AIC Education Alumni Newsletter 6th Edition by AIC Education

Featured Story 高子彦: 学法律的梦想者

CONTENTS AIC Newsletter #6 Featured Story

CEO Note

P1: 高子彦: 学法律的梦想者 Livec Gao: The Dreamer Who Studies Law

Zhang, Chen 张晨 CEO of AIC Education

A Letter to 2017 AICers

Inside College P6: 一个2016er的赴美留学感受 P9: Letter from Elliot Huang (黄鹤源) P10: Lifestyle: Ebike

Teacher Profiles P12: Leah House (UMich ’12) P13: Christine Kang (Gtown ‘10)

Behind the scenes P14: Anecdotes from teachers

Dear AIC Scholars of the Future, A month before I set off to college, my mind was literally restless. I was anxious to say the least. I didn’t know what to expect, but I was sure of one thing. In one month, my life will change forever. A bold statement really, given that Columbia was only 40 minutes away from home, but it really felt like a world away. Given this, I can’t even begin to imagine the excitement that all of you must feel. For you, college is indeed a world away. A lot has changed since my college days. I remember getting my first cell phone as a sophomore in college, in 2000. Before that, I used an extremely outdated beeper, one that my parents constantly took advantage of. I always failed to call them back. My excuse: I didn’t have a cell phone. Among all the technological and societal breakthroughs that I experienced and continue to experience, one thing that remained constant was my goal of coming back to China, and my dream of serving a crucial role in the revolutionary advancement of a civilization that stretches back thousands of years. Although I have yet to achieve my dream, I have achieved my goal of coming back to China, and refined my dream by focusing on the educational developments here. A fundamental opportunity afforded in life, one that allows all other possibilities to be possible. Two words can summarize the experience that took me here: not easy… equivalents of two other words: very hard. Through my journey, I have battled doubt,

AIC Newsletter#6

CONTENTS AIC Newsletter #6

not only from others but also mine. I have battled fatigue, financial limitations, a lack of experience, a lack of maturity, a lack of understanding, a lack of a little bit of everything; I even lacked an adequate health. Thankfully, the one thing I did not lack is optimism. I never doubted what I believed in. It is perhaps the most precious gift that life has to offer: faith. People have faith in a variety of things: religion, belief, even destiny just to name a few; I have unwavering faith in my dream, something that I will chase with vigor for the rest of my life. Even though I might fail, I am still confident. Confident that others will continue to fight, and one day, ultimately, succeed. For everything I have learned in life and wish to pass on, these words above conclude the two things I wish each of you would heed. One, if you have ever believed in something - believe in it. Don’t let anyone say otherwise. You are in control of your own dreams, and no one else. Two, what any one of us can do alone is limited. But what all of us can do together is limitless. Pass on your dreams; create your sphere of influence, your battles for your aspirations cannot be fought and won alone. A world of possibilities should be pursued by a world of people. Congratulations to all of you on taking your first step into this exciting world of possibilities. Life is definitely changing at a much faster pace than my college days. We are all living in a most exciting time in China’s history, one that will be talked about for centuries to come. Just take a look outside, you will inevitably see a society that has much to improve, and must improve. Knowing what you know, how can you not desire a change for the better? Gandhi once said, “Be the change you wish to see in society.” At your colleges, you are sure to learn solutions to the changes needed. And upon the delightful day of your graduation, some of you will, I would hope, be that change. College represents a path leading to the future for each and every one of you. But ultimately, you are the future. And this serves as the foundation for why AIC Education exists. Lastly, congratulations to you all. Tomorrow will be here faster than you think. Cherish every moment in life. And for each moment granted, live passionately. █

After the story P20: Life after the application, and words of wisdom from 2017 AICers

College Q&A

Featured Story Livec Gao 高子彦: Columbia 2013 Pursuing a degree in Columbia Law

P22: Columbia University P23: Boston College

Pictures worth 1000 words P24: Photos of Events, Student/Teacher hangouts/ Office Events

Sneak Peek of AIC College Tour P26: Photos of AIC US College Tour

Contributing Editors: Editor in Chief Kam Yan, Smith College Layout Designer Jeffrey Zhang, Cooper Union 2017 Editors Charlene Hsiao, UCLA Echo Cheng, Wesleyan University 2017 Tommy Wang, New York University 2017 Donna Ding, New York University 2017 David Zhang, Rice University 2017 Alumni Contributors Livec Gao, Columbia University 2013 Elaine Li, Columbia University 2013, Tim Chan, Columbia University 2014 Cherry Pu, Columbia University 2017 Jeffrey Cheng, Boston College 2016 Emma Liu, Boston College 2016 Carol Cao, College of Holy Cross 2016 Elliot Huang, University of Illinois- Urbana Champaign

AIC Newsletter#6

Featured Story| Alumni Interview| Livec Gao 高子彦

Livec Gao

高子彦

The Dreamer Who Studies Law

学法律的梦想者

中文撰文／程琬婷 Wesleyan University 2017 在与这位准法学学生见面前，我已经在脑中预想了一些他的特征——西装革履，严肃且严谨，就像那些我热爱的律政剧里的主角一样。然而，除了他确实穿了一件西装外套来赴约之外，他左耳上的黑色耳钉和谈笑间的风趣幽默都有些出乎我的意料。这让我意识到，哥伦比亚大学毕业并且即将继续在哥伦比亚法学院入读的高子彦，可能并不想做一个人们认识里的传统律师，而之后的采访中他确实证实了我的猜想。你也许认为法学院是他一直以来的目标，但事实上，读法律是高子彦在去了哥伦比亚大学之后才做出的决定。“我在去美国之前是理科生。但是Columbia的 core curriculum中很多课程让我产生了一些思想上的转变。因为这些课我开始更加感兴趣社会性的问题。而我认为法律则是社会中相当重要的一个基石。”除了哥伦比亚的课程之外，美国的文化也促使他做出这个决 2

Writer/Wanting Cheng, Wesleyan University 2017 定。“我在美国遇到的唯一一个cultural shock就是美国人对于过程的注重。据我观察，国人的观念中一般来说只要一个结果是成功的，那么过程并不是特别重要。而在美国，过程比结果更重要。”选择法律也许是他观念转变的其中一个结果，因为法律看重对于过程的衡量，而不是结果的好坏。众所周知，律师在美国意味着社会地位以及高年薪，而高子彦选择读法律的出发点却有所不同。“我不会去Corporate firm.”他开门见山地说。Corporate Firm 是大部分法学院学生的理想去处，因为这里不仅有着数不尽的lawsuit，还有直线上升的年薪。而高子彦却把这棵摇钱树束之高阁，因为“每个人都有每个人不同的选择。”高子彦说，他之所以会选择读法律，是想要通过法律来改变社会现状，而不是对金钱的追求。作为一个经常关注人人，微博和网易新闻的留学生，高子彦

