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Yan Zhongyu: Focus on GPA and don't give up hobbies

PostTime:5/17/2022

Time flies and the second cohort of students are going to graduate from Guangdong Technion - Israel Institute of Technology (GTIIT) this year. We will present a series of interviews with the graduates from the Class of 2022, to show their stories at GTIIT in the past four years.


Here is the story of Yan Zhongyu, a student in the Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) Program.


严钟渝Yan Zhongyu


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High School: Jiangsu Tianyi High School


Program: Materials Science and Engineering


Received Offers: 

Cornell University

Johns Hopkins University

University of Washington

University College London

National University of Singapore

Nanyang Technological University

Tufts University


Awards:

Second Class Chancellor's Scholarship (2018-2020)

Dean's List (2019-2020)

Academic Excellence Scholarship (2019-2021)


“GTIIT was established only two years ago when I applied. It was a choice that full of unknowns, but obviously, I made the right bet!” This boy who gets many offers from world-famous universities said bluntly. GTIIT’s brand-new campus facilities, strong scientific research strength, and international faculty team attracted him to leave Jiangsu to Guangdong and started a wonderful university life.


Talk about program:

material science and engineering 

have infinite possibilities



"Material science and engineering program is a basic but also interdisciplinary subject. The teaching area is very wide, covering topics from mathematical knowledge to the characteristics of various materials." In Yan Zhongyu's view, such an all-round and multi-field program allowed him to expose to different disciplines in four years, and gradually found his interest in the process of exploring the infinite possibilities in the future.


"Compared with chemical engineering and biotechnology and food engineering, MSE is more theoretical. In the research group, I mainly conduct theoretical derivation and computer simulation." As early as the second semester of sophomore year, Yan Zhongyu joined Prof. Xu Xinpeng's research group on soft material research, and then he joined the biological research group jointly established by Prof. Xu and Shantou University to engage in data analysis.


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"Prof. Xu is the enlightener of my scientific research. He is a very rigorous and patient teacher. When I first joined the group, every time I reported my project to him, he was always encouraging." Zhongyu knew that compared with the doctoral students in the group, his work is far from perfect. It is Prof. Xu's encouragement that makes him gradually build up his confidence in complex research. In addition, the teacher’s seriousness in scientific research also deeply influenced him. "Once we needed to make a model in order to derive a general formula that applied to all conditions. But there is an unavoidable boundary condition in the derivation process. We spend a lot of time solving this problem. During this process, Prof. Xu has been with us, answering questions and solving doubts, until the final success. "

 

This experience is an important part of Yan Zhongyu's university life. He is very grateful for Prof. Xu's earnest teaching and the other group members’ academic help. Apart from persons he met in his studies, he also met a mentor in life.


Talk about interest: 

the combination of work and rest 

can twice result with half the effort


 

As a teacher in the field of chemistry, Prof. Huang Kai only taught Zhongyu one course. "We met at the gym." Yan Zhongyu recalled the beginning of their friendship. Fitness is an important part of his life and his way of releasing stress. It was at the gym that he met Prof. Huang, who also loved fitness. "GTIIT's teachers are very enthusiastic, and we can talk about almost everything. He gave me a lot of advice on life and future development based on his own experience, including the selection of the offers."


During the four years, Yan Zhongyu has colorful extracurricular life. He loves chess and movies, so he joined the chess club and film club. He is active in various competitions such as chess games, football games, and simulated stock trading competitions. "I won't stay all night for study because I think the combination of work and rest can make me do more with less. I will arrange my daily learning content, and then add as many other activities as possible to make myself live a fulfilling life."


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In addition to club activities, he also actively participated in university affairs. He works as a teacher assistant and students’ mentor. "Our students’ mentor team provides academic guidance for freshmen and answers questions for them. I also focus on the study and life of the students that I am in charge of and give them advice. This is a brand-new attempt, and I hope to help them to better adapt to university life.”


Talk about frustration: 

 I believe in "Newton's Fifth Law" 


 

"As we all know, Newton has three basic laws of motion. For me, luck is also conserved like momentum. I jokingly call the conservation of luck 'Newton's fifth law' and hope this law and my experience can help people who are in trouble to cheer up." In his third year of university, due to the epidemic and his emotions, he met unprecedented pressure, and his GPA was also affected. This sentence has also become the energy for him to overcome the problems in addition to sports and the company of friends. "I always comfort myself that the current setbacks are all preparing for good luck in the future. I don't know if it is a coincidence or not, but I often encountered surprises in the fourth year of my GTIIT life."


Maybe by luck, but more by accumulation, Zhongyu got a good GRE score of 327+3.5/340+6. Rich scientific research experience and excellent GPA also helped him gain offers from world-renowned universities such as Cornell University and Johns Hopkins University.


During the four years of GTIIT, "Focus on GPA and don't give up hobbies." This is what Yan Zhongyu wants to tell his juniors. He said that if language scores are the steppingstone to a master's degree, then GPA is the prerequisite for the application. You should maintain an excellent GPA before you consider participating in scientific research and internships. To improve GPA, you should pay attention to the tutorials. "Lectures mainly focus on knowledge. To consolidate these knowledges, you should continue to practice through many exercises in the tutorials. Also, review what you learn every week. It will then become easier to prepare for the final exams.”


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Text: GTIIT News & Public Affairs

Photos: Yan Zhongyu, GTIIT News & Public Affairs

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