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 over the last four years.

 

Here is the story of Cui Xiaodong, a student of the Class of 2022 from the Chemical Engineering Program.

High School: Weifang No.1 Middle School

Program: Chemical Engineering Program

Awards: GTIIT Chancellor’s Scholarship (2019-2021), Academic Excellent Scholarship (2019-2021)

Received Offers from: Stanford University, University of California, Los Angeles, Johns Hopkins University, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Rice University, University of Pennsylvania, Wageningen University & Research

Looking back on the four-year life at GTIIT, Cui Xiaodong said it was like the senior year of high school. Heavy study and the impact of the epidemic made his life very busy. Staying up late to work on projects and write reports, as well as staying in the lab until midnight, happens from time to time. "But it's all worth it. I have never regretted choosing GTIIT." In his senior year, he has gained offers from Stanford University, UCLA, Johns Hopkins University and many other world-renowned institutions. This made his hard work finally pay off.

Accumulate and Make Progress

"I have had the idea of studying abroad since high school. Although my Gaokao results allow me to apply to universities of Project 211 , the international atmosphere of GTIIT is undoubtedly the most suitable for me." Xiaodong believes that despite the university is located in Shantou, its high proportion of foreign teachers, international training model, and abundant scientific research opportunities have laid a solid foundation for him to apply for a master’s degree in the future.

"Enrichment" is the main theme of Xiaodong’s university life, and he made a clear plan of his four years here. Freshman year is the adaptation and experience stage. This year, he fully adapted to the university's learning rhythm and the English teaching environment, experienced a variety of club activities, and finally chose the chess club and basketball club as the pastimes for his busy study in the following three years. From sophomore year to senior year, he shifted his focus to study and graduate application. This phased planning allowed him to maintain his GPA above 90.

 

Cui Xiaodong（left2）with friends from Chess Club

Cui Xiaodong（left2）in Chess Competition

"I don't think study is just for exams. The purpose of study is to acquire knowledge." When it comes to the secrets of getting high scores, he said. "Specialized courses here have two parts: Lecture and Tutorial. It is not advisable to only focus on Tutorial just for exam preparation." In his view, Lecture focuses on analyzing knowledge. You should listen carefully and follow the teacher to think in order to truly master it. The Tutorial is an aid to the Lecture, in which you use exercises to consolidate the knowledge you’ve learned. Do not put the cart before the horse. "On this basis, you should also finish the coursework carefully and revise mistakes you made, so that you will get good grades."

"I planned to take the language test in the second year of my university, but the epidemic disrupted my whole schedule, so I could only defer the test to the third year when I was already busy," Xiaodong said with some regrets. However, with a steady learning attitude, he still got good grades and also successfully joined the professors’ research groups.

Comprehensive Consideration Map Out a Strategy

"In my junior year, I mainly focused on the recovery and extraction of lithium metal. The research group's instruments cost money every time when we used them, and the experiment material has a limited service life after being exposed to the air, so the experiment can only be carried out against the time. In order to improve efficiency, sometimes I stay here from noon to evening, and even forget my dinner." Xiaodong said that those days were busy and fulfilling. His scientific research ability has been greatly improved during these training.

The busy scientific research did not dampen Xiaodong's enthusiasm, but made him have a strong interest in this field. In his senior year, he joined Dr. Gao Xi's research group to study the movement of a single non-spherical particle in a drum. "This is a project about computer simulation. This project and the research group that I joined in the junior year covers two fields (computer simulation and experiment) of chemical engineering. When you apply for a master’s degree, it will be more advantageous if you have both at the same time."

At GTIIT, in addition to abundant scientific research opportunities, its teaching strength has also benefited Xiaodong a lot. "Once when I was simulating in the research group, I was not sure about some parameters, so I asked Dr. Gao Xi for help through WeChat. He came directly from the office. After explaining it to me face to face, he worried that I didn't understand, so he chose some related cases and showed to me again.” Teachers here are very kind to the students, and they would like to answer any questions about academics and life. "Once I emailed the course teacher with a small question, but he responded with a two-page email just to make sure that I could understand."

Cui Xiaodong（Right1）with Prof. Gao Xi

Under the influence of the teachers, Cui Xiaodong has also cultivated a rigorous and humble attitude, and has made a lot of contributions to the research group. His scientific research ability has been recognized by the teachers. When he applied for the master’s degree, the teachers in the research group also provided him with a lot of practical advice, and were happy to write recommendation letters for him.

Clear Goal, Bright Future

"I have a dream about going to the top universities in the world." Driven by this idea, Cui Xiaodong carefully checked the admission criteria of Stanford's Department of Chemical Engineering and found that his hardware conditions were consistent with it. There are many uncertain factors in admissions, and thus Xiaodong admitted that he was hesitant before the application. He finally made the decision to apply, not only because he wants to try his luck, but more about his self-confidence in his identity. "If I don't apply, I will definitely regret it, and as a graduate of GTIIT, I believe in the reputation and strength of the Technion."

Cui Xiaodong（Right1）with roommates

"I was so happy. I didn't sleep much that night, but I wasn't sleepy in class the next day. Maybe I was overjoyed." Cui Xiaodong still remembered the day he received the offer from Stanford University. "Although I finally declined the offer, it still means a lot to me. It represents that my four-year university efforts have been greatly recognized by the outside world."

 

It is not easy to give up. After careful consideration, Xiaodong feels that what suits him is the most important. " Stanford's program trains talents who will be directly employed after the master's degree, while I want to continue to do research." Although he has not yet stepped out of the campus, this young boy already has a clear plan for the future. "I will go to the University of California, Los Angeles. Compared with Stanford's chemical engineering program, its training direction is more suitable for me. I have confirmed with my supervisor and will follow an outstanding professor of chemical engineering to conduct research on nonlinear control. This is a field involving two majors of chemical engineering as well as electrical and electronic engineering. The professor is famous in this field. If it goes well, I hope to complete my doctoral study there."

Cui Xiaodong with GTIIT Chancellor Prof. Gong Xingao on the graduation ceremony

Xiaodong also gave some suggestions to the students based on his own experience. "At GTIIT, the coursework is difficult, but you should never give up." Under the same strict teaching requirements and scoring system as Technion, it is not easy to obtain high scores in many courses. Of course, you should work hard on your GPA, but with a score of 80 or above and rich scientific research experience, you can also apply to very good universities. "There are many examples like this around me, so don't give up your efforts."

 

"Prepare in advance and arrange time reasonably" is also what Cui Xiaodong wanted to tell GTIIT students. "Preparing language test in the junior year is too hasty, because you will have many specialized courses and also need to focus on scientific research. The validity period of the language score is two years, so it is better to prepare it in the summer break of the sophomore year. Scheduling ahead will make your application much easier."

Text: GTIIT News & Public Affairs

Photos: Cui Xiaodong, GTIIT News & Public Affairs