Chinese-English Translator/ Tommy Wang, NYU 2017

Before I met Ziyan, a picture of a serious and prudent lawyer had already imprinted itself in my mind, like my beloved characters in lawyer dramas. However, besides the fact that he did wear a standard suit, the stud in his left ear and his humor were all out of my expectations. I came to realize that Ziyan, who will be graduating from Columbia University this May will be furthering his studies at Columbia Law School and might not be the conventional lawyer depicted in TV dramas. My speculation proved to be right in the following conversation. You may think law school was always Ziyan’s goal. But he actually made up his mind to study law after he entered Columbia. “I was a typical science student before I went to America. But the core curriculum in Columbia changed my mind. I became more interested in social issues and I think

law is the footstone of modern society.” In addition to the diverse curriculum in Columbia, his exposure to American culture also pushed him to make this decision. “The only cultural shock I experienced in America is Americans’ emphasis on process. In traditional Chinese mentality, based on my observation, process is not as important as outcome. The process actually doesn’t matter a lot. However, it is quite the opposite in the states.” It is well known that being a lawyer means high social status and promising yearly earnings in America. However, that’s not the reason Ziyan chose law. “I will not go into corporate law after graduation.” He said openly. Although corporate firms are usually the ideal place for law graduates, because of the numerous lawsuits and surging yearly earnings, Ziyan had other goals. He chose to study law, not to 3

AIC Newsletter#6

Featured Story| Alumni Interview| Livec Gao 高子彦

常常通过新闻事件发现中国社会与文化中的缺陷，但真正为他敲响警钟的还是发生在深圳的一次交通事故。“ 当时一辆私家车和一辆出租车相撞，出租车里还有两个乘客。肇事司机去警察局的时候脸旁边破了一个口子在流血，可他第二天再去警察局的时候脸旁边是完好无损的，连创可贴都没有。警察对这么明显的顶罪毫无反应。而我的一个朋友就坐在那辆出租车上，死于这次事故。”高子彦相信法律知识可以帮助他改变中国的社会与文化，也许就从改变这样的悲剧开始。他承认当律师会面临很多挑战，但他对自己，对未来都有信心。“我没法完全肯定地说我将要做什么，但我有一些想法。我觉得要对现在的中国做出改变只有两条路可以走，从上至下地制定政策和从下至上地发展草根组织。既然我应该没法成为最高领导人，我至少可以从草根做起。” 谈到Columbia Law School，他明显还对刚刚结束的申请季记忆犹新。“这次申请比我本科的申请容易，因为法学院主要看中的是GPA和LSAT分数，不像申请本科时各个方面都要兼顾，尤其essays。”他解释道，“这并不代表essay, 推荐信等不重要，只是法学院作为一个看重“严谨”这个特质的地方，倾向于用数字这样明确且准确的标准来衡量学生。”当我问到为什么选择继续在 Columbia读law school而不是去其他大学时，他很直接地回答，“Columbia是我的选择中最好的，不仅仅因为我已经习惯，而且因为它位于纽约的地理位置。” 这不难理解，鉴于他将要主攻国际法，位处于一个国际化大都市是一个绝佳的选择。在采访的最后，高子彦给了AIC学弟学妹一个建议，“在去美国之前，应该好好思考一下自己到底想要什么。虽然这是一个一直都应该思考的问题，但是大学生活的到来会尤其带给你更多冲击。你应该有一个大的目标，这样你就可以设立一些小的目标并总是向大的目标靠齐。Nothing is impossible.” 在短短一个半小时的交谈中，我一直觉得高子彦很cool，却不知道是不是仅仅因为他的黑色耳钉。听到这里，我才知道他之所以很 cool是因为他清楚地知道自己想要什么：法律不是他的终极目标，而只是一个工具，一个他用来实现梦想的工具。就如文章开头提到的，我之前对律师的印象是非常相似的一类人，总是把这个职业和“社会地位高”，“ 高薪”，“利益至上”联系到一起。但是高子彦今天却给律师赋予了崭新的定义——“对社会有益的”以及“ 梦想者”。他点醒了我长久以来的误区，也许每个职业都有特定的特点，但选择了那个职业却不一定会自发地拥有那些特点。就像医生不都仁慈，士兵不都冷血，政客不都奸诈，一个人所持的职业并不代表一个人所有特质。他也给了我很多信心，让我相信就算将来选择了难度很大或是负面评价很多的职业也不要灰心丧气或盲目否定自己，因为整体不等于个人。律师也可以有梦想。也许要改变一个国家的文化是一件不简单的事情，但高子彦会一步一步来。今年秋天，他将入学，在法学院中面临新的机遇和挑战。我在此祝愿他可以一直做一个梦想者，并最终实现它。

pursue financial success, but to fulfill his dream to change society through law. As a frequent visitor to websites like Renren, Weibo, and Wangyi News, Ziyan often learned about the social and cultural flaws in nowadays China. But what really caught his attention was one traffic accident in Shenzhen. “There was an accident where a private vehicle which crashed into a cab carrying two passengers. When the driver of the private vehicle went to the police department for debrief, the wound on his face was still bleeding. The second day the driver went back to the police office again with his wounded face. Despite the obvious inconsistency, police did not react to this conspicuous imposture at all. Actually one of my friends was sitting in that cab and died during this accident.” Ziyan believes that, by studying law, he could change Chinese law and culture and prevent this kind of tragedy from happening again. He admits that a lawyer will face many challenges. But he has faith in himself as a future lawyer. “I cannot be absolutely certain about what I want to do in the future. Yet I already have a few thoughts in mind. Generally, there are two approaches to making a change in contemporary Chinese society – to either make policies as a government official to generate change from the top or start a Grassroots organization. Since I can’t be the paramount leader in China, at least I

