Interview | 匡伟：结缘广以，收获别样风景

计划之外的选择，也能收获意想不到的风景。受疫情影响，手持麦吉尔大学、伦敦大学学院、悉尼大学等名校本科offer的学生匡伟无法按原计划出国留学，他通过自主招生的方式就读广东以色列理工学院，成为2021级化学工程专业的一名学生。

即使原计划受阻，匡伟仍积极应对变化，寻找更多可能性，逐步接近自己“想要成为一名科学家”的目标。他当初如何结缘广以？就读体验如何？让我们一起听听他的故事。

匡伟

2021级化学工程专业本科生

毕业中学：

重庆市巴蜀中学校John Carroll Program

标化成绩：

SAT 1480（Math 800），TOEFL 111 (MyBest^TM Scores)

此前所获本科Offer情况：

麦吉尔大学、伦敦大学学院、悉尼大学等

你为什么选择广东以色列理工学院?

作为一名爱好理工科的学生，我对一所纯理工科的学校有着天然的好奇心和亲切感。纵观全球顶尖的专攻理工科的院校，诸如MIT（麻省理工学院）、ETH（苏黎世联邦理工学院）、IC（帝国理工学院），以及我们广以的“大本营”Technion，都无一例外地激发我对该类院校的向往之情。

我很早就确定了自己的升学规划和专业方向。尽管受疫情影响，我不得不选择从国外大学转回国内就读，但出国留学仍是我的目标。因此，我迫切希望拥有一个全英文的教学环境。广以来自世界各地的老师和同学无疑给我提供了绝佳的学习环境，我可以融入不同的文化中，感受国际化的氛围，在文化交汇中培养自己“世界公民”的格局。

Aaron Ciechanover教授和学生们在广以

我高一便确定了自己兴趣在化学。因此，我高中便提前修读大学课程并参加各类学术竞赛。当我看到诺贝尔化学奖得主Aaron Ciechanover教授作为驻校特使任职于广以时，更加深了我对这所学校的青睐与憧憬。

对以色列和犹太民族的好奇，以及对纯粹理工学科与院校的追求，促使我选择了广以。

在广以就读是什么体验，尤其是和原来的同学就读其他大学相比？

我的专业是化学工程（Chemical Engineering）。在广以，不论专业或年级，学习生活基本可以用“忙碌”和“充实”来概括。

这是一所理工学校，更是一所来源于以色列理工学院的全球顶尖理工学校。诚然，这里的课程设计与世界一流理工学校别无二致，与之匹配的便是其课程难度和学业压力。我认为初期会面临的困难主要是语言理解和表达，以及适应西方的学习思维模式。相较于其他同学，我在前期语言适应方面有一定的“优势”，但经过一个多学期的洗礼，同学们的英语普遍得到提升。

匡伟的导师徐鹏教授

另外，大部分从高考战线上下来的同学可能不太适应高强度的自主学习，认为跟上老师的安排就能考出高分。在广以，不仅需要自己进行日常性的学科总结，常去老师的office hour请教课堂上的遗留问题，还需要与同学们组成学习小队互相监督学习、讨论问题。在不断突破自己的过程中，我各种能力均有很大提升。在英语方面，我逐渐可以不借助翻译工具，自己“啃”英文教材，用英语与老师们侃侃而谈；在课程表达方面，我可以不疾不徐地准备presentation，从容应对来自老师和同学们的问题；在课程学习方面，我可以独立架构一门学科的知识框架，和同学们互相分享学习心得······

来到广以，我另一个明显的感受是可以得到老师和学校的大力帮助。我的英语交际课老师Constance Van Horne便是其中一位深受大家爱戴的老师。课余时间，老师会帮我斟酌简历，鼓励我申请加入教授的实验室；她还与我分享自己的人生历程，与我说兴趣、谈人生、聊理想，让我逐渐清晰自己的规划。学校也给我们提供许多进入实验室的机会，让我们近距离接触科研。我现在还记得当时成功加入导师实验组时的雀跃，那是一种离自己的梦想更近一步的激动与喜悦之情。

