Jinchen Xue
“The process here is mostly different from China; it is more than just studying for one test. You have to first know yourself and be confident.” College Attending
Lehigh University
As you began the college process, what were you looking for in a college and what were your initial feelings towards the process?
I knew that I wanted to study in the northeast and I really considered people's college recommendations. I also wanted a college with a good reputation and recognizable name. I was also just looking for a certain feeling from a school. Since I want to study business, I listened to the college counselor and friends when they told me about colleges and I read a lot about colleges that had good business program. I also went on some college visits. At first, I thought it would be long and complicated. Mostly, I was excited but a little bit afraid of the process.
What roles did faculty members and/or the college counselor play in the college process?
People were very important and helpful in this process. As an international student I only knew a little bit about colleges in America . There are many good colleges here – more than I know. Teachers and the college counselor gave me many good suggestions and helped me decide on the colleges that I applied to. The college counselor also helped me with the application process since it is totally different than how we apply to colleges in China .
How did you make the decision on which college you wanted to attend?
First I compared the reputation and the business programs between the colleges. My brother took me to all of the colleges and went to the open houses for accepted students. I listened to what the faculty said and I thought it was really important to learn about how they would teach us and what to expect in the classroom. I paid a lot of attention to the professors. I also visited the campus to make sure it was beautiful.
Looking back, what did you learn about yourself through the college process?
The process here is mostly different from China because in China you take one test and either your score is high enough or not for the college you want to go to. You focus on studying and taking the test. But here, you have so much more to do; you have to visit colleges, you have to write essays, and you have to show colleges that you really are a good student so that they will accept you. The process makes you do more than just study. You have to first know yourself and be confident. You have to do everything by yourself – even though there is help from everyone – you still have to do it on your own. Through this process – I practiced how to do something that takes more than just studying and doing well on a test.
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