has always been a question for everyone to consider. But the exposures from university will have a bigger impact on you. You should have a bigger target so that you could approach and fulfill it by setting and achieving smaller targets. Nothing is impossible.” After our one and a half hour conversation, I couldn’t help but think Ziyan is an admirable and inspiring individual. After our conversation, I came to realize that what’s cool about him is not the stud on his left ear, but his clear awareness of what he really wants. Law is never his could be the “grassroots.” ultimate goal, but a tool, a tool for him to fulfill his dream. When talking about Columbia Law School, Ziyan still Before, I tended to always associate lawyers with certain has a fresh memory about the law school application. “The stereotypes, such as “high social status”, “promising pays” and application (to grad school) was actually easier than un“are being motivated only by personal interests”. However, dergraduate application. Law schools use GPA and LSAT after listening to Ziyan’s dream, and his vision of giving back scores as the main criteria for evaluating candidates while to society, Ziyan somehow managed to redefine the definition undergraduate admissions basically consider all aspects of of a “lawyer”. It occurred to me that people when choosing the candidate, especially the essays.” He their jobs do not necessarily carry out stefurther explained, “It does not mean es“You should have a bigger reotypical attributes of their jobs. I guess says, recommendation letters and other that’s the reason that not all doctors are target so that you could apmaterials are not important in the approach and fulfill it by setting kind-hearted, not all soldiers are apathetplication. It’s just that Law School tends ic, and not all politicians are crafty. Ziyan and achieving smaller targets. showed me one of the best examples that to uphold a rigorous standard on scores Nothing is impossible.” and favors students with high scores.” one’s job cannot dictate his or her life. When I asked him why he continued to We always tend to think of jobs as just an pursue his study in Columbia instead of another university, ending point, and by definition, only its attributes. However, his answer was pretty straight forward. “Columbia is the best like Ziyan, there are many people using their job as a way to among all my choices. I’ve gotten used to Columbia and it achieve greater dreams. is located in New York City.” Since his law study will mainly Admittedly, it’s a daunting task for anyone to change the focus on International Law, a location in an international culture in one’s country. But I believe he will march forward metropolis will be rewarding. towards his dream step by step. He will go to continue his At the end of our conversation, Ziyan gave some advice study this fall, conquer upcoming challenges and earn opporto all the AIC alumni who will arrive in America soon. “Ask tunities in law school. I hope that he can always be a dreamer, yourself what exactly you want before going to the Sates. It and ultimately, makes his dreams come true.

AIC Newsletter#6

Inside College | 曹金蓉 Carol Cao

Inside College 一个2016er的赴美留学感受

曹金蓉 Carol Cao, From Nanjing, College of Holy Cross 2016

最初写这篇文章是为了帮助一个朋友的presentation, 之后想想不如扩充一下发给学弟学妹们。当初赴美留学前，也曾读过类似的感悟帖，觉得受益颇多。所以也希望我的感受能给各位一些启发和帮助，充分利用你们在外留学的这几年。本文完全基于我个人的亲身经历，所以仅代表个人观点，并且毫无文采可言，希望各位多包涵。由于我在一所国内知名度不高的文理学院，学校国际生的比例只有1%，更别说中国人，的确屈指可数。申请出国的时候完全没有考虑文理，觉得太学术太沉闷，不是我的风格，没想到最后居然真的去了一所文理，可能是天意。我很庆幸自己来了Holy Cross，一年不到的时间看到自己的改变和成长，为自己小骄傲。由此，我想谈谈关于选校的问题。当初我申了15+所学校，其中只有两所文理，这也是我申请季的一大遗憾——完全没有考虑文理，所以对大多文理没有进行深入的了解和研究。幸好Holy Cross算是与我匹配的学校，相对弥补了这一缺憾。 6

在我看来，国内舆论的导向——我的学校、我的家人、甚至我的中介，或多或少会把重点放在哈耶普斯或常青藤名校上，这是完全可以理解的。因为大众对这些学校的熟悉度和认可度高，用这些学校的案例做宣传的确可以吸引眼球。但毕竟去这些学校的学生还是少数，从我们学生的角度而言，我们需要的是对每一所学校的深入透彻的了解，以便找到真正适合自己的学校，而非盲目的按照usnews排名进行撒网式的申请。每每家里亲戚问起申请结果，不免带上一句“排名多少？”然后才是一句“不错不错。”我不能对他们有更高的要求因为他们没有其他的衡量标准，但至少我心里有一杆秤，为何满意这个申请结果我心里清楚。真心希望各位对文理给予更多的关注，与大U平等对待，不要因为盲目和虚荣错失了好学校。即便以后不打算读研，当你学会了如何学习，当你成为一个有思想有教养的人，在职场上一样可以脱颖而出。找到一份体面的工作、拿到不错的薪水固然是很现实的一个目标，但如何成为一个更好的人，如何拥有更好的生活也许才应该是我们真正

的追求。下面我来说说来美国之后的一些真实感受，以及一些建议供各位参考。刚来一个星期，确实不太适应，因为没有什么中国人，平时除了跟家人聊天的时间，必须全用英文交流。我托福口语28，但听力从没超过 24，所以有时真的听不清楚别人在说什么，因为美国本土学生语速快，有时有方言，还有很多slang，加上平时我们在中国锻炼口语听力的时间太有限，种种原因导致听力有些吃力，很无奈。英语不是母语所以不够好似乎是人之常情，但这始终是最困扰我的一个问题。因为对自己的英语不够自信，所以有一些活动不敢参加。但若在国内，我一定如鱼得水，所以有时即便相信自己可以做的比他们都好也不敢付诸行动，难免有些委屈。这可能就是出国的代价，你来美国享受高等教育，但也会失去一些本该可以抓住的机会。当然，It’s only about time. 时间久了，跟朋友交流多了，自然也就勇敢了。（建议一：加强口语听力的锻炼，如果你只想出国学知识，想跟中国人扎堆，不想跟美国人有交流，那也起码提高听力，不然教授的lecture听不懂不是很尴尬么。看美剧、电影的确是一个不错的方式。不仅能练口语听力，还能了解美国文化的方方面面。）关于学习，可能这是大多数人最关心的一点。文理学院通常都是比较学术的，因为学校小，师生比例小，每个学生都会受到一定的关照。我们学校又是出了名的学业压力大，课业多，尽管每个学期通常只会选四门课，但大大小小的测验考试论文不断，似乎娱乐休闲的时间也就周末的一两个晚上。第一学期我选了阅读课，希望提高自己的阅读写作水平，但课本全是关于美国历史的内容，加上我从来都最不擅长历史，所以这门课占用了我大多数的学习时间，实在太吃力，最后drop了这门课。于是第一学期非常轻松地拿到了4.0的满分GPA。这一学期明显忙碌很多，但还是很有余力，基本上课认真听

该看书的书好好看，再拿四个A好像也不太难。我并不是在传达这里学习压力小，拿高分容易的观点。我上周刚刚declare了数学和经济双专业，以后的课程不论课时还是难度都会大大提高。所以想尽量保持良好的GPA以便将来有下滑的空间lol. 坦诚地说，在课上常常拿到最高分有时让我很不安，因为我害怕自己沾沾自喜失去目标，也因为我知道世上有太多比我聪明且比我用功的人，可能追赶他们已经不是我力所能及的，但至少能让我始终保持一个居安思危的心态，鞭策自己做到更好。值得一说的是这里的教授，大多数的教授都非常nice，平易近人，希望看到自己的学生取得成就，所以但凡有学生去问问题，他们都会非常热情、有耐心。我上学期的经济教授是我目前为止最爱的教授，我常常去他的office hour请教问题或者交流看法，这学期他不教我了，但我想请他帮我为一个暑期商科培训的项目写一封推荐信，他不但很爽快的答应，还邀请我以后暑假一起跟他做研究，甚至愿意做我的专业导师，真的让我很感动。（建议二：好好利用美国良好的教育资源，比如你的教授。不要翘课，如果你觉得自己看书也一样的话那为何还要浪费父母的血汗钱来美国念书？课上的东西都是精华，是自己看书远远弥补不来的。一旦有问题，不要怕去问教授，一定要主动积极。这一点可能在大U比较困难，毕竟学生多，教授可能会很忙，但事在人为，机会是自己争取来的，office hour的时候主动去请教，实在不行e-mail教授约时间见面。）课外活动。这一点似乎在中国人的眼中总是排在学习之后，但在美国似乎跟学业一样重要。美国学生很大一部分都是学校的运动员，每周定期训练，然后出去参加比赛。这一点让我很羡慕，因为自己没有什么拿得出手的运动，所以从来也只有加油助威的份。除了运动之外，社会实践或者志愿活动也是很重要的一部分。也许因为我的学校是一所宗教学校，有信仰的人通常很善良，懂得感恩，所以我们有很多社会实践的机会。说到

