At the two parents meeting on Nov 17th and Nov 24th, UCS awarded students with commendable achievements from 2022-23. From different classes and grades, these students and their efforts and experience on learning, discipline and leadership inspires every member at UCS.  

Tips from award winners

Are you curious about how they made it? We interviewed them about their learning methods. Let's take a look at these! 

Q: How do you maintain the motivation and passion for your study? What do you do when you feel tired of studying?

Serena Liang: The mental state during studying plays a vital role. A positive mental state naturally provides the motivation to tackle difficulties. While studying subjects one enjoys, like music or language, enthusiasm remains consistent, often leading to a focused "flow" state. However, if the mental state declines, taking a break to rest, walk, or listening to music helps to regain courage to confront the challenges within about an hour.

Stephanie Fu: There are two types of motivation, one from the external sources and another from your inner side. Inner motivation is obviously the better option, but seeking external factors to create inspiration is also a choice. When I first came to UCS, I always wanted to prove to others that I could do well. Therefore, I relied heavily on the feedbacks, attention, and expectations from others to give my self confidence and keep going. Although it's not a long-term solution, in times when inner motivation is hard to find, leveraging such external forces is feasible.

For me, truly embracing a subject with passion requires a lengthy process. Only when you have put in enough effort and gained a deep understanding of the subject will your interest grow. You'll then willingly put in more time, thus forming a positive cycle.

Passion for learning never emerge before you start studying but after, so instead of fantasizing about passion for learning, it's better to start learning first. I never force myself to study and instances of being unable to continue learning can happen frequently. We need to accept the fact that we as human beings get tired. So do what interests and relaxes you when you are tired. Balance work and leisure.

Q: How do you allocate time for everything? How do you balance life, study and leisure?

Selina Zheng: This varies depending on the time period; my focus changes in each period, but the proportion of life tasks remains constant. During exam seasons or when I have projects to complete, I reduce activities and dedicate most of my time to studying. Once this period passes and tasks decrease, I increase my leisure time slightly-going to the theater more often, going out on weekends, shopping, and the like.

Jessie Zhu: Firstly, I prioritize classroom learning, ensuring attentive participation during lectures and discussions. In between classes, I prioritize study tasks, completing assignments early to ensure efficient academic performance. I adhere to a scheduling system for activities and avoid last-minute arrangements as much as I can. This helps me better manage time, avoid unnecessary disruptions, allowing for increased focus on completing tasks and activities. Through these methods, I'm able to effectively balance studying, activities, and life tasks, maintaining an efficient and organized lifestyle.

Q: Do you have any study tips or techniques to share with us?

George Xi: During long exam periods, I find it hard to maintain concentration. Therefore, the night before the exam, ensuring sufficient sleep until natural awakening is crucial. Additionally, if permitted, having a can of Red Bull before the exam helps maintain a high level of alertness. When encountering challenging topics in studies, I first read through the textbook and take notes. If there are still uncertainties, I quickly seek help from the teacher to ensure no knowledge points are missed.

Kitty Zhu: It's important to decide what you want to accomplish before starting studying. This approach leads to higher efficiency than deciding what to do when already studying. Find a suitable study environment and rhythm that suits you, not necessarily following the teacher's pace entirely.

Q: How do you define “leadership”? What wouldn’t a real leader do?

Stephanie Lv: I believe that if one has “leadership,” they can evoke the potential of their team members, inspire strong cooperation within the team and lead everyone towards a shared goal together. In my opinion, bureaucracy is in contrast to leadership. Acting demanding or condescending is definitely not leadership. Instead, making team members genuinely willing to join your team and work together with you is what you hope to see.

Albert Shao: Firstly, a true leader must be able to save the day. I believe as a leader, one must have the courage and ability to deal with the worst case, showing the that he or she is always there to back the team up. Secondly, “observations”, that is to be good at finding the strengths and weaknesses of the team members as well as the advantages and shortcomings of the team as a whole. Also, using these insights reasonably is essential. Additionally, there’s “planning”. Being able to reasonably plan one's own time to benefit team management as well as planning the time and tasks of team members from a long-term perspective is crucial. Merely giving orders or being too gentle isn't good leadership.

Q: What has been your biggest changes since entering Ulink? Why did these changes take place?

Daniel Hong: After entering Ulink, I have developed more interest in social responsibilities. I avoided all community service in middle school because I considered them irrelevant to my personal growth. But under the influence of my teacher Emily and my classmates I realized my mission was not to be a better student but to be a better human being, one who is kind, responsible and worldly.

Gordon Cai: With every creative group assignments and intriguing classroom activities, my interest in learning has deepened, thus enhancing my academic performance significantly. Simultaneously, by consistently participating, organizing, and coordinating various school activities, I've learned to interact effectively with diverse individuals and efficiently resolve unexpected situations.

Gloria Huang: After joining UCS, I've become much more outgoing, more willing to socialize, and participate in various activities. I believe this change stems from UCS's rich activity resources and campus events. These opportunities enable direct understanding of activities, spark my interest, and encourage me to get involved. Meanwhile, joining student associations allowed me to be part of the organization teams of these events, which developed my leadership skills, communications skills and more.

Q: How did you become committed to the subject you won the awards in?

Jenny Zhou: It started with me noticing news and business activities. Later, I found it intriguing to interpret current events with economic theories after reading some introductory books. My passion for accounting originated from a research project where I analyzed corporate marketing strategies. I thought it would be better if I could analyze the data in some financial reports. In short, these interests may have originated from occasional discoveries or curiosity, which gradually intensified through deeper explorations. Along this journey, it's possible to develop the enthusiasm for more subjects or fields, as well as their cross-overs.

Note: Jenny was Top in China in the AS Accounting exam of CAIE 2023

Bonn Mao: I gradually confirmed my love for mathematics by self-studying, participating in math competitions and challenging complicated problems. These experiences not only improved my mathematical skills, but also deepened my understanding of the beauty of mathematics, filling me with enthusiasm for this subject.

Note: Bonn was Top in the World in the AS Further Mathematics exam of CAIE 2023.

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