黄慧珍 Sylvia Huang
苏州德威国际高中2018年毕业班学生
目前被英国皇家兽医学院录取,该专业每年只录取5名国际生
可爱的小动物是我们每一个人都非常喜欢的,但是,当一名兽医可不是一件容易的事情。而苏州德威国际高中的黄慧珍同学从小就热爱医学,喜欢小动物,现在她拿到了被誉为英国兽医摇篮的英国皇家兽医学院的offer。
要知道,这所学校可是全欧洲最好的兽医研究中心之一,也是英国最早的、规模最大的兽医学院。每年国际生只录5个人左右,这可比牛津剑桥难太多了!能被这所学校录取,那可真的学霸中的学霸呀!
爷爷熏陶+医院实习=兽医梦的诞生
黄慧珍的爷爷是中医,在爷爷的熏陶下,“医生”成为她能清楚认知的第一份职业。爷爷在慧珍心里种下了一粒名叫“医生”的种子,小小的她已经开始憧憬自己的“医生生涯”。
当然,真正对生物这个学科、医生这个职业感兴趣还是在她高一的时候。“生物课上,老师在讲解人体的时候,血管里静静流淌的血液,呼吸时重重的气息声,”都让她觉得生命是如此神奇。测心跳时,听着那有节奏的咚咚声,她切实感受到了生命的存在。从那个时候开始,更加坚定了她要当医生的想法。
打小时候开始,慧珍就喜欢各种各样的小动物,她养过的宠物不计其数。高中时候的她更是常常去到宠物医院实习,看着那些小动物慢慢好起来,自己的心情也跟着晴朗了。从那个时候开始,她就下定决心做一名兽医。“尽管这看起来是一个很小众的专业,但却是我真正的兴趣所在”,她说到。
空闲时间,慧珍最喜欢做的事情就是去看小动物,特别是那些流浪动物。有一次,她去一家救助中心帮忙。在那里,由于流浪动物数量巨大,但救助资源有限,救助中心环境让她感觉不尽如人意。看着乱糟糟的圈舍,毛发凌乱的小动物,黄慧珍暗暗下决心要竭尽所能地去改善这一现状。
去年暑假,慧珍去巴厘岛参与了海龟救助活动。据她介绍,海龟救助其实是一件极其单调的事情。每天把刚孵化的小海龟放生回到海里,除此之外,还要帮助它们清扫池子。“虽然都是一点一滴的小事,但在帮助小动物改善生存状况的路上,我终于迈出了一步。”
去年12月份的时候,黄慧珍更是只身一人,前往成都大熊猫基地担任志愿者。“一直都觉得大熊猫圆滚滚的超可爱,正好看到相关招募信息就毫不犹豫地参加了。”在基地,她的日常工作就是劈竹子、整理笼子、给熊猫做食物,“没事的时候就静静盯着它们看,虽然这样的日子看起来有点平淡,却也深得我意。”
在那里,慧珍遇到了一位教授,并有幸与之交流。她不仅获得了更多关于熊猫的知识,也开始对“医者仁心”有了更深的感悟。“照顾小动物是一种爱心,所谓的仁心,更多的是用平等的态度去看待人和动物的关系,不仅要关心爱护它们更要尊重他们的生活习性。”照顾小动物的经历让她对兽医专业的选择更加坚定!
学习经验大揭秘
学医从来都是一条艰辛的道路,那些能考取国外医学专业的无疑都是“学霸”。英国兽医专业的入学要求很高,A-level必须要有生物和化学两门成绩,申请学生至少要有A-level的AAB成绩。英国皇家兽医学院(Royal Veterinary College)甚至具体要求至少四周工作经验。最终,慧珍以雅思7.0,学科AAA的优异成绩取得面试资格。
对于好学的小新来说,怎么会轻易放弃这个请教经验的绝佳机会呢?下面奉上热气腾腾的“经验帖”。如果学霸意味着十全十美,那恐怕是难以复刻的经验。相比之下,这份“经验帖”就显得接地气很多。
“兴趣是最好的老师”,想必这样的话在学霸语录里出现的频率可以抵得上见面时的一句“你好”了。当然,这也正是慧珍强调的,在她看来,没有兴趣的学习就如同没有灵魂的生命一般毫无动力。兴趣是基础,付出是关键,课堂上的积极互动,课下的资料搜集,有了积淀才会有喷薄而出的动力。只会学习一定不是最会学习的,在慧珍看来,学会减压是高中生活的一门必修课。课后,她最喜欢的就是拼图,“每次压力大的时候都会花一到两个小时去完成一幅拼图,学会转移注意力才能更专注。”这个小小的爱好,在她的面试过程中可真帮了她不小的忙。
静可撸猫发呆 动可驰骋绿茵广交好友
宠物医院的医生都会让人感觉“现世安稳 时光静好”,整天撸猫撸狗,生活岂不快哉?甚至会觉得,兽医这个职业就是为这个小姑娘量身打造的,因为她是那么的安静又不失阳光,看起来就让人想要依赖。
当慧珍说到她最喜欢的课外活动是跳舞和手铃时,这仿佛是情理之中。少女和手铃,少女和舞蹈,不管怎样都是一副绝美的画作。让人有点难以置信的是她刚刚帮助德威拿下一场足球赛,这个女孩子有一种反差萌。
慧珍在足球队担任前锋,她说,“毕竟马上要毕业了,强烈的团队荣誉一直激励着我们”。私下里,足球队的几个小伙伴为了准备比赛,经常主动聚在一起讨论战术或者一起训练,大家心里都暗暗憋着一股劲,“不说出口的想法好像更具有力量”。那天,虽然是在别人的主场,但这群女孩子丝毫不逊色,哪怕暂时落后也毫不灰心,一路高歌猛进,因为她们知道“最后一次,一定要拼了”。在这样的气势下,连续进球更是让她们大受鼓舞,轻松拿下比赛。回忆起来,慧珍说“大家在一起欢呼,我们终于做到了。毕业前的愿望清单终于又划掉一个。”
这样一个能在绿茵场上肆意驰骋的小姑娘,总是能让人感到惊讶。虽然她自称“有点内向”,却能轻轻松松玩转国外夏令营。高二暑假,她去到伯克利参加了夏令营。在那里,全新的体育项目---飞盘,轻松开放的课堂氛围都让她印象深刻。“世界各地不同的学生坐在同一个教室里,针对同一个问题,每个人都有自己的看法。在那样的氛围中,连我这样一个内向的人都忍不住参与进去。这大概就是环境的力量吧。不用担心观点的对错,我迈出了第一步。”在短短的几天时间里,她迅速的结识了几位马来西亚的好朋友,在她看来,友谊是最大的收获。“我没想到,在夏令营建立的友谊可以这么深厚又持久,到如今,我们依旧保持着联系。”
其实像黄慧珍这样有个性的同学还有很多,因为德威非常注重学生兴趣爱好的培养。“在学生申请大学的时候,学校非常注重、鼓励学生去选择自己感兴趣的大学和专业,而不是盲目地追求名校和热门专业。所以,今年还有一位卜雪凡同学拿到了英国利兹大学牙医专业的Offer,这个专业也是每年只录取五名国际学生。
—— 苏州德威国际高中庄晓燕校长
Sylvia Admitted to Royal Veterinary College
