As to applications for prestigious universities, preparation in advance will increase the chances of success. First, grasp the latest news about admissions of prestigious universities together with the current popular majors and learn from successful applications. Gain insight into the key part of prestigious school application, and get better knowledge of yourself and competitors. Only by strategizing, taking the initiative, and fighting forever can you truly be the master of your own time.

 

Last week, in the English class in Pegasus School, Mr. Matthew organized two unique online sharing sessions. Dan Li, who get a place in the UCLA ranked 20th, was invited to join the students. I made an online connection, answered the questions of concern to the students of Pegasus at school, and shared his “successful application for prestigious universities” to help who are interested.  There you go. 

 

# UCLA # 

 

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), overall ranked 20th in USNEWS, located in Los Angeles, is the world's top public research university, a public Ivy League school. Over the years, it has been the university with the largest number of applicants in the United States, and it is also one of the universities with the most difficulty being admitted.

Q: The ideal target university and the preparation time for the application?

Dan Li: My major is human biology, and the ideal university is Johns Hopkins University. Regarding the preparation time for the application, my suggestion is to plan as early as possible and start preparing as early as possible. American universities will comprehensively analyze the advantages presented by many applicants and then select the students they think they need. So it is required  to organize activities and practical internships from the lower grades to the upper grades. This is an advantage and will add points to the final admission result.

 

Q: The last question involves organizing and planning activities and practical internships as bonus points. What is your main practice or activity?

Dan Li: The major I applied for is human biology. I participated in some medical-related practices, the project of caring for children with cancer and practiced in the tumor hospital laboratory and published 3 ICI papers. These are the main practical activities I participated in.

 

Q: Any suggestions on the preparation of application documents?

Dan Li: The application documents are going to be taken seriously, including contacting the teachers of the university in your application list, asking them about the characteristics of the school, etc.; also including the reasons for applying to your school and your understanding of the courses you want to major in. It is not recommended to treat all the universities application in the same way. Study carefully and present the results of your own investigation and understanding.

 

Q: How do you feel about the environment at UCLA?

Dan Li: The surrounding environment is very good, including the students and teachers. When you are in school, you will feel that you are surrounded by smart people.

 

Q: How do you present personal statement of growth history?

Dan Li: For me, I didn’t talk about how I grew up, but highlighted a theme: “In the process of growing up, I established that I hope I can make a change to the world and produce good impact.” Because of my parents serving as doctors in the cancer hospital, and I have come into connection with related things, such as the experience of children suffering from cancer fighting cancer, etc., I have confirmed this belief.

 

Q: How do you know the undecided major in application?

Dan Li: This situation should be evaluated according to specific majors, such as CS and computer majors in our school for which I do not think the choice of undecided major is applicable, but it does not mean that this works as a disadvantage. It's just that it will be more difficult to transfer to a major later.

Q: Talk about the way of integration into the university? High school courses are demanding, how to balance the time schedule?

Dan Li: If you encounter difficulties, there are many ways to get help. You can go to teachers, classmates and so on. Do a good job socializing; time arrangement. Don’t worry. My classmate has 3-4 AP courses at the same time, but he is doing very well, and time allows socializing.

 

Q: How is the university summer camp?

Dan Li: I think this can help us present our preparations. I think it is helpful.

 

Q: As mentioned earlier, will the university teachers reply to the emailed message which involves potential applicants’ questions?

Dan Li: Yes. I learned about their email addresses from the website, and contacted them by email with some questions. For example, my major may involve questions about the school’s laboratory and ongoing projects, etc

 

Through this sharing session, Pegasus students communicated with students who successfully applied to prestigious universities. Not only did they answer many questions of concern to the students, but also conveyed experience in university application. At the same time, they also strengthened the confidence insides students and motivation in the path towards their dream universities .