社会实践，去敬老院陪老人聊天、去孤儿院陪孩子做游戏或者去山上捡垃圾，这些似乎只能算是狭隘的社会实践。目前为止，我参加过的活动有比如：去废弃公园除杂草、在无家可归的妇女儿童庇护所做管家、去美国南部的一个小镇做义工、还有以后打算参加的去肯尼亚和当地民众交流并一起工作……通常在这样的活动中，并不只是帮助者和被帮助者这么简单的关系，我们一直在相互学习。你并不只是去卖苦力，然后拍拍屁股走人，你会跟一些与你生活处境完全不同的人交流，了解他们的生活、他们对我们的看法以及他们的需求。大多数情况下，我们学到的东西往往更多。因为我们缺乏的或许不是物质财富而是精神财富。在弗吉尼亚做志愿的一周里，这个家庭的每一个成员待我如亲人，让我第一次在美国有一种强烈的归属感。若不是当初我抱着试一试的心态参加了这个活动，我永远不可能有机会拥有这种特殊的connection. 这种收获绝对是无价的。（建议三：把握学校提供的一切走出去的机会，强迫自己跳出comfort zone,到更大的世界接触更多平时没有机会接触到的

人。多长见识，多学习，千万不要躲在象牙塔里幻想未来，不要做井底之蛙。）最后我想谈一谈culture shock. 文化冲击必然也是留学生来美国以后遇到的一个大问题。虽然对美国文化的自由和开放有所耳闻，但真正见识到的时候似乎还是一些措手不及。刚来美国的时候我对于周末party狂欢的美国学生很是不屑，觉得他们没有更高层次的娱乐，以买醉为借口，为所欲为，放纵自己。但后来，我也渐渐跟朋友一起参加各种各样的party，跟形形色色的熟悉的不熟悉的人跳舞聊天。No one will judge me, so I don’t care. 我很享受那种在舞厅里跟朋友毫无约束地摇摆跳跃的感觉，那的确是一种很好的释放压力的方式。一周紧张忙碌的学习结束了，一起开心放松一下没什么不好的。我不需要高层次的娱乐，我只想Have fun. Party到凌晨，回去洗个澡睡觉，第二天爬起来继续学习。只要自己能把握住一个度，知道自己在干什么，不做出格的事情，一切好说。（建议四：来美国不仅仅是来学知识的，美国文化若不亲身感受一定是一大遗憾。你可以有 7

黄鹤源 Elliot Huang | AIC Newsletter#6

Inside College | 曹金蓉 Carol Cao

Inside College

一个能让自己无话不说尽情释放朋友圈，但不要天天跟他们腻在一起，试着跟当地的美国学生交流、做朋友。平时有什么好玩儿的活动跟着他们一起参加，不要觉得尴尬也不要怕被冷落，自己开心最重要。我并不是鼓励大家都去party喝酒，have fun的方式太多太多了，跟朋友一起做晚餐、去当地的一家不知名的小餐馆、去电影院一起看一场电影……美国学生并不全都那么疯狂，只要主动跟他们做朋友，通常不会被拒绝。另一点还是想稍微说两句，美国人的self-center是众所周知的，与中国人的先人后己不同的是，他们往往最先考虑自己的感受和利益，本人最初就因为不够强硬而被室友欺负。I’m sorry but she is a bitch. 个人觉得中国人的谦卑和忍让是一种很宝贵的性格特点，所以要保持，但同时该强硬的时候一定要观点明确而坚定，不要让别人觉得我们软弱好欺负，被当作软柿子捏。）至于是否完全适应美国的学习和生活，我给不出一个明确的答案，因为我始终抱着学习的心态，似乎每天都有一些收获。现在跟美国学生日常交流已经没有障碍，听教授上课也没有问题，但当美国朋友聊到一些非常本土文化的东西，比如一个有名的脱口秀主持人或是一个政坛的高官，我还是哑口无言只能默默地听着。完全适应或许需要10年甚至更久的时间，但至少我已尽力让自己融入，并且一切顺利。如何衡量你对一个学校的热爱？如何衡量你是否选择了一所与你匹配的学校？最直接的方式或许就是每天过得是否开心，是否轻松自在，如鱼得水。但就我个人而言，这种情感取决于你在这个学校收获的精神财富的多少，你如何改变自己而适合新的环境，又如何看见自己每一天的成长。 8

黄鹤源 Elliot Huang, From Shenzhen UIUC Mechanical Engineering 2016

实话说有时我也会问自己你后悔来美国念书来Holy Cross吗？在国内有那么多人认可你支持你，在这里很多人看都不看你一眼。过年的时候别人都在和家人团聚，你可怜巴巴地跟另外两个朋友做“年夜饭”然后强忍着眼泪跟家人打电话拜年，听着电话另一边熟悉的春晚、熟悉的鞭炮声和一遍又一遍的“照顾好自己。”答案当然是不后悔。人的一生能有多少离开家人朋友在地球另一边和一群不同肤色不同种族的人一起学习的机会？成长莫过于时间空间的改变，而这四年便是最好的契机。凡事都有利与弊，利大于弊的时候就抛开顾虑勇敢去做，错了又如何？还是那句话，事在人为。有心的人无论在什么环境下都能

找到一条适合自己的生存道路。每个人的留学经历都是独一无二的，自己的成长和改变以及吃过的苦自己心里最清楚。在这一年不到的时间里，我学到的东西也许比我之前十多年学到的都要多，每一天都在思考都在成长。相信我，申请季的结束代表你激动人心的大学生活的开始。如果你因为被dream school拒绝或者自己的学校排名不够理想而一蹶不振，那就大错特错了！一年的留学经历下来，早已没有人关心谁去了排名多少的学校，重点是你这一年学到了什么，成长了多少。自己与自己的比较永远是最公平的。祝各位好运！

