Li Ruoyu (Carl)
2020 graduate of SCIE, studying at Emory University with a double major in Physics/Economics
It has been almost two years after graduating from SCIE, during which period of time the world is more than unpredictable. The global pandemic and a series of geopolitical and social factors have combined to make us the most special class of international students.
For introduction, I would like to say something about studying abroad. In addition to different people and education systems, there are also various social and cultural differences. Culture shock and value collision are almost inevitable. One’s cognition may also be reshaped upon the experience. Even one semester will be different from when you first started college. Before I went to college in the U.S., I had never imagined the shock would be so tremendous. Personally, when I first arrived in the US, I planned to return to China after graduation, and now I am more inclined to seek employment in the US.
There are very objective reasons for this decision. First, the US high-tech and financial markets are the most developed, and wages are also high. In addition, the working environment in the United States is less stressful and less depressing than in China.
As for studying abroad, A1 and A2 are very important times, by which many decisions have to be made. The United States and the United Kingdom are two completely different systems. Although you can apply for two lines at the same time, you need to consider which system is more suitable for you. The United Kingdom will require a major when applying, but American universities generally do not require this, but emphasize general education, and the courses involved are distributed in various disciplines. For example, at Emory I can declare a major at the end of my sophomore year, and can change it later, as long as I completes the required courses for my major, I can graduate. A freshman course also emphasized that in the first year, you should learn widely rather than deeply, so as to discover your own interests.
But the general education system is not for everyone. In terms of depth, although in the top universities in the United States one can achieve deep and broad mastery of subjects. It is uncommon for lower-ranking universities to get in-depth in any subject at the undergraduate level. In addition, sometimes the course selection of general education can be embarrassing. Some courses are neither of interest nor related to majors, but they must be taken to meet the compulsory courses of general education. Moreover, since general education only requires one or two courses to be learned in a single subject category, it is not systematic enough to be useful in the future. Even if it is completed, many areas remain ambiguous.
Of course, it is definitely not a bad thing to broadly learn at the undergraduate level. To a certain extent, thanks to the flexible selection of courses and majors in American universities, I adjusted my major in my sophomore year and added economics to my major. I hadn’t considered the possibility of double majors before, but I thought it was very interesting after taking microeconomics in my freshman year, so I decided to add this major.
The UK and US system is very different. In the United States, different universities are also quite different. Some schools may not be very famous until you apply to see the rankings, but you will know that its quality is better than its reputation when you really go. Emory belongs to this category. It is a private school, and US News ranks 21st all year round, while it ranks lower than top 100 on QS. Emory’s tuition and fees are also expensive nationwide. But tuition has just become a threshold, so that even Americans must be at least middle-class to study at Emory (public schools offer much cheaper tuition for in-state students, and out-of-state students are also cheaper than Emory for one year is More than 10,000 dollars. And public schools also have very favorable policies for students in the state when enrolling, but private schools are basically the same in terms of tuition and enrollment).
This makes private schools a circle of their own, and the people in the circle are not bad in quality, not low in emotional intelligence, and have considerable abilities. Professors will also have the opportunity to fully understand each student, give students enough attention, and are also very friendly and very patient. The degree of freedom of course selection is also very high, and there are enough positions in each course for most people to grab it smoothly. Of course, the configuration of the courses is also very complete. In principle, you can take the courses you want to take as long as they meet the requirements of the prerequisite courses.
In addition to studying, classmates are also very open and friendly, the quality is not too bad, even if they are not familiar with them, they will not be rejected. The atmosphere of the campus is also very comfortable. During the time I came to Emory, nothing unpleasant has happened so far.
As a private school, the facilities here are also very complete, providing four-year accommodation, the dormitories for juniors and seniors are apartments with good facilities, and there are many sports venues, which virtually avoid the problems of renting a house that may be encountered when studying abroad. (This paragraph does not intend to promote for Emory. The main purpose is to explain some advantages of private schools in general, which can be used as a reference when choosing college)
Emory’s academic pressure is not too high. The amount of homework and course difficulty is somewhat dependent on the major. Generally, science is much more difficult to understand and work than liberal arts. But even in science, the amount and difficulty of the coursework are within the range that can be handled. You don’t need to compress sleep time too much to complete the homework. From my experience, most homework is not difficult, but it is very cumbersome. However, the scope of the homework is very extensive and takes up a lot of time. The difficulty and amount of homework are significantly higher after offline classes in the sophomore year. It is normal to stay in the library until late at night every day. In addition to studies, there are internships and various extracurricular activities, all of which take up part of the time, and you can’t compete with others just by completing your own.
That’s roughly what my college experience has been like all this time—busy, stressful, fulfilling. Is Emory good? Not bad, but not the best. I was not on HR’s first batch of candidates when I was looking for a job, my alumni network was not wide enough to be ideal, and science subjects were not outstanding except for biochemistry and medicine, and the theoretical knowledge I could learn in physics was not in-depth. . Although I am busy studying here, I am not very competitive in professional terms. But Emory also has good academic resources and students, as well as various opportunities. If you want to go to graduate school after graduation, it will be easier to enter top schools.
Looking back now, the four years of high school is the prologue of the prologue, the foreshadow of a splendid future. Some people say that the last few years of college are the most beautiful part of a person’s life. Indeed, during this time, there are limitless possibilities out there in the four years. Spending the time in a university that fits you will be a wonderful memory for a lifetime.
