校友歸來：留學一年后，回望成長中的起起伏伏

前不久，我們為星爸星媽學院家長工作坊《啟明星校友分享會》聯系2023屆畢業生的時候，所有的校友都表示愿意參加。

他們樂于分享自己的大學申請經驗和大學的學習生活——無論身在哪里，無論要克服多少小時的時差。

最終，3位正在美國和加拿大讀書的同學成為工作坊嘉賓。他們分別在綜合性大學、文理學院、藝術專業大學學習。

他們毫無保留地分享，誠懇回顧自己的選擇和得失，更坦然面對生活中的高高低低，深深打動了聽眾，引發家長的熱烈回應，原定1個小時的活動整整延長了1倍多的時間。

坦誠、淡定，樂觀、韌性，3位學生的表現讓人不禁想用這句話來形容他們：你未必光芒萬丈，但始終溫暖有光！

對于考慮出國留學的家庭，啟明星校友們的寶貴分享具有重要的參考價值，我們扼要分享在此：

主持人 梁珊

啟明星學校

大學升學顧問

副主任

陳華霖（Nick）

加拿大麥吉爾大學

中學社科教育專業

增周加措（Jeremy）

美國阿勒根尼學院

未定專業

謝雨菲（Dora）

艾米麗卡爾藝術和設計大學 純藝專業

說說大學

梁老師：你們來自不同類型的大學，請分別介紹一下你們的課堂規模？和教授的互動如何、校園活動是什么樣的？

Nick：我們比較大的課堂是600人左右，最小的課堂是60人左右。教授和助教每周都有1小時的答疑時間，每個來訪者可以分到5分鐘左右，當然，我們也可以利用上課前后的時間，和他們進行簡單的交流。我們也會上助教主導的課程。學校有200多個社團，因為人多，無論參加什么社團你都能找到朋友。

Jeremy：我們的課堂一般是5到6個人，如果到20人就算很大的課堂了。每堂課都是教授來教，助教只負責批改作業。我們和教授有更多的時間交流，一個人可以約到20分鐘到40分鐘的答疑時間，而且學校會有高年級學長幫你免費補課。學校社團很多，足球、籃球、電競社團，我都參加了。校園生活是非常豐富的，讓人有很強的歸屬感。

Dora：我們學校也是比較小的學校，我通常上的課有20個人上下，也有大課，大約100個人。和教授約答疑時間也比較靈活，只要寫了郵件，一般來說一兩個小時內就能和教授交流。

Nick的大學生活

梁老師：入學后的學習和你們之前的計劃相比有不同嗎？你們有為未來做什么規劃嗎，比如實習？

Jeremy：我原本想學傳媒專業，但上課后我發現，這個專業也許并不適合我。我就去選了其他一些課程。我發現，學校有很多很好的經濟學教授，我也在課堂上和他們建立了不錯的關系，所以現在我有了學經濟學專業的想法。另外，我也在考慮利用學校的資源找幾份兼職，積累一些工作經驗，好應對未來激烈的就業競爭。

Dora：上了大學之后，我真正認識到什么叫“人外有人，天外有天”。在大學里，我發現有太多的人畫的比我好，創意更好更深刻的人大有人在，所以我需要自主安排一些藝術技能的學習，比如練習動畫插畫、繪本的創作技能，不能再像之前那樣被動地學習。

梁老師：Dora的分享也提醒我們，在大學申請和入學后選課的時候，要選擇自己有優勢的專業或課程，不然大學里的學習就可能比較困難。上大學升學輔導課程討論選課和選專業時，我們也都跟大家提示過，到了大學里，周圍的同學都是各自高中里和你擅長同樣科目的人，不像在高中的時候，周圍的同學擅長不同科目，你自己還是比較容易脫穎而出的。

聊聊申請

梁老師：你們都在自己喜歡的大學讀書，有沒有特別想要分享的申請經驗，為學弟學妹提些建議？

Jeremy：我有兩個建議。首先，IB學生的壓力很大，你不能在某一方面花太多時間，你需要balance（平衡）一下，做好時間管理。可能你在10年級感覺是很舒服的，壓力沒有那么大，但到了11年級就可能感覺很難很難，到了12年級，有了大考的壓力，你的壓力會更大。這個時候，你還得兼顧申請、準備文書的工作。