Greetings from the middle of nowhere! Can’t believe it’s already the end of another application season. Anyway, college life is unbelievable, that’s all I want to say. There are so many opportunities that nobody can ever predict, basically you will never know what will come to you. So I want to share one story that really changed my perspective of college life. In the first few months here at UIUC, I was so depressed that I even lost weight instead of gaining the freshmen 15. I couldn’t stop thinking about transferring to other universities in bigger cities because the transition from living in a big city like Shenzhen to a county in the middle of corn fields is just miserable (. Plus the weather is brutal) However, maybe I was being lucky, I ran into awesome people and opportunities that really made me feel lucky that I didn’t make the move and transfer to other schools. You know that UIUC has cutting edge engineering programs and in an environment like this, as an engineer, all you need to do is grasp any opportunities and don’t forgo your dream. I was taking this engineering project course last semester and I was in a group making electric bikes. I had the idea of making electric bikes years ago so this is what I am truly passionate about. However, due to many reasons, our design didn’t carry out nicely and

wasn’t functioning at all. Honestly speaking it was frustrating because we put a lot of effort doing the project. I did research all around the campus, asking people for advice. However, you know what, at the start of the second semester, I got a Facebook notification from a random guy. He happened to be a friend of one of the professors I asked for advice on the ebike. He told me that he wanted to fund me to build ebikes! So I agreed and started to build up a team to work on the project. That random guy is an alumnus currently working for Caterpillar, he basically bought us things we need for ebikes and all we do is to design the best one. Now we are riding on the bikes we built and traveling on campus is amazingly easy when you have one. We are also starting a business on campus to sell these low cost ebikes to the students. So all I’m trying to say here is that college is just amazing, and all you need to do is, like I said, grab the opportunity that is right for you and don’t let go. Try to go out and explore more, and don’t stay in the dorm all day or you will miss everything. Hopefully my experience helps. P.S. Many of these opportunities come from emails and Facebook so one more piece of advice: check your inbox every single day and make sure there’s no unread emails :)

AIC Newsletter#6

Inside College

Teacher Profiles Leah House + Christine Kang

Lifestyle Ebike

Writer/ 黄鹤源 Elliot Huang, UIUC Engineering 2016

Ebike saves you a great amount of time and money traveling on campus. You don’t have to walk or wait for the bus, and you don’t have to drive if the class is too far away. The ebike goes up to 20miles/hr, and has a range around 7-8 miles (normally I travel around 2-3miles per day max). Even if the battery runs out, our design still allows you to pedal if necessary. If you are in a huge campus, like UIUC, traveling between classes when you only have 10 minutes in between could be hard. However, it only take me 2-4 minutes on average to go between classes, so no need for rush. When you are done with the busy day, you can just take off the battery (current prototype doesn’t support this feature but we are working on new designs) and take it back to your dorm to recharge. So in all, having an ebike frees you from waiting for buses, saves you gas money, gives you a greater range to travel, and more importantly saves you time. TRUST ME IT’S COOLER THAN DRIVING IN A MERCEDES.

AIC Newsletter#6

Teacher Profiles

Leah House

Christine Kang

█ Name:

█ Chinese Name:

█ Nick Name:

█ Hometown:

█ Chinese Name:

█ School/Graduation year:

█ Hometown:

Leah House 侯莉雅

Ann Arbor, MI University of Michigan Ann Arbor, class of 2012

█ Major(s):

Chinese, minor in Spanish Literature

█ Favorite food

最喜欢的食物: Pizza, anything fried, Mexican food

█ Books/Television shows/Movies you enjoyed most 最喜欢的书/电视节目/电影:

Grease, Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean, Grey’s Anatomy, Bones, Harry Potter, Suspense/Thriller books by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

█ Favorite/most memorable academic class 最喜欢的/最难忘的课程:

I took a Classic Civilization course on how writing and language came to be. We learned how practically 80% of today’s languages can be traced back to one mother language called Proto-Indo European. It was so fascinating; I still remember almost everything I learned in that class because it was so interesting to me!

█ Favorite Quote

最喜欢的格言: “Promise me you’ll always remember…you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” From Winnie the Pooh.

█ Source of inspirations 灵感来源:

God, good poetry

█ Ideas of a perfect day:

Sunny and warm enough to leave a jacket behind, exploring a new park or area of town, while eating ice cream and treats.

█ Identify yourself in 3 words

用三个词描述自己 Loving, motivated, and accidentally courageous

█ Where have you travelled to before? 曾经去哪里旅游过？

Dominican Republic, Mexico, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao, and many places in China! Will be traveling to Japan in a few weeks!

█ Something about you that others might not know.

你鲜为人知的事情: I ran a half marathon in May 2012 on the Huangyaguan section of the Great Wall in Tianjin! It involved climbing over 2,000 steps.

Christine Kang CK

康晓静

Plymouth, MA (That’s right the home of the Pilgrims! If you don’t know what I’m talking about then you need a refresher course in US History haha)

█ School/Graduation year:

Georgetown University ‘10

█ Major(s):

Finance and International Business

█ Favorite food

最喜欢的食物: 닭갈비 (Spicy Korean chicken dish)

█ Books/Television shows/Movies you enjoyed most 最喜欢的书/电视节目/电影:

Great Gatsby, One Hundred Years of Solitude, and A Short History of Nearly Everything Seinfeld, Homeland, 24, and The Following Star Trek (2009), The Kingdom, and The Dark Knight

█ Favorite/most memorable academic class 最喜欢的/最难忘的课程:

Comparative Political Systems

█ Favorite Quote

最喜欢的格言: Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago. – Warren Buffet A good heart is better than all the heads in the world. – Edward Lytton

█ Source of inspirations 灵感来源:

This is cliché but in all honesty I would have to say my parents. My dad moved to the United States six months after marrying my mom. In Texas, my dad worked multiple odd jobs – as a cook at Wendy’s, a technician at a local bank, a blue collar worker at a book factory, etc. – to build a life for his family. During the two and a half years apart, my dad wrote my mom a letter every single day. When my mom moved to the United States, my parents decided to take their entire savings and open up a Korean restaurant in a small little town called Kingston in Massachusetts. There they built a name for themselves and their restaurant, Young’s Kitchen, was even featured in the Boston Globe! However, soon after my mom was diagnosed with Stage 3 cancer. My family closed down the restaurant and my dad decided to pursue his lifelong hobby – photography. Thankfully, my mom was a fighter and made it through two long surgeries and several treatments of radiation and chemotherapy. I am happy to say that today, both of my parents are happy and healthy running a quaint liquor and convenience store while importing and distributing wine from all over the world. What can I say, my parents are living the true American Dream :)

█ Ideas of a perfect day:

Traveling to a new place with close friends without any plans or commitments!

