A Distinctive Student
Back in his dorm room, after taking a shower, Shen Qi turned on his computer and went online.
"TOEFL and GRE exams are scheduled every month. I'll have six months to prepare and take the exams in November." Shen Qi began planning his TOEFL and GRE applications.
Why take this exam?
To get into Princeton for graduate studies, you need TOEFL and GRE scores, a GPA, three letters of recommendation, and a well-written application essay.
All of the above information is required and none can be omitted.
Even if Shen Qi produces very impressive data on paper, with near-perfect TOEFL and GRE scores and a GPA above 4, it doesn't guarantee him an offer from the Princeton Mathematics Department.
He still needs a little bit of luck.
Because the Princeton Mathematics Department admits no more than 20 undergraduates globally each year, and no more than 2 from Greater China, or even fewer. It is common for them to admit only one undergraduate from mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan every few years.
There's no way around it; Princeton is a tiny place with very few students—around four to five thousand undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students.
Shen Qi's two outstanding senior classmates, Yun Wei and Gong Changwei, applied to the Princeton Mathematics Department for a combined master's and doctoral program at the same time. One of them received an offer from Princeton, while the other went to Columbia University.
There are only one or two master's and doctoral positions in the Princeton Mathematics Department in the Greater China region each year, so Shen Qi is definitely not the only applicant.
Fortunately, Shen Qi had an advantage; he was a student at Yenching University.
Furthermore, Shen Qi has research experience; he has published several papers, including those in core journals and SCI journals.
Just then, Zhou Yu'an returned carrying a bag of steamed buns, placed it on Shen Qi's desk, and said, "Preparing for the TOEFL and GRE?"
Shen Qi took out his phone and sent Zhou Yu'an a WeChat red envelope. "Yes, the plan is to take them all down in November."
"Don't send me any more red envelopes. I can't afford to treat you to a few pounds of steamed buns." Zhou Yu'an refused the red envelope.
"So generous?" Shen Qi asked, eating a steamed bun.
"I'm also preparing to take the TOEFL and GRE next year," Zhou Yu'an said.
"Are you really going to take the exam?" Shen Qi asked.
Zhou Yu'an retorted, "You're allowed to study abroad, but I'm not?"
"Go, go, all of you go. I see your GPA is close to 4. Publish one or two papers before going abroad and raise your GPA to above 4, it shouldn't be a problem. Your advantage is your good English," Shen Qi said.
To get into a top American university, a GPA of 3.5 or higher is generally required.
GPA, or grade point average, is a very high grade. Students with a GPA of 4 are considered excellent, and their average grade is 90.
Whether it's the National College Entrance Examination (Gaokao) or guaranteed admission through competitions, it's like a thousand soldiers squeezing onto a single-plank bridge; students all want to attend prestigious universities.
The environment and the people one comes into contact with have a subtle influence on young people.
Zhou Yu'an shared a dorm room with Shen Qi and was influenced by Shen Qi to some extent.
Shen Qi is preparing to study abroad while also managing his domestic business. He plans to go to the United States next year and doesn't want to leave too early.
The international situation is complex and volatile, and going abroad will involve many uncertainties.
You can still have some fun in China, rack up enough academic points, and bring plenty of money.
During the May Day holiday, Shen Qi studied English, wrote papers, and practiced running.
Professor Lu's paper on that research topic is almost finished.
This paper is very important; it will not only boost Shen Qi's academic achievements but also enhance his research experience in his field.
Overall, it's been quite busy; the Capital University Track and Field Games kicked off after the May Day holiday.
Nearly two thousand college student athletes come from nearly one hundred institutions of higher learning in the capital, including public full-time universities, private universities, and vocational colleges.
This is a grand gathering of universities in the capital. Only a great capital city has such a scale of education, with nearly a hundred universities in one city.
Track and Field team sent all its members to participate in the conference. They are national leaders in scientific research and cultural education, and they are not willing to lag behind in sports.
Track and field, the mother of all sports; whoever masters track and field masters the world.
The Track and Field team is ambitious; even if they can't beat the Tsinghua University Track and Field team next door, they want to be second in the entire capital.
Capital University of Physical Education laughed, "Dream on."
The host university for this year's Capital University Track and Field Games is Capital University of Physical Education.
Capital University of Sport is not under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education; it is directly managed by the State General Administration of Sport and is an institution specializing in sports and sports research.
In track and field, the strongest teams are Tsinghua University's Track and Field team and the Capital University of Physical Education's Track and Field team, a fact widely acknowledged by the media.
At the Capital University Track and Field Games, some reporters were present, focusing on the top students from prestigious universities.
Running fast, jumping far, and having great strength are nothing special; these are the basic requirements for track and field athletes.
Running fast, jumping far, strong, and academically excellent—these athletic high-achievers are the focus of news.
"That guy from Shuimu University is good at sprinting, the junior of the guy with glasses, an excellent student in academics, a top student majoring in polymer materials."
"That guy from Shuimu University who does the high jump is even more impressive; he's a graduate student studying nuclear physics and researching nuclear weapons."
"These top students' lives are truly amazing; they excel at everything they do."
Reporters are looking for targets: students from prestigious universities, those whose majors sound impressive, and those with excellent grades—these academic high-achievers are highly sought after.
The athletes who attracted the most attention from reporters were the academic stars from Shuimu University. The athletes from Capital University of Sport were trained as specialized sports talents, so there was nothing gimmicky about them.
Track and Field team is largely ignored. Their star player is a special sports student, a female discus thrower, who studies in the Department of Physical Education at Yenching University.
Which is more impressive: the Department of Physical Education or Nuclear Physics?
"These athletes from Yenching University aren't anything special. They're from the Physical Education Department, the Law School, the Sociology Department, the Mathematics Department... wait, the Mathematics Department? Mathematics Department students doing track and field? A rare gem!"
Reporters have spotted a hot news topic: mathematics is a niche major with few students; you can hardly see any Mathematics Department students on the street, let alone on the competition field.
Bang!
A gunshot rang out.
The second heat of the men's 5000m preliminary rounds has begun.
A star athlete from Track and Field team took the lead after the start and maintained it until the finish line.
Shen Qi won first place in his group and advanced to the men's 5000m final.
"Shen Qi from the Mathematics Department of Yenching University is quite impressive! How can a math student be so fast? In my experience, people who do Mathematical Research are usually weak in their youth and bald by middle age." A male reporter, focusing on Shen Qi, exclaimed in amazement, "This Shen Qi from the Mathematics Department of Yenching University is certainly unique and distinctive."
"He's a super high achiever," said a girl next to her, who was wearing a trainee reporter badge around her neck.
"Really?" The male reporter became even more interested and asked, "How super?"
"A top scorer in the college entrance examination, an international Olympic Math champion, earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Yenching University before finishing his first year, and published SCI paper," the trainee reporter recounted with pride.
"Oh, really? That's Academic God! A perfect scorer in the college entrance exam, right? I vaguely remember that." The male reporter adjusted his camera and asked, "Xiaoting, how do you know so much? Did you do your research?"
"He and I were high school classmates," Chen Xiaoting said with a smile.
The male reporter graduated from the University of Media and was Chen Xiaoting's senior.
Chen Xiaoting followed her senior to the sports meet to broaden her horizons and learn from his experience.