我們的大學升學指導Ms. Warehall有過做大學招生官的經歷。我記得她說過，每天招生官要看很多來自不同國家的申請者的文書，不會把全部內容都看完，申請者需要有些閃光點吸引到招生官。而這些閃光點，不是你一稿兩稿就能寫出來的，需要你進行很長時間的思考來挖掘，然后和家長、老師進行溝通，讓自己脫穎而出。

另一個建議是，申請的時候要合理利用資源，多和老師溝通。比如準備文書是需要很長時間的，不是一稿兩稿就能完成的。聽取了別人的建議后，你會發現能改的地方有很多。我準備文書的時候就比較好地利用了學校的資源，我們的升學指導老師Ms. Warehall和梁老師老師都給了我非常好的輔導。

Dora：申請大學的時候，我要兼顧學校的課程、語言考試，另外還要準備一個藝術作品集。對我來說最大的困難是怎么平衡好這些工作，克服心理上的緊張和焦慮。在很長一段時間里，我都處于一種擔心中。我會愿意去和一些相關的老師多進行溝通，可以獲得一些有用的經驗和一些精神支持。

關于藝術生要準備的作品集，我的建議是，它的主題要更多地表現你自己想要表達的東西，最好是基于你的真實經歷或是真實情感，一定要是最真實的。這樣做出來的作品才一定是有個人特色和“有溫度的”。

進行作品集創作的時候，可以去看看你理想的學校的網站，翻翻被錄取學生的作品和案例，或者是學校的畢業展，這樣就能了解到這個學校的風格是不是適合你。

同樣還要注意作品集的準備時間，一定不要拖，因為一直會有很多作品需要你創作。如果進入錄取的第二輪，有些藝術院校還會給命題創作，會讓你耗費很多時間。

在這里我還想特別提醒的是，在你決定學藝術之前，一定要反復思考這個專業是不是你愿意為之奮斗一生的。因為就我個人經歷來說，做完作品集之后，整個人對于藝術的熱愛其實消減了一大截，因為整個創作過程其實是很讓人疲憊的。所以，你一定要慎重考慮，是不是真正喜歡藝術。

Dora的校園生活

梁老師：申請過程中，你們覺得影響最大的活動是什么？你們是怎樣找到這些活動的？

Nick：當時對我影響最大的活動，就是在啟明星參加的社會創新項目。從10年級開始直到我們畢業，我們一直都在參加相關的活動。這個項目幫助我們鍛煉了各種各樣的能力。比如說，我們為自己的社會創新項目做路演的時候，鍛煉了展示方面的能力。舉辦社會創新日，我有機會去和低年級的學生互動，作為臨時老師走進課堂，和學生們分享我關心的事情。還有，社會創新項目是很獨特的，在我們的申請中是很特別、很亮眼的。

Jeremy：我覺得有兩個活動。一個是Nick剛剛提到的社會創新項目。啟明星是全中國為數不多的、一直在做這個項目的學校。在啟明星最獨特的是，它不是只屬于高年級的項目，而是有不同年級和跨校區的合作。這個項目讓我意識到，我們的學習不是只停留在書本和成績上，而是可以有更多的問題可供了解并且采取行動，比如聯合國可持續發展目標涵蓋的問題。

第二個活動也是我們的學校提供的參加哈佛商賽的機會。那是我第一次參加商賽，經歷也是非常獨特的。我們在那個項目上花了很長的時間，團隊合作的能力得到了很大提升。

Dora：我做的比較重要的活動也是在社會創新項目里。在我們的創業項目里，我負責的是美工設計部分。在這個過程中，我可以更明確的體會到，當我把藝術作為一個真正的工作或者說作為一個商業行為，我應該注重哪些因素。在社會創新日活動里，我也給學校設計了一些周邊，我也給學校設計了20周年的logo，這些都讓我對藝術創作的自信心更強了，對于我后續的申請也是有很大幫助。

梁老師：我還想請大家分享一下，怎么看待大學排名？你們是怎么篩選出來自己心儀的大學名單的？另外，我也要特別問下Jeremy，為什么后來放棄了QS排名前50的大學，而選擇去了一所比較低調的文理學院？

Nick：從10年級開始，我們的大學升學指導老師就一直告訴我們：排名絕對不是拿來衡量一所大學的唯一標準。對我來說，除了考慮學校排名，我也要考慮城市的氣候、所在地區是不是我可以適應的環境、獎學金、申請的具體專業的排名、師生比等等。我有個同學還會考慮大學的食堂。

Jeremy：我原來申請到的大學QS排名是19，說實話大學的QS排名之所以高是因為它的教授的科研水平，還有它的研究生項目。我覺得這不應該成為我們本科生擇校的標準。