Most people like cute furry animals, but being a vet is not an easy task. Sylvia Huang from the Dulwich International High School Suzhou loved both medicine and small animals from a very early age. Now she has received an offer from the British Royal Veterinary College, widely known as the cradle of British veterinarians. It is one of the best veterinary research centers in Europe and it is Britain's oldest and largest veterinary school. Each year, the school only admits around five international students, which is a much lower figure than either Oxford or Cambridge. You have to be a straight A student to be admitted to this school.
Sylvia’s grandfather is a Chinese medicine practitioner. As a result, this became the first profession that young Sylvia was able to recognize. This planted a seed in her mind, which has now grown to fruition.
In the biology class, when the teacher explained the human body, the blood flowing quietly in the blood vessels and the breath sounds when breathing, she really felt the rhythm of life. Since that time, she has strengthened her desire to become a veterinary doctor. When she was a child, Sylvia loved animals and kept countless pets that she cared for attentively. When she was in high school, she often went to the local pet hospital to learn and practice veterinary care skills. She delighted in watching small animals get better. From that time on,she was determined to be a veterinarian. "Although this seems like a very niche specialty, it is my real interest," she said.
Last summer, Sylvia went to Bali to participate in turtle rescue activities. According to her, turtle rescue is actually a very challenging but deeply repetitive task. Newly hatched baby turtles were released back into the sea every day and their pool required regular cleaning. "Although it is a little bit of a trifle, I feel I took a step toward helping small animals improve their living conditions."
In December of last year, Sylvia went to Chengdu Giant Panda Base as a volunteer on her own. “I have always felt that the giant panda is so cute. I just happened to see the relevant recruitment information and applied without hesitation.” At the base, her daily work was to rake bamboo, tidy up the cage, and make food for the panda. “When I finished my work I loved to observe at them and although the works was difficult I loved being close to them."
There, Sylvia met a professor and was fortunate to communicate with him. Not only did she gain more knowledge about pandas, she also began to have a deeper understanding of what it means to be a vet. “Caring for small animals is a kind of love. The so-called kindness is more about treating people and animals with equal respect. It is not only about caring for them but also respecting their living habits.”
This wealth of work experience helped Sylvia greatly during the interview process. British veterinary professional entry requirements are high. A-level must have both biological and chemistry scores. Applicants must have at least A-level AAB. The Royal Veterinary College even requires at least four weeks of work experience. In the end, Sylvia qualified for the interview with IELTS 7.0 and subject AAA.