█ Identify yourself in 3 words

Short, feisty, and sarcastic

用三个词描述自己

█ Where have you travelled to before? 曾经去哪里旅游过？

I have been to China, South Korea, Japan, Indonesia, Canada, Bahamas, and Australia. I hope to travel across Europe next year!

█ Something about you that others might not know.

你鲜为人知的事情: I almost died in a car accident when I was 12. It was probably one of the biggest turning points in my life – I realized I wasn’t invincible and I needed to treasure the people around me. Life is but moments.

13 13

Behind the Scenes

AIC Newsletter#6

Anecdotes From Teachers From Henry Zhang, Beijing Office As the RD deadlines drew closer at the Beijing office, some students regularly visited the office every day to work on their essays, often staying very late or even overnight. There was a chuanr cart near where I lived, and the proprietor gave me a business card menu. I made photocopies of the business card menu (I still have a few sheets in my drawer). Between 1am to 2am each night would be chuanr time where we’d gather around and mark down what kinds of chuanr we wanted. About half an hour later, the chuanr lady would deliver the chuanr downstairs. One night after the January 1st deadline but before the January 15 deadline for LACs, Justin (Eunjee and Mary’s student) and I were picking up the chuanr. The chuanr lady asked us if we’d be working here for the next few weeks, because it was getting close to Chinese New Year holidays and they were going back to their home villages. Apparently, we were bringing them enough business that they might have considered staying longer for us if college applications season didn’t end! There’s actually a longer history to this. When Wen Wen (AIC alumni from Shenzhen, admitted to Rice then transferred to Columbia and now studying M.A. in architecture at Harvard) and I were interning for AIC in the summer of 2008 in Chengdu, we would also stay at the office very late. This was the summer when I made the (second version; Chen made the first one) Initial Evaluation Calculator. By the time we left the office, it was already evening and the chuanr carts were out, including the one that was on the corner of where we were staying. So Wen Wen and I would get some chuanr and sometimes, erguotou. Wen Wen went back to Shenzhen and then off to Rice in August. But I still continued getting chuanr almost every night for the month that I was still in Chengdu. Throughout the summer, Chen would fly from Shenzhen to Chengdu from time to time. Each time, he would get chuanr with us. We bought so much chuar from the guy in the red polo shirt that summer.

From Alan Hu, Wuhan Office Every year I worry about how students will get along and my connection to my students, but I am so proud of the close knit group of students I have this year. From my students in the US to my students in Wuhan, we are all a united group, eager to help each other. I am so grateful to have such a brilliant students with so much heart and love. Here is my surprise party held just before the last week of December, when everyone should be freaking out.

From James Beck Chengdu Office Today a few students and I went to three different locations in Chengdu to film an AIC Chengdu video for advertising. I was able to eat all candied strawberries, fried fish on a stick, and even climbed a tree. My students wrote a rather intriguing script, but in the end, I think it will turn out to be quite the catch for future students. I love how down to earth my students are, and how they can always make me smile.

Alan Hu (Wuhan) & William Wu (Shenzhen)

From Rose Filler, Shenzhen Office The fall of 2012 proved an exceptional experience for me and hopefully for you all, my students! From each of you I learned so much. Weihang and Kathryn secured themselves as permanent fixtures in the AIC office culminating in a 72 hour straight stint. Although Arthur entertained us with his melodic voice, unfortunately he never sang to us; I’m still holding out for a serenade from him! Job taught me true precision in my editing, leaving to comment unexplored and unexplained. Yuze kept me laughing over Skype and when he came to the office showed us what style really is. Abby amazed me with her efficiency. To everyone’s jealousy she essentially completed her applications by the end of November! Ada’s defined being good natured and positive. Except in last minute crisis with Bill, he kept me laughing and with him I began to remedy my pathetic lack of knowledge about basketball. In the final dark days of December when my hope and patience dwindled, Linda transformed that time into joyous, thought provoking conversations filled with the power of love. I hold immense pride for all of my students; you’ve grown in immeasurable ways. I hope your next for years at school in the U.S. continue to be rewarding!

AIC Newsletter#6

Behind the Scenes

From Charlene Hsiao, Shenzhen Office

From Jacob Throwe, Nanjing Office To all of my students, it’s been great working with and getting to know you all. I applaud Dorothy for her painstaking research for all the Why essays. I thank Ivy for working through the complications of being on opposite ends of the earth. I encourage Kevin to continue becoming more and more social and outgoing. I give Olivia a lot of credit for working through so many things to get everything in on time. To Michael G., I thank you for taking all of my comments to heart in writing your essays. To Michael P., I am grateful for how efficiently you worked through everything. Skype meeting with Derek proved to be an interesting challenge, though I will not forget when you would come to the office to work side-by-side. It was enlightening to learn more and more about Linda through meetings and essays. Swain is the most polite email writer I have ever met as well as a pretty prolific writer. I’m still waiting to hear Sandy sing, as much as I enjoyed reading about his skills. I enjoyed the long talks with Bill about his TV experiences. I give David so much credit for all of his dedication despite all the work. I thank Sally for putting in all the soul-searching to write the best possible Why essays. I hope to hold on to Giovanna’s idealism and positive attitude. Sylvia will always be the ultimate WeiQi player in my mind. Scofield will always be the most proud-to-be-himself soccer player and film director. And Betty the happiest Kung Fu/Gunshu/Chinese boxing master. It was a pleasure and honor learning with and from all of you. I wish you all the best in the future. Good luck!

Here’s some advice I have for my lovely students going forward into their college lives. Beetle: Boyfriends, (and girlfriends) can be a valuable time-suck in college. Watch your socializing time your first year, or you may end up with bad grades. Cyson: Girls like humble guys, so if you go around saying you’re shuai all the time, I think your success rate will go down. That being said, I’m sure they’ll like your easy going personality. Also, you know what I’m going to say, but your English…. Isable: Always remember that you is-able to do anything. Ivy League- Try to improve your long-term memory, you will have some valuable moments in college you won’t want to forget. Judy: Have fun with Michael in college! If he treats you badly, I’ll hurt him for you. Judy Beauty, have fun and be open in college, you’ve done it before. Lott: I encourage you to take some dancing classes in college and become a black swan finally :) Robin : Be open about meeting and communicating with all people. Art school has a vibrant social life as well. Don’t give up on art even if the going gets tough. Everything else you want to study will require a lot of writing essays. Vannessa: Don’t let the practical world distract you from following your dreams and being true to yourself. Michael: Pay more attention to your schoolwork in college. It will affect your future career in a lot of ways. Mamie: So proud of you this year! Study hard and be ready to challenge yourself in college. I encourage you to pursue a creative writing class because you have talent. Also, branch out in college and meet some non-chinese! Lufei: Put 100% into the future you want to achieve. Christian: There are many volunteering opportunities in American colleges. Go explore! Carina: College is tough on family life, so make sure to keep in touch with home while making a new family in college as well. Celia: Celia! Don’t spend college with mostly Chinese friends, make sure you get a lot of practice speaking English. If you make great progress in it, you can check out mock trial clubs, or other debate clubs at school. Now that you’re in college, redefine the phrase “dream college” for yourself. No longer is it your dream college that college that you always dreamed of going to (which you may or may not have got into), but a college that helps you to accomplish your dreams. Make your current college your dream college.