Jeremy的大學生活

另外，申請現在這所文理學院的過程中，校方給我寫過很多郵件。漸漸地我注意到，學校對我很有誠意，各種安排很妥當。而且我在啟明星上學的經歷，也讓我對文理學院這種小而精的教學很熟悉，很喜歡。這里師生比很低，讓我很有歸屬感。

還有，我想要體驗不同的文化，這是我留學的原因，而我原來申請到的大學有很多中國留學生。這所文理學院的中國人非常少，包括我在內只有7個，這也讓我結交了很多外國朋友，體驗了不同的文化。

這些都是我決定來Allegheny college的原因。

談談壓力

梁老師：我們也要談談壓力問題，比如學習壓力大，早申沒有拿到夢校錄取的壓力。還有，申請這段時間里，家長是怎么支持你們的？

Nick：知道早申沒能拿到錄取的時候，我是花了段時間緩了一下的。當時我不斷提醒自己說，大學申請是一個過程，我應該還是能去入讀一所匹配我的期待、匹配我的能力的大學的。另外我也這樣分散對早申結果的注意力：就是去進一步調查我正在申請的RD學校，進一步去完善我給這些學校的申請，讓為自己再設定一所夢校。

在這個過程中，我的爸爸媽媽會支持我的決定。他們相信我的學習狀態，也很相信升學指導老師給我的建議。

我建議家長鼓勵學生自己做大學的調查，因為家長向學生轉達自己的調查結果時，學生不一定能感覺到那些大學的吸引力。我覺得，自己親自調查發現的吸引之處，是讓學生喜歡上一所大學的真正動力。

Jeremy：一定要保持積極樂觀的心態。如果有情緒問題，一定要和老師、家長溝通，調整接下來的申請計劃，他們永遠是你的后盾。我也同意，大學是學生來讀，申請大學的事情應該由學生來做，家長要做的是支持和鼓勵。

Dora：我申請的都是加拿大的學校，所以沒有早申問題。我想分享的是，我爸一開始也不理解我的專業，擔心我未來就業會比較困難，但隨著我對專業方向越來越堅定，他也尊重和理解我了。我覺得大學申請整個過程里，家長的精神支持是特別重要的，我們的學業壓力、考試壓力、作品集創作壓力已經很大了，家長如果能和我們做一些溝通，對于緩解我們的壓力是很有幫助的。

兩個多小時的分享，我們只能節選最重要的信息。孩子們真誠的分享，以及分享結束后的在線問答部分都值得完整回顧。歡迎掃描二維碼觀收看整體直播回放！

A little while ago we contacted three members of the Class of 2023 for a Daystar Parents Academy workshop where they would talk about their college application experiences and their lives at their colleges. They were happy to share with our community - no matter how many hours of time difference they had to overcome.

The three students who were the workshop guests are studying in the United States and Canada. They are attending a large, comprehensive university, a small, liberal arts college, and a medium-sized art-specialized university.

They shared candidly and without reservation, sincerely reviewing their choices, both positive and negative, and their ability to treat achievements and difficulties with neither joy nor sorrow, which deeply touched the audience and triggered a warm response from parents, such that the originally scheduled one-hour workshop was extended to twice the time.

For students considering studying abroad, it is helpful to hear from our recent alumni who shared valuable information. Here are some highlights of their talk:

Mc: Ms. Michelle Liang,Associate Director of College Counseling,

Daystar Academy

Nick Chen

McGill University, Major in Education

Jeremy Zeng

Allegheny College,

Major Undecided

Dora Xie

Emily Carr University of Art + Design, Major in Fine Art

About Universities

Ms. Liang:You are studying in different types of colleges, please tell us about the size of your class, how is the interaction with professors and did you attend any campus activities?

Nick：Our largest class has about 600 students, and the smallest class has about 60 people. Professors and teaching assistants have 1 hour of Office Hour per week, which is about 5 minutes per visitor. And of course, we can also use the time before and after class to have a brief conversation with them. We also have teaching assistant-led classes. There are more than 200 clubs in the school, and because there are so many people, you can find friends no matter what club you join.

Jeremy:Our classes have usually 5 to 6 people, and a big class goes up to 20 people. Every class is taught by the professors, and the teaching assistants are only responsible for grading homework. We have more time to talk to our professors, and a person can have a 20 to 40 minutes Q&A appointment. There are a lot of school clubs. Soccer, basketball, and e-sports clubs, and I'm in all of them. Campus life is very rich and gives one a strong sense of belonging.

