In order to cultivate versatile talents, Guangdong Technion - Israel Institute of Technology (GTIIT) offers an opportunity for undergraduates with excellent academic performance and adequate time to study for a dual degree of the Technion (GTIIT minor program), which provides students a channel to broaden their academic horizons and engage in interdisciplinary academic research.

What is it like to study a dual degree at GTIIT under heavy academic pressure? How to deal with course conflicts? How to allocate study time for each program? In response to these concerns, we will launch a series of interviews for students who are pursuing dual degrees to introduce this group of "GTIIT's busiest people".

Here is the story of Yan Yiyang, a student who is going to get dual degree.

Yan Yiyang

High School：

Ningbo Yinzhou High School

Programs：

Material Science and Engineering

Mathematics and Computer Science

Awards：

GTIIT Academic Excellence Scholarship (2019-2021), GTIIT Vice Chancellor's List (2019), GTIIT Dean's List (2020-2021)

Yan Yiyang is a Material Science and Engineering student of the Class of 2018. At GTIIT, he maintained a GPA above 90 in his main major while taking Mathematics and Computer Science (MCS) as his minor program (students can get the corresponding degree of Technion with enough credit). He balances the study time of two programs well and uses his spare time to join the research team. What was the life like for this A level student at GTIIT? Today, let us explore his world together.

Q：What motivates you to choose these two programs?

Since I was a high school student, I have felt that materials is a very interesting subject and in today's society, many industries are inseparable from materials, so it is very promising. In addition, I am from Ningbo, where the energy storage battery industry is very developed. The world's first super capacitor energy storage modern tram was opened in Ningbo. At that time, I decided that when I go to university, I must choose this major and learn the relevant knowledge of energy storage materials.

The reason for choosing Mathematics and Computer Science is because when I was a freshman, I had a class about basic mathematics. The teacher of that class is Prof. Eli Aljadeff, who is also the head of MCS. In his class, for the first time, I discovered the beauty of university mathematics, especially in terms of abstraction and formalization. In class, I followed the professor and reasoned out the questions step by step, which made me realize the difference of mathematics in university and high school. University mathematics has fewer technical questions and pays more attention to theory and logic, all of which deeply attracted me. When I knew that the university was going to have MCS program, I immediately apply for it as the minor program.

Q：What is the process for you to study a dual degree?

In the beginning, there was no dual degree for Mathematics and Computer Science, so those who were interested in mathematics would email Prof. Eli Aljadeff, the head of the program, to express our intention to study a dual degree. There were a lot of applicants at that time, and Prof. Eli Aljadeff was so nice that he quickly managed to solve this matter. During the first semester of my sophomore year, I was officially approved to take courses in Mathematics and Computer Science.

In the beginning, as long as you sent an email, you could go and try the relevant courses. At that time, there were about forty to fifty people in the classroom. We had an exam after about half a semester. Students would be divided into three groups according to their grades. Those with poor grades would be dismissed. And you can also give up amid the study. After three years, less than ten people remain in this group, so this is really a road with a high elimination rate.

Q：Have you ever regretted your choice, and how did you overcome this?

At the beginning, of course, I felt very uncomfortable. During my freshman year, I had only six to seven courses in one semester including physical class. However, after studying dual degree, I had ten to eleven courses in one semester. This made me feel very tried.

At the end of my sophomore semester, I emailed Prof. Eli Aljadeff, telling him that I wanted to give up. Prof. Aljadeff asked me to communicate with him by phone. Surprisingly, he still remembered my performance when I took his course in freshman year, and affirmed my thinking mode and grades at that time. After asking me about my final exam score, he said that I have sufficient ability and hoped I can hold on. Of course, the final choice is still up to me. The professor's affirmation gave me the courage to continue, and after I got used to this learning intensity, I felt that everything was not as difficult as it was at the beginning.

Q：Does MCS have anything in common with Materials Science and Engineering (MSC)? And what are the characteristics of them?

These two programs are both science and engineering disciplines. Materials Science and Engineering is a program that requires a strong mathematical foundation. Some knowledge learned in mathematics can help me better understand the contents in materials. Of course, mathematics also has its unique features, especially in the program at GTIIT. It also covers the content of computer, which greatly deepens the richness of it.

Although the program of Mathematics and Computer Science in GTIIT was a young program, as the dominant discipline of Technion, we can still have many well-known professors. We have a class about formal computer knowledge. Our teacher was also a visiting professor at Google. In his class, I felt the infinite charm of this program.

Q：How do you divide the study time between the two programs? Are there any conflict between the schedule of courses and exams?

I will evenly split the study time between the two programs, and spend more time on my weaker courses. Because of the limitation of time and energy, you must give up some extended content and have a firm grasp of the basic knowledge. Of course, you also need to give up some rest and entertainment, but there is always more to gain. I used this time to join Prof. Daniel Tan's research group to conduct research in the direction of supercapacitors.

In terms of courses and exams, a large part of the courses about Mathematics and Computer Science will be taken together with the students of this program, so sometimes you may have two classes at the same time. As for this, you need to make a trade-off. You can go to the university's recording platform to check if the class has been recorded before or ask the teacher for help. Exam conflicts do occur occasionally. In this case, I recommended to contact the Undergraduate Office. They will arrange it so that you can take two exams back to back.

Q：What are your plans for the future?

I plan to pursue my postgraduate studies in the future. Currently, I have applied for both fields, and I will make the decision after I receive the offers. These two programs are both interesting. Materials have very bright future in the 21st century, and mathematics is the foundation of many advanced industries. I will also consider some fields that combine the two.

Yiyang (right1) with his friend

Q：Do you have any advice for students who also want to study a dual degree?

I think before making the decision of studying dual degree, you must first have a very clear understanding of yourself. Secondly, you must ignore the opinions of others, such as compliments on yourself, calm down and seriously evaluate your abilities. Then ask yourself whether you are willing to study the dual degree no matter how difficult it will be. If the answer is yes, just do it. If you have doubts about yourself in the future, recall the scene when you made the decision to strengthen your beliefs.

The road to study a dual degree is not easy. You will face a full schedule for nearly four days a week, taking classes from ten in the morning to six in the evening, double the amount of exams and homework, a high probability that you need to stay at GTIIT one more year. It will be very tiring and hard, but I do not regret it, because I have lived a more fulfilling university life and seen more different scenery.