my mind to study Literature, because I only began to systematically learn about literature and literary analysis in A1. My A1 Literature teacher Jenny Ross was the one who led me into the world of literature. Throughout my A1 year, there wasn’t a single lesson which I didn’t enjoy listening. Under her vivid depictions, I could really see those characters in novels and plays stepping out of the book and into my life, until they became part of it.
Meanwhile, after studying literature for one year, I realised that literature is far more than just a type of leisure activity, it contains everything, it can be anything. I especially enjoy reading poetry. Its precise and perceptive nature makes even a sentence or a word open up to countless possible interpretations. Studying literature arouses my inborn ability in contemplation and comprehension. Hence, under Jenny’s unconditional support, I embarked on my literary journey with determination.
However, as a Chinese who applies for English in the UK, my application journey was filled with challenges. To get a successful application, not only do I need a competitive, native-level personal statement, I also need to complete the entrance examination for Oxbridge. Thereby, in preparation for writing a competitive personal statement, I started to read widely. Personally, I am greatly concerned about topics surrounding gender equality and patriarchy. Hence, I consciously subjected a feminist perspective whilst reading literary works.
Eventually, my personal statement centered on reflecting and summarising the role of females throughout literary history, and what I would do, as a potential writer and poet, to contribute to the gender equality campaign.
I would really like to express my gratitude for Ms.Iris Cheung (Our Head of UCO) for helping me out during my Oxford application. As soon as she knew about my intention in applying for Literature, she sought a teacher who taught Oxbridge entrance exam to help me and the other Literature student. Fortunately, under her assistance, I got a good mark in the entrance exam, and got into the interview round successfully. She also helped me with my personal statement several times, as well as reading my literary writings carefully to help me with my interview preparation. Although I was rejected by Oxford in the end, my literature-related skills were strengthened significantly, because I learnt to think much more widely, and was able to grasp the narrators’ intentions more readily.
The most important lesson I learnt from being an SCIEer is that playing and studying are equally important. Before coming to SCIE, I heard the saying that SCIE students do not only know how to study, they also know how to play. I couldn’t really get the idea of playing and studying simultaneously when I first came here, but now I know, is because SCIE students are excellent. I have made several intimate friends during my time here, they are all ambitious and self-disciplined people. Thus, being with them stimulated my constant improvement. Meanwhile, in order to save time for our leisure activities, we gradually learnt how to work with higher efficiency. Therefore, my time management skill improved a lot. I also comprehended the importance of quality instead of quantity.
I fell in love with photography during my second year in SCIE. My restless, almost paranoid pursuit of beauty makes me eager in seeking a way to record it. Photography is my best helper. As soon as I was free, I would roam the streets and villages, or visiting parks and seas, just for recording those fleeting yet unique moments. Later on, after developing my interest in Literature, I discovered that literature and photography were quite similar in essence, because they were both second-handed creations which laid ground in reality, which lingered on the edge between reality and fantasy. So I began to combine my literary works with my photographic ones, to interpret the same mood in different dimensions. I really enjoy this process, because I get to combine visual art with verbal art.
When I finally put my pen down, I am already on the plane which is about to head off to the UK. Although my life in SCIE has come to an end, the things I learnt from being an SCIEer will always accompany me whenever I embark on a brand new journey, into the unknown future. My four years in SCIE fills me not with fear of being in a foreign country, but with hope.
