Staying in the Upper Middle Is My Comfort Zone
This has been a picture of my life from childhood to adulthood. With a bit more effort, I could always stay in the upper middle. I didn't have to strive desperately for the first place, nor did I need to worry about being at the bottom of the class. So until I was admitted to East China Normal University, my life was basically smooth sailing, without any particularly memorable and arduous experiences. But actually, there has always been a sentence in my heart: fly a little higher, see a little farther, and then you will know how big the world beyond your immediate surroundings is. This was the original intention for me to sign up for the school's "2 + 2" program later on.
As time went by, in my junior year, I participated in the school's cooperative exchange program and came to Columbia, a small city in the central United States, in the state of Missouri. This small city has basically developed around the University of Missouri - Columbia. There are only two bus lines that I often take, which form an 8 shape. Interestingly, I heard that this city is the hometown of the founder of Walmart. Therefore, this small area houses three huge Walmart supermarkets, which relieves the usual embarrassment of being in the middle of nowhere in the rural parts of the US.
Since it was a school program, there was no complicated application process. All I needed to do was provide my TOEFL score. So I got my score ready, and in the summer of 2014, I steadily dragged three huge suitcases and came to this city with a particularly catchy name.
My First Professor Was from India
Among listening, speaking, reading, and writing, listening has always been my weak point. And when I found out that my first professor was from India, I felt intimidated instantly. So I tried to stare at the teacher's lip movements, trying to understand what he was saying. During the first week of classes, I could only learn by half-guessing based on the courseware. But as it turned out, this misfortune became a blessing in disguise. I was forced to preview the courseware of each class like a primary school student, and gradually I got used to the teacher's accent. In fact, compared to the science classes in China where we almost spent the whole time proving formulas and theorems, the statistics classes in the US fully immerse you in various real-life examples. The homework after class isn't difficult either. Even if there are things you don't understand, you can always get them solved by waiting outside the professor's office, and it can also leave a deep impression on the professor. Later, I often told junior students that as long as you put in a little effort, getting an A isn't hard.
The class taught by the Indian professor gave me great confidence. Later in Columbia, I gradually started to receive a "liberal arts education". I took courses such as art appreciation, game theory and philosophy, and college physics, which I would never have thought of taking before. I enjoyed every single class. Compared to the packed professional courses and some compulsory public courses I took in the first two years at East China Normal University, these "off-topic" courses in Columbia gave me a space to explore and made me more clearly aware of what I like and what I don't like. Looking back now, actually, apart from the academic discoveries and choosing a direction, it's also very important to know your preferences in life. Because how far we can go academically may depend on many coincidences, but slowly finding your comfort zone in life can help you adjust yourself faster, set off again, and benefit you for a lifetime.
Speak Out For What You Want
After coming to the US, my biggest realization is that only by speaking out what you want can others try their best to help you. In Columbia, I'm proud to say that I never regretted not fighting for myself. I actively sent an email to the professor to be his tutor, grading assignments and tutoring students for him. During the spring break of my first year, I participated in volunteer activities. I drove seven hours with a group of foreign friends to Atlanta to provide volunteer services for homeless children and victims of domestic violence to rebuild their homes. I knocked on the door of the office of a big name in biostatistics in the statistics department and asked him to guide me to complete the honor program in the last semester, which gave me my first taste of real academic experience. I found that although sometimes you should keep your goals in mind and work hard secretly, in American life, it seems that only by expressing your inner wishes can you get more help and more good luck.
Follow the Stars and Go Even Further
Just as I said at the beginning, throughout my entire student life, I always lived comfortably in the upper middle position. Because of this, I would be extremely nervous during the high school entrance examination, the college entrance examination, and later when applying for postgraduate studies. Because if I went to an unsatisfactory school, I would still just be lingering in the upper middle position. So the greatest effort I made for myself was to get into a good university and then continue to live leisurely. During these three crucial periods of striving, the luckiest thing for me was to find three friends who I could always strive to catch up with. I privately think this is my ultimate secret.
I'm not very self-disciplined, but I'm a bit competitive. I found that whenever I wanted to keep up with my friends around me, my steps would become bigger and I wouldn't stop so easily. I really want to thank my friend quietly. When I didn't want to memorize GRE words, she casually told me that she got 332 on the GRE, which motivated me to work hard during the last Thanksgiving holiday and finally I got 325 (still in the upper middle). And every weekend night, when I was reluctant to leave the dinner table while watching TV, a casual comment from my friend like "She finished this week's homework in one afternoon" would make me slink back to my room to study.
My friend and I bought fried chicken and drove to a desolate place to watch the starry sky; with my newly obtained driver's license that was still warm, I drove an upperclassman's car to a neighboring city to eat sushi; I dressed up with all my cosmetics to attend a Halloween event, but ended up freezing and rushing home before even dancing a single dance... Life in Missouri was as peaceful as the forests and plains everywhere in Columbia, serene and fulfilling. This makes me, who later lived in bustling Boston, often recall these memories. It was really a precious time. A few years later, when I make an appointment with my doctor friends to attend their graduation ceremony, I must drive back again to see the Missouri River that I didn't have time to visit back then.
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