From Eunjee Choi, Beijing Office This past year, Beijing AICers took our tradition of sleeping in the office to new depths of desperation, creativity, and camaraderie. The morning before Early deadlines, I walked into one of the small rooms and found Chen sprawled on the sofa, Lucy sleeping precariously on top of a sofa cushion on the floor, Pamela curled up in a chair, and Henry wrapped in his sleeping bag on top of the desk! By the week before RD deadlines, we were all taking turns sharing the two sofas, three sleeping bags, and two blankets in the office; we’d act as each other’s’ alarm clocks and made each other swear oaths that we’d wake them up. But whenever I asked Henry to wake me up, he failed miserably and, instead, built cushion forts on top of me and took pictures. =_= I sincerely hope that this year’s students won’t need to sleep in the office in order to finish their applications, but I can’t help fondly remembering those days that I spent living together in the office with Beijing teachers and 2017ers.

From Mary Cunningham, Beijing Office There are many stories that I want to share, but I’ll go with something that happened recently: I’m really happy with how my students kept up with my demands. We set down rules and expectations straight away, and I was really proud when they were kind enough to apologize after handing in essays late. Having said that, there were nights when I worked late for them because I wasn’t happy with the quality of essays they were sending in. Matt Wang (王智) and Ray Xu (徐炫瑞) are two of those students who I expected a lot of, and they stayed up late beside me while I critiqued their essays. Matt and Ray are interning with AIC now. There was an urgent assignment that they needed to finish, and therefore needed to work overtime. Evily, as I packed my things to leave the office, I stuck my head into the room where they were working and snickered, “Now you know how it feels, guys. Now you know how it feels!” Haha. Note: “Evily” is not a real word, but because this is informal writing it’s okay. Don’t use fake words in formal essays.

AIC AICNewsletter#6 Newsletter#6

Behind the Scenes

From Nick Daen, Shenzhen Office Senior Superlatives Most likely to request a meeting at 4:00 AM: Jack Most likely to get it done tomorrow: Frank and Sucy Most likely to get trapped in the Ivy Tower: Frank Most likely to second guess herself and then come to the right decision: Jenny Best dressed: George and Henrietta Most likely to be off watering the plants: Francis Most likely to teach me something: Patrick Most animated: George Most likely to be M.I.A: Charles Most likely to change the world: Christine Cutest dog: Mr. Ao Most magical: Henrietta Most improved: Francis and Jeffrey Best researcher: Jeffrey Most responsible: Gigi Best duo: Jojo and Michael Most likely to tell me “Zoe said it was okay”: Esme Most natural: Patrick

After the story Life after the application, and words of wisdom from 2017 AICers

From Johnny Lee, Shenzhen Office Some notable firsts for me. Never have I ever until this past cycle: - worked with one student for 13 hours straight from 5pm to 8am the next morning to finalize application - met a student who wanted to think through the essay and know the entire essay before typing a single character - seen a student able to submit 10 applications within the last 30 minutes - been told in December “Johnny, we should really have started this earlier...” (since I had been saying so constantly since July) - seen a student jump around “faking” forehand shots as if he was playing a tennis final while he would brainstorm ideas - have an application ready for submission and submit it two months later without any changes to the original - been through 41 drafts of a PS - have a student that copied one of our samples

P22/College Q&A Columbia University+Boston College

AIC Newsletter#6

After The Story

Life after the application, and words of wisdom from students Q1. What have you been doing post application? Please share with us any meaningful and fun activities or new first time experiences! Q2. What kind of advice would you like to share with future students? Are there suggestions to help them avoid common mistakes or practices they should pay special attention to?

█ Donna Ding 丁杨 (Shenzhen, New York University) 1.After application I started exchanging postcard through the internet and have now received more than 200 ones (from nearly every province of China). I traveled to Sichuan to see plum blossom, which was amazingly beautiful. Then I went back my hometown Anhui to spend Chinese New Year. I’ve also been keeping a rabbit! He is somewhat foolish but very cute. Now I am taking AP lessons, learning Chinese calligraphy and digital painting board>.< 2.Do not easily take in others’ words without consideration. Do not hide any of your shininess. Do not hesitate to contact your teacher if you are in doubt. Do not submit the non-supplement schools’ application too early. Do not choose the subjects you are not interested in for SAT2 and AP. Do try as hard as you can to get high scores on TOEFL and SAT. Do keep in touch with admission offices to show your interest in the schools.

█ Justin 计畅 (Beijing, University of South California)

█ Carina Jiang 1. After my application process, I went to America for winter camp immediately. I traveled a lot of cities to understand the history of America, and then I studied at a local high school in Michigan State for two weeks. This experience showed me that there are many deficiencies I need to improve on the academic aspect, so right now, I am taking Math (Calculus) and English lessons to prepare for my college.

1. After the application process, I visited Xiamen with my mom. It is a really nice city. I love the food there. Now, I run for one hour per day to lose the weight I gained fromthe food I ate late at night during the application season. Although I have not seen any effect yet, I feel that I live a healthier life. Also, I keep attending school to prepare for the AP exams in May.

2. The most important thing is that contact your AIC teacher as much as you can. I was being too shy to call my teacher and let her know me better, I regret it now. Also, long distance communication is definitely difficult. For students who come from different cities, I would recommend them to live in Shenzhen for a few months and communicate with the teachers face to face.

2.Do not be passive. Turn in essays on time! Start doing school research early. Better not eat at mid-night.

█ Tina Qin 覃瑜 (Shenzhen, Lehigh University) █ Maria Ma (Beijing, Wesleyan University)

1. Internship, studying AP, doing illustrations for a book... And being scolded by Mum!! 2. Do NOT be totally guided (manipulated) by parents or even your AIC teacher. Even if you may not know yourself 100%, no one knows you better than yourself. Listen to people’s advices, but DO hold true to your own beliefs, too.

1. After the application process, I traveled to London with my best friend for ten days. London is an amazing city, in which you can see modern and antique at the same time. Surrounded by hot British accent, I felt as if I was in a movie, seeing those red telephone boxes and crowns symbol. When the “application season” is over, it also means the graduation is coming soon. While preparing for upcoming AP exams, I am trying to make the rest of my high school days meaningful. 2. For 2018ers and 2019ers, it is very important to start preparing (standardized tests, getting an idea of who you are and what your passions are) early. Remember that, success never comes suddenly or by luck; success is an accumulation of hard work.

