JNFLS ambitious youth丨Cao Yawen, a student who has received a pre-admission offer from Cambridge University to study computer science.

2023/03/03

JNFLS ambitious youth丨Cao Yawen, a student who has received a pre-admission offer from Cambridge University to study computer science.

In the 2023 application season, Cao Yawen, a student from JNFLSIC has received a pre-admission offer from Robinson College of Cambridge University. It is reported that only 7 students are enrolled in this academic program  in the world, and Cao Yawen is the only student enrolled in this subject area in Shandong Province this year.

Cao Yawen

Graduates of A-Level program in 2023 from JNFLSIC

University and degree program：

I. Computer Science, Cambridge University

II. Computer Science, Imperial College London

III. Computer Science (AI machine learning), Imperial College London

IV. Bachelor of Science, University of Hong Kong

· GPA：4.35，ranked first in A-Level program for three consecutive years.

· CAIE: Mathematics A*、Economics A*、AS Further Math A、AS Physics A

· Language score: IELTS 7.5

· Awards: Global Gold Medal in UKMT

· Global Gold Medal in NEC

· Excellence Award in the Purple Comet Math Contest

· Bronze Award in Physics Bowl

Passion is the light that illuminates the way forward.

For a long time, Cambridge University has a very high demand for a combined applicants' academic achievements, language proficiency, professional development, and comprehensive quality, it is particularly difficult to apply for computer science program  with its high popularity. She was also advised to consider changing her degree program, "But I still prefer computers and programming, which is a major full of logic, imagination and creativity. When I visited Cambridge as a child, I not only admired its picturesque scenery. When I went to high school, I began to really understand Cambridge through school research, including its tutorial system, academic system, achievements in computer science and curriculum settings, which all deeply attracted me. I have known for a long time that there are too many excellent and diligent people who have become the denominator in this final game. I'm ready to be a new version of the  denominator, but that does not stop me from doing my best. " It is this passion that has given Cao Yawen the strength and courage to keep going and achieve.

Emergence - from less to more, from quantitative change to qualitative change 

Did Yawen stand out in such a highly competitive major? On this question, Yawen said: "in fact, if you understand the concept of emergence, you will unswervingly take every small step, because miracles will happen."

Referring to Yawen's so-called emergence, John Holland, the main founder of his theory, said in the book "Emergence: From Chaos to Order": such as ant communian “emergence network, immune system, the Internet and even the world economy - the overall behavior of any process is far more complex than the parts that make up it, which can be called "emergence" phenomenon. In other words, just as Yawen applied in the field of computer, starting from the simplest transistors of 0 and 1, when a large number of transistors are accumulated, there will be incredible algorithms, artificial intelligence, and so on.

For three years, she has always maintained a diligent and thoughtful, down-to-earth academic  attitude, and made efficient use of her daily time. She memorize every word, actively participate in every English corner, clarify every thread of knowledge, make good use of every resource provided by the school, and actively carry out extracurricular expansion.

Therefore, after years of perseverance, her GPA ranking first in the A-Level program for three consecutive years, and she got excellent results in domestic and foreign competitions. She therefore received offers from the following institutions: Imperial College London, University of Hong Kong, University of Manchester and others. , as well as the recognition and favor of her dream university --Cambridge University. As Cao Yawen points out: "You may never know exactly how memorizing a single word will help your grades or even your college application, but when you accumulate to a certain point, the answer will reveal itself. It's the mystery of emergence."

There is no born winner, and only those who work hard will win in the end.

After listening to Ya Wen's story, we may sigh: this girl simply won from beginning to end. But Yawen herself denied this: "like most people, my high school career has actually been three years of ups and downs." Due to the epidemic, the 2022 summer CAIE exam was changed to PoE (Portfolio of Evidence). My results were not adequate and I had to take the winter exam. I was worried about being rejected by the university during the busy application season combined with the pressure of the exam."

Action is the best way to overcome anxiety. She often spent time in the counselor office, polishing off  the application documents with the counsellor  over and over again, did all the written examination questions of Cambridge University and Oxford University, and actively participated in the mock interview organized by the school, familiarized herself with the interview process with the help of the teacher, and methodically promoted the application matters. She did not slack off in her daily study. "In the process of learning, Yawen not only applied and calculated knowledge, but also kept independent and in-depth thinking, focusing on the occurrence and development of knowledge, so that she could deeply understand each knowledge point. As long as she did the questions and learned the knowledge in class, she could definitely remember and never make mistakes." Teacher Kimiko Jing said. As a result, of all this arduous work finally, in the winter make-up exam, Cao Yawen achieved excellent results in Mathematics A * (98%) and AS Further Mathematics a (99%), and received the pre-admission offer of Cambridge University.

"Happiness and challenges are all experience, and there are good and bad scenery. Just like in my first year of high school, as a provincial student, I left home for the first time and came to JNFLSIC to start a boarding life. I was also worried that I would not adapt to it, but in fact, everything was fine. I soon adapted to the pace of study and life at school and got into this warm-hearted group. Growing up will always encounter a lot of unknown challenges, and I will gain different wonderful things if I go firmly." Cao Yawen said.