Unplanned option brings unexpected scenery. Due to the epidemic, Kuang Wei, a student with undergraduate offers from world-renowned universities like McGill University, University College London and University of Sydney, was unable to study abroad as scheduled. Instead, he enrolled in the Chemical Engineering Program at Guangdong Technion - Israel Institute of Technology (GTIIT) through Independent Student Recruitment in 2021.

Even if things didn't go as planned, Kuang Wei actively responded to the changes, looking for more possibilities and gradually getting closer to his dream of becoming a scientist. He will share his experience of studying at GTIIT in this article.

Program: 

Chemical Engineering (Cohort 2021)

High School: 

Chongqing Bashu Secondary School John Carroll Program

Standardize Test Score: 

SAT 1480 (Math 800), TOEFL 111 (MyBest^TM Scores)

Undergraduate offers obtained before:

McGill University, University College London, The University of Sydney, etc.

Why did you choose to study at GTIIT?

Institutions like MIT, ETH Zürich, Imperial College London, and Technion are all coruscating universities that constantly push forward the frontiers of science and technology, attracting millions of students in the world. Being a domestic campus of Technion which specializes in STEM, GTIIT is an indubitably natural temptation to 'nerds' of my kind who yearns for a pure environment of science.

I personally set my goal to study abroad a long time ago. Despite the fact of returning to a domestic university for my undergraduate due to COVID and everything, studying abroad is still of my interest. Therefore, a pure English-speaking pedagogical environment is my paramount concern. Being a campus that attracts students and teachers worldwide, GTIIT is certainly capable of accommodating me with an excellent studying environment, which makes it possible for me to blend into cultures of miscellaneous kinds and unshackle some of my entrenched cognitions to develop the citizenship of the world.

Prof. Aaron Ciechanover and students at GTIIT

I realized my affinity for chemistry at the beginning of high school. I have participated in AP (Advanced Placement®) tests in 10 different subjects and many academic competitions in my high school to explore my interest. When I knew the Nobel laureate in Chemistry Prof. Aaron Ciechanover also works as the Special Envoy of the Technion President at GTIIT, my confidence in studying at GTIIT was further enhanced.

How does it feel to study at GTIIT, compared to your peers who studied at other universities?

I study Chemical Engineering - but it shall feel all the same no matter which program you are in: 'accelerated' and 'hectic'.

This is a campus whose pedagogical system descends from one of the most 'top-notch' universities in the world – Technion – so both the course design and the faculty quality are assured; however, coming with that is the level of courses and the learning pressure here, which, to be frank, are also comparably intense. I suppose the initial anxiety might arise from two respects: understanding the language and familiarizing oneself with the western thinking mode. Admittedly, I might possess a fair edge in the language due to my past education experience, but to my surprise, after a long hasty year, my classmates' English has developed conspicuously, and there are almost no language barriers for most students to communicate with their professors. 

Kuang Wei's research tutor Prof. Xu Peng

One of the most crucial differences between studying at GTIIT and studying somewhere else is one needs to develop the consciousness of autonomous studying. Some students might assume shortsightedly that they can excel without any voluntary learning – which would undoubtedly place them on the verge of failing. Only conscientious students with adequate patience can truly outstand here. Studying here, one needs to make a regular summary of various subjects, go to office hours with unsolved problems, organize your study group, and so on. Remarkably, I felt I have bettered myself to an appreciable extent since I arrived here: I can communicate in English with my professors with assertiveness, browse through textbooks without external assistance, prepare a presentation without pressure, formulate the framework of any discipline I learned independently… 

Another thing I felt in the past year is the support from professors and the university. The first time I met Dr. Constance Van Horne was in her Advanced English class, and I was enormously intrigued by her exuberant teaching fashion. She helped to refine my CV and motivated me to apply for a professor's lab, and she also performed as a career mentor and coached me with her rich anecdotes. The university also furnished us with opportunities in the research lab. I still remember the rapture that permeated my dorm when I got accepted into my professor's lab team.

Kuang Wei's English teacher Dr. Constance Van Horne

Faith is a determining factor for anyone who wants to thrive. Just like many others, there were several nights when I struggled, felt depressed, and was on the brink of succumbing to hedonism; but fortunately, I restrained myself from yielding to self-indulgence and immediately mollified my internal anxiety. All these self-abstinences ensue from the faith in myself that makes every dilemma crystal clear. One more thing I learned at GTIIT is to ask for help because everyone, whoever might seem to you irrelevant, might have his distinct perspective, which would always make your problems straight serendipitously. So, think more, ask more, and learn from others.

Kuang Wei (right) worked as a volunteer to welcome the cohort 2022

What is your plan at GTIIT?

I always believe that self-discipline and planning ahead are keys to achievement. Knowing the precise position that you are in at different stages of life is an indispensable process towards something epic, along with constantly ruminating and replenishing. On a rudimentary basis, I will concentrate on digesting each discipline that would contribute to my future research/work so that I can transform what I saw and what I learned into something meaningful to our society. This pursuit of subjects should be viewed from a consequentialist perspective. I will treat those elementary courses as the building stone to the edifice of my knowledge system, which is of importance compared to grade points themselves. To be an eligible researcher in the future, being acquainted with the research life is another principal quest in my undergraduate. I am in a professor's lab already, but I am also aware that this is only the beginning of an 'austere' journey. 

As I said above, I have a general blueprint for my college time. I will prepare for the GRE test in the summer and take the test at the beginning of my sophomore year. In the second year, I will actively participate in the research projects assigned to me and explore the possibilities of different branches of chemistry. Then I plan to travel to Technion in my second summer and join the exchange program in my third year. In the latter half of my third year, I hope I can produce some research output and begin to prepare for other standardized tests. In my last year, I hope to fully devote myself to professor's research group and rehearse for my graduate study.

I hope I can get into my dream university in the end. Being a scientist is my childhood dream – and luckily, I still got that humble craving for this sacred vocation. "Be modest, be practical" is what my father frequently tells me. Coming to GTIIT is a big step forward toward my promise. As my research tutor, Prof. Xu Peng, once said, "your aim has to be distant so that it is worthy of your quest – it cannot be the hill or pond that is touchable." Dream big, do small – I look forward to seeing myself in three more years.

GTIIT Independent Student Recruitment

With the approval of the Ministry of Education, GTIIT continues to offer admission opportunities to students from the Chinese mainland who meet the requirements of Independent Student Recruitment in 2022, to alleviate the schooling difficulties of students studying abroad due to the COVID-19 epidemic. The deadline for application is on August 18.

As the only Sino-foreign cooperative STEM university in China, GTIIT has introduced high-quality faculty and teaching resources from the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology to provide students with a solid academic research environment and the atmosphere for international communication, which will lay the foundation for their future career or overseas study.

Text/Photos: Kuang Wei, GTIIT Admissions Office, GTIIT News & Public Affairs