AIC Newsletter#6

Students & Alumni: College Q&A

College Q&A

Columbia University

█ Cherry Pu, Columbia University

1. How does the AP credit system work at Columbia? I’ve looked at the relevant webpage (http://www.studentaffairs. columbia.edu/csa/apcredits), but am still unsure about how exactly it is determined. Do students have to consult individual departments for different APs? Does it depend on their major?

Boston College

2. Regarding housing, are there particular residence halls that you would recommend?

█ Elaine Li (李骁諝), Columbia University 2013 1. Regarding your question on AP, if you already took the AP exams, and are wondering about how it will be counted, don’t worry about it as for now, and wait till you are here on campus. You can talk with your advisor to get your AP credits settled. However, if you haven’t taken any AP exams yet, and are considering about which ones to take. Here’s my suggestions: if you are going to pursue a major in social sciences, esp like a subject like economics, which requires a quantitative background, do take AP Calculus BC. Calculus 1 and 3 are required for majors like econ and most of natural sciences majors, and taking the class at Columbia is somewhat a waste of time. So I would definitely recommend you take Calc BC and make sure to get a 5 to get exempted. If you are more interested in natural sciences and engineering, then take Calc BC for sure, and consider some other AP exams like physics and chemistry. I’m not entirely sure how AP credits for subjects like physics and chemistry are counted here at Columbia, but the general consensus is that most departments at Columbia do expect a 5. For other subjects like micro/macro econ, American politics, an AP score of 5 will exempt you from the introduction class. But I would only take the exemption unless you understand the materials very well. Otherwise, taking the intro class will help you learn more.

█ Tim Chan, Columbia University 2014 2. For your second question, I am a bit biased here because I am an RA in the LLC (Hartley and Wallach). The LLC is the only area where Freshmen can live together with upperclassmen and seek guidance from them. About half of the residents on my floor are Freshmen so you will also have people from your year to hang out and commiserate with in the LLC. Having said that, I would say that John Jay is probably a better option than Carman because people only party at Carman for like the first 2 months and you can always visit your friends at Carman and go back to your quiet, clean, comfortable room not plagued by vomit. Furnald is also nice (and very quiet) especially because it has A/C, but again you really only need A/C for the first two weeks of school.

1. Regarding BC’s diversity, since I’ve read some terrifying comments on collegeprowler, I would like to know about BC’s diversity. Is BC really a “preppy, conservative and white-dominated” (quote from collegeprowler) school? More importantly, do you feel excluded from the community because of your identity as an Asian? Furthermore, is your social life ever hindered behind because you are not the majority? (assuming the majority is Catholic-affiliated white) 2. Since BC is located in Chestnut Hill, which is on the outskirt of Boston, is it actually convenient for students to go to the city? Is BC isolated from the city and how active is the social life in BC?

2. I also recommend John Jay if you want a single room and a good social life. If you prefer to live with a roommate, I will also suggest Carman, which is another good option if you want a good social life. If you are more of a quiet person, and want to focus on academics more, Furnald is the right one to go.

█ Tommy Wang (王超逸), Prospective Boston College Student

3. Considering that BC is a Catholic school, does the religion affiliation really impact you? Like I know students have to take theology class as the basic requisite of the core curriculum. Is it really hard for us non-religion student?

█ Jeffrey Peng, Boston College 2016 1. BC is preppy school in the sense that people dress rather nicely. To give you a sense, I generally wear sperry’s and khakis. Different days I’ll wear a button down shirt, a sweater, or a T-shirt. There are many styles you can go by and all are acceptable. At the same time, many of the athletes walk around in athletic clothes all day, and one of my friends wears sweatpants every day because that’s his choice. No one is going to judge you by what you wear unless it is something over the top and extremely flashy. You will notice that preppy can also mean there’s some rich kids, but it hasn’t been a problem for me considering I have friends from all social classes and friends that come from either public or private schools. Sometimes you’ll meet someone who is a snob because their parents are loaded. These kinds of people exist in every school and are honestly rare and I pay no attention to them. To be honest, I’ve gone to predominantly white schools all my life and have always had “white” friends. It doesn’t matter what ethnicity you are, you’ll be accepted somewhere. Yes the majority is white Catholic. My friends here are all white because I chose to have it that way and they’ve accepted me without any issue. If you want an all Asian crowd, there are more than enough here. An easy way to become part of one is simply joining one of the cultural clubs. You will meet an overwhelming amount of people that share your interests and will make many friends. As long as you are proactive and friendly, you will find your place. My social life here is great because the people here judge you by character so I made great friends despite being a “minority.” 2. Boston College is not actually in Boston, which proves to be really nice actually. For one, we get to have our own gorgeous campus, where we stay for the majority of time. We do, however, occasionally venture into the city and it couldn’t be easier. There are free BC shuttles that run to and from BC to Cleveland Circle where there are some shops and more importantly, the T, Boston’s train system (kind of like New York’s subways). The T is a little confusing when you first see it, but I’ve learned it pretty well by now. Buy a $5 round trip ticket, hop onto a train or two, and you’re well on your way to the city. There are maps located everywhere for your convenience. BC may be away from the city, but that just makes it better. It’s easy to get into Boston, but like a lot of college students, we don’t have the money to eat and hang out in the city all the time. There are plenty of things to do on campus like going to parties, playing racquetball or basketball or lifting in the gym, participating in a club, dorm events, etc. You can never really be bored. I reiterate, as long as you are actively trying to be involved and make friends, you are going to have a good social life.

█ Emma Liu (刘源), Boston College 2016 3. Although BC is a catholic school, the influence of religion in the campus is not very obvious. So you will not feel uncomfortable if you are not a religious person. But people in BC are really nice and friendly to each other. BC has many core courses, which cover a wide-range of academic fields. And theology is only one of them. Everyone must take the theology courses for a whole year. I don’t know too much about the details of these courses, since I haven’t taken them. I think it will be challenging for students like me, who know nothing about religions. But it’s good to try new things, isn’t it?

Photos

AIC Newsletter#6

Pictures worth 1000 words

AIC Newsletter#6

Sneak Peek of AIC College Tour

Sneak Peek of AIC College Tour Thank List: Stanford: 贾捷阳, 何卓东 UCB: 洪之珺 UCLA: 徐亦菲，郭致衡，王翔宇，李安然 USC: 杨子浩，蔡艳文，林海镜 Chicago: 邱莹暄 NU: 肖雯心，陈思宇 Harvard: 文雯, Sarah Sears, Hannah Sears MHC 朱欣雨 Smith 张涵宇 Amherst 王凝月 Columbia 高子彦 NYU Yoland Yan, 阎饶中

Visited Colleges include: Stanford University, UCLA, U of Chicago, Northwestern, Columbia University, Harvard University, Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, Amherst College, MIT, New York University, UC Berkeley, and University of Southern California.