Dora:Our school is also relatively small, I usually have a class of about 20 people, and there are also large classes of about 100 people. It is also flexible to make an appointment with the professor for a Q&A time, as long as you write an email, you can generally communicate with the professor within an hour or two.

Nick's campus life

Ms. Liang:Are your studies after enrollment different from what was previously expected? Have you made any plans for the future, such as doing internships?

Jeremy:I originally wanted to major in media, but after taking some classes I realized that it might not be the right major for me. I went ahead and took some other classes. I found out that there are a lot of good economics professors at the school and I've developed good relationships with them in class, so now I have the idea that I want to major in economics. In addition, I'm also thinking about using the school's resources to get a few part-time jobs and accumulate some work experience so that I can deal with the fierce competition for jobs in the future.

Dora:After I went to college, I really realized the tough level of competition in the classes. In college, I found that there are many people who can draw better than me, and there are many people with better and more profound creativity. Therefore, I need to work on my own learning of art skills, and I can no longer learn passively as I did before, but start to take the initiative to improve my own skills, for example, practicing animation illustration and picture book creation skills.

Ms. Liang:Dora's sharing also reminds us that when applying for college and choosing courses after enrollment, we should choose the ones we have strengths in, otherwise it may be more difficult to study in college. When we discussed course selection and major selection in our College Counseling class, we also reminded everyone that when you get to college, you'll be surrounded by students who are good at the same subject as you in their respective high schools, unlike when you were in high school, your classmates are good at different subjects, and it is easier for you to stand out.

About Applying

Ms. Liang:You are all studying at your favorite universities, do you have any particular application experience you would like to share and give advice to younger students?

Jeremy:I have two suggestions. First of all, IB students are under a lot of pressure, you can't spend too much time in one area, you need to balance and manage your time well. Maybe you feel comfortable in 10th grade and the pressure is not that high, but in 11th grade you may feel very hard pressure, and in 12th grade, with the pressure of the IB exams, your pressure will be even higher. At this time, you'll also have to juggle applications and preparing paperwork for that.

Our college counselor Ms. Warehall, had experiences as a university admissions officer. I remember her saying that every day admissions officers have to read a lot of essays from applicants from different countries, and that they don't read everything, therefore applicants need to have some hooks to attract admissions officers. The hooks take more than one or two drafts to write well, you need to think for a long time to dig them out, and then communicate with your parents and teachers to make yourself stand out in your essays.

Another suggestion is to utilize your resources wisely and communicate with your teachers while applying. For example, preparing your essays takes a long time and can’t be done in one or two days. After listening to other people’s suggestions, you will realize that there are a lot of things you can change. I made good use of the school’s resources when I was preparing my paperwork, and our college counselors Ms. Warehall and Ms. Liang, both gave me very valuable guidance.

Dora:When applying to university, I had to juggle school programs, language exams, and prepare a portfolio of my artworks. The biggest difficulty for me was how to balance these tasks and overcome the anxiety. For a long time, I was in a state of worry. In the end, I would be willing to go and communicate more with some relevant teachers, and I can get some useful experience and some support.

Regarding the portfolio to be prepared for applications, my suggestion is that its theme should be more about what you truly want to express, preferably based on your real experience or real emotion, and it must show your unique self. This way, your work will be personal and "passionate".

When creating your portfolio, you can check the website of your dream schools, the works and examples of accepted students, or the school's graduation exhibition, so that you can get a good idea of whether the school's style is suitable for you or not.

Likewise pay attention to portfolio preparation time, be sure not to delay because there will always be a lot of work for you to create. If you enter the second round of admissions, some art schools will also give on demand assignments to create, which will also cost you a lot of time.

I would also like to make a special reminder here that before you decide to study art, make sure you think over and over again if this is a major that you are willing to work for for the rest of your life. Because in my personal experience, after I finished my portfolio, my love for art actually diminished a lot because the whole process of creation is actually very exhausting. So, you must consider carefully whether you really like art.

Dora's campus life

Ms. Liang:Which activities influenced you the most in your application process?

Nick:The activity that had the biggest impact on me at the time was the Social Innovation Program that I participated in at Daystar. We participated in activities from 10th grade until we graduated. The program helped us hone a variety of skills. For example, when we did a roadshow for our social innovation project, we practiced the presentation aspect. Organizing the Social Innovation Day gave me the opportunity to interact with the younger students, go into the classroom as a teacher temporarily, and share with the students what I care about. Also, the Social Innovation Program is unique and stands out and shines in our application.

