It turns out that May 3rd is my lucky day. On this day in 2009, I received the admission notice from Hang Wai, thinking that it was the peak of my life. It was not until this day in 2017 that I found that my life was like a random number generation applet, full of accidents and unpredictability.

 

09/28/2015 "I suddenly wanted to transfer to Columbia University CMU this morning."

I always thought that I was blessed by God. Just like when I entered Hangwai, I always wanted to be successful. As a result, I was admitted to Washington St. Louis University (WashU). One day at the end of September, I suddenly wanted to transfer.

The freshman year is the best time to transfer. However, my first year was very dull, if not bleak. I didn't join any club because of my high scores. I was nodding friends with my classmates on the same floor. What I enjoyed most was sleeping. I couldn't get up my spirits every day. One day, I saw a pamphlet issued by the school in the mailbox, which listed some depression symptoms. I was a little afraid and threw the pamphlet away.

In Sweet House, I seldom mentioned my struggle. I think it's time to talk about this. No matter how bad your life is, you can't give up. You don't know where good luck will wait for you. Now I think there are two things that can help me out of the downturn. One is that I dyed my purple hair and joined the Sisters' Association. The other is that I met a lot of people after doing research in the United States during the summer vacation of my freshman year. I try to build a positive self to let everyone know that I am really happy to play with them. Then I really became happy a little bit.

 

04/18/2016 "Transfer to New York next year"

At the end of my freshman year, I heard that my best friend was going to transfer to New York. I like the city of New York, vaguely remember those busy streets.

New York has Columbia University and New York University. I thought I could not enter Columbia University, so I would go to New York University. Unexpectedly, my parents strongly opposed me, so I had to give up. I'm not sure how to transfer, just want to see how far I can go.

 

09/15/2016 "I can't quit class now, and my previous work will be wasted"

I spent my sophomore year studying, working and doing activities. In the advanced algorithms class for graduate students, the teacher assigned five questions for each assignment and gave the class half a month to think. The first and second students had additional points. In order to gain marks and impress the teacher, I submitted all five questions within two days after the assignment was published.

Hard work does not guarantee good results. In the last semester of my sophomore year, I had to quit a math class in torrents, and my transcript left a record of quitting. In the second semester of my sophomore year, my game theory class was about to collapse, and I was afraid when I asked the professor to sign the mid year report——

Teacher: Let me calculate. Your first homework is 67, and your second homework is 96?

Me: Mmm.

Teacher: (Looking at the midterm examination paper) Your grade is B -/C+. Are you sure you want to write it like this?

Me: I'm pass and fail.

After hard work, I began to doubt life. At this time, my professor of Approximation Algorithms encouraged me——

Me: I have little hope of transferring. I made a good plan to stay.

Teacher: You should have confidence. You have done very well in my class. You are a top student, and you deserve top school.

Me: But I'm tired of learning.

Teacher: That's the class you chose for graduate students. I advise you to make a concerted effort to apply for Stanford, Calais and Massachusetts, and apply for all the top schools.

Me: But I don't have time to write so many materials. I took a postgraduate course.

Teacher: It's up to you. I believe you anyway.

I almost cried and ran home that day. I am lucky to have the full support of WashU professors in the difficult times.

 

02/21/2017 "I feel hopeless in the tangle" "I may not apply for Columbia" "I started to write Columbia again"

At the end of 2016, I started to apply for transfer. TOEFL expired, and I took another test. After that, I locked 12 schools. The personal test shows that the list of selected schools will shrink significantly as the deadline approaches, and I only applied for six schools in the end. I found the professor of Advanced Algorithms and wrote a recommendation letter reflecting my talent; I also found the professor of General Physics and wrote a recommendation letter reflecting my efforts.

When I was looking for a job and submitting my resume, I tried hard to find my own highlights, and now they come in handy. I talked about my love for computing theories, my experience of participating in competitions, and my support for women in STEM field in documents, activities, and letters of recommendation. For example, the last point, I first played the gender card in the document, saying that when I was young, adults did not believe that girls could learn programming well, but I pursued my love under pressure and prejudice; Then I filled in the professional sorority and Women in Computer Science I joined in the extracurricular activities; Finally, answer Grace Hopper Conference in "What activities do you like that you participated in", which is the Global Programmer Conference mentioned by Sweet House earlier.

I wanted to find someone to give me some advice on my materials. After talking about several companies, I realized that ordinary overseas study agencies could not help me transfer from top universities to top universities. At this time, I thought of asking Bonnie for help. I remember wondering whether the core curriculum of Columbia University can be completed in two years. Bonnie said that it was better to finish writing the document than to get tangled. I was on the verge of giving up, and I stopped work and started work several times. It was not easy to finish, Bonnie said to hand it in after writing. It would be better if the admissions officer could consider and decide whether to graduate.

I'm very satisfied with this application season. I decide what school to apply for and what documents to write, as well as WashU guarantee. Taking time out of school to think about who you are and what you want to do is also a kind of growth and promotion. More importantly, I began to think WashU was very suitable for me. Xinxin really belongs here. Even if there was no admission in the end, it was worth the trouble. I plan to graduate from WashU for three years and find a job, or continue to study for four years. Everything is expected.

 

05/03/2017 "I went to record my face"

On the day when Columbia University came out with results, I was sponsoring a project. Half an hour later, I hurried to log in and saw a video. I turned off the video without thinking. I want to read the rejection letter. After scanning a few words, I felt something was wrong, and I was stunned. I clicked the small words at the bottom of the line "Watch the welcome video again". On the screen——

"Welcome to Columbia University."

 

05/08/2017 "I don't know where I will go, but I should go"

In the next few days, I began to wonder whether to go to Columbia University. Obviously, the admissions officer returned this question to me. The efforts I have made do not seem to give me any reason to hesitate. I went to the headquarters of Bank of America for internship during the summer vacation. It was a strange thing that I bought a one-way ticket to Charlotte. My world has changed dramatically in just a few days.

 

05/16/2017 "Well, I'm a brother"

The decision was so urgent that I didn't even have the chance to say goodbye to many friends. The two years in St. Louis are the two years I grew up. I went to the next station with all my nostalgia and reluctance.