Jeremy:I think there are two activities. One is the Social Innovation Program that Nick just mentioned. Daystar Academy is one of the few schools in the whole of China that has been doing this program. What's unique about Daystar is that it's not a senior-only program, but there are collaborations across grades and across campuses. This program made me realize that our learning is not just about books and grades, but that there are more issues to learn about and take action on, such as those covered by the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The second activity was also the opportunity provided by our school to participate in the Harvard Business Competition. It was my first time participating in a business competition and the experience was very unique. We spent a long time on that program and our teamwork skills were greatly enhanced.

Dora:One of the important activities I did was also in the Social Innovation Program. In our entrepreneurship program, I was in charge of the artwork and design part. In this process, I can more clearly appreciate that when I do art as a real job or as a business, what factors I should focus on. In the Social Innovation Day, I designed some materials for the school, and I also designed the 20th anniversary logo for the school, all of these made my self-confidence in art creation stronger, which was also very helpful for my subsequent application.

Ms. Liang:I would also like you to share how you think about university rankings? How did you filter out the list of your favorite universities? Also, I would like to ask Jeremy in particular, why did you later give up going to a top 50 university in QS ranking and chose to go to a liberal arts college which is not well known in China?

Nick:Since 10th grade, our college counselors have been telling us that rankings are definitely not the only criteria for measuring a college. For me, in addition to the ranking of the school, I also consider the climate of the city, whether the area is one that I can adapt to, scholarships, the ranking of the specific program I'm applying to, the faculty/student ratio, and so on. In fact, one of my classmates will also consider the food of the colleges.

Jeremy:The university I originally applied to had a QS ranking of 19, and to be honest, the university's QS ranking was high because of the research level of its professors and its graduate program. I don't think this should be the only criterion for us undergraduates when choosing a school.

Jeremy's campus life

In addition, during the process of applying to this liberal arts college that I’m attending, the college wrote me a lot of emails. Gradually I noticed that the school was very sincere in communicating with me and made all kinds of arrangements for me properly. Moreover, my experience of attending Daystar has made me familiar with the small and sophisticated teaching of a liberal arts college. The student-teacher ratio here is very low, which gives me a increased sense of belonging.

Also, I wanted to experience a different culture, which is why I study abroad, however the university I originally applied to had a lot of Chinese students. My current college has very few Chinese, only 7 including me, which also allowed me to make a lot of foreign friends and experience different cultures.

These are all the reasons why I decided to come to Allegheny college.

About Stress

Ms. Liang:We also need to talk about stress issues, such as the pressure of studying and the pressure of Early Decision and not getting accepted to your dream school. Also, how did your parents support you during the application period?

Nick:When I found out that I didn't get an Early Decision offer, I took some time to calm down. I kept reminding myself that the college application is a process, and that I should still be able to get into a college that matches my expectations and abilities. I also distracted myself from the results of my Early Decision by investigating the Regular Decesion schools I was applying to, refining my applications to those schools, and setting myself up with another dream school.

My mom and dad are supportive of my decision in this process. They believe in my academic status and trust the advice given to me by my college counselors.

I recommend that parents encourage their children to do their own college research because when parents relay their own findings to the children, the children don't always feel the appeal of those colleges. I think that the attraction found by doing their own research is what really motivates a student to like a college.

Jeremy:Be sure to stay positive. If you have emotional issues, be sure to talk to your teachers and parents to adjust your next application plan; they will always have your back. I also agree that since college is for the student to attend, and applying to college should be left up to the student, and all the parents have to do is be supportive and encouraging.

Dora:All schools I applied to are all in Canada, so I didn't have any Early Decision issues. What I want to share is that my dad didn't understand my major at first and was worried that it would be difficult for me to get a job in the future, but as I became more and more determined about my major direction, he respected and understood me. I think the support of parents is especially important in the whole process of college application. We are already under a lot of pressure from our studies, exams, and portfolio creation, and it is very helpful for parents to communicate with us to relieve our pressure.

With more than two hours of sharing, we can only excerpt here some of the most important information. The students’ sincere sharing and the online Q&A at the end of the workshop are worth reviewing in full. Feel free to scan the QR code to watch the entire live replay!

歡迎耶魯老友來訪，讓繚繞的阿卡貝拉溫暖你的耳朵！In Tune with The Yale Alley Cats

讓陽光灑進來：啟明星學校D+劇院開建！Introducing D+, Daystar's Multi-function Theater