匡伟的英文老师Constance Van Horne博士

总体而言，在广以就读，我觉得最重要的是有信念感。当我深夜做题做到抓耳挠腮、百思不得其解、几近放弃时，我会第一时间冷静下来，平复心情，想想自己的初衷和目的，想想自己崇高的理想和美好的未来。平复过后，我会积极寻找解决问题的措施。在广以，我学会的另一个解决问题的方式是寻求他人的帮助。“他山之石，可以攻玉”，每个人看待事物都有独特的见解。因此，我时常会向老师、同学、学长请教，通过他人的建议、指导和自己的努力，我总能得到“题目”的答案。

匡伟（右）参加广以2022年迎新生志愿活动

你对自己的大学学业以及未来规划是什么？

我一直认为，自律和规划是一个人成功的关键。在特定阶段，对自己有清楚明确的认知并设定相应的目标，是不可或缺的进步过程。在大学，每一门课我都会严阵以待。我认为，对待学习不应仅以分数为导向，而要确保自己能在之后的科研工作中信手拈来地运用所学知识。分数固然十分重要，但夯实地基才能建好上层建筑。为了实现目标，我会积极参与广以的学术科研活动。幸运的是，我在大一便得到导师的认可，成功进入了自己感兴趣的实验组。然而，进实验组只是漫漫科研之路的开端，接下来需要自己的探索，找到感兴趣的研究方向，不断学习和钻研。

至于大学四年的学习规划，我计划在大一暑期着手准备相应的标准化考试，争取大二上学期拿到预期成绩。大二，积极在实验组里学习请教，进一步探究自己的研究兴趣；参与以色列理工学院的暑期交换项目。到了大三，我计划根据自己的研究兴趣，参加学校的海外大学交换项目，在大三暑假之前能在科研上取得一定的进展，开始准备语言考试和研究生申请相关事宜。大四期间，除了维持正常的学业要求，我希望能全身心投入到导师的实验组，进行自己的课题研究，为研究生生涯做好准备。

未来，我希望能到自己梦寐以求的大学深造。“成为科学家”是我孩提时的梦想，很庆幸的是，时至今日我依然对这个职业充满向往与希冀。从小，父亲便劝诫我“要脚踏实地，为世界服务”。小小年纪的我，望着父亲坚毅的眼，也用稚嫩的口吻，应下了这份殷殷期许。来到广以，我感受到自己离目标的又一次接近。正如我的导师徐鹏教授所说：值得你去追求的目标是星辰大海，而不是眼前的小山丘。Dream big, do small. 期待自己在未来四年的蜕变！

广东以色列理工学院自主招生

经教育部批准，广东以色列理工学院今年继续为符合自主招生条件的中国内地学生提供入学机会，以缓解新冠肺炎疫情影响下我国出国留学人员就学困难的问题。今年的自主招生报名截止日期为8月18日。

详细信息请查阅：

作为中国唯一一所理工科中外合作大学，广东以色列理工学院全面引进以色列理工学院的优质师资与教学资源，为学生提供扎实的学术科研环境及良好的国际交流氛围，为其未来求职或海外深造打下深厚的基础。

Unplanned option brings unexpected scenery. Due to the epidemic, Kuang Wei, a student with undergraduate offers from world-renowned universities like McGill University, University College London and University of Sydney, was unable to study abroad as scheduled. Instead, he enrolled in the Chemical Engineering Program at Guangdong Technion - Israel Institute of Technology (GTIIT) through Independent Student Recruitment in 2021.

Even if things didn't go as planned, Kuang Wei actively responded to the changes, looking for more possibilities and gradually getting closer to his dream of becoming a scientist. He will share his experience of studying at GTIIT in this article.

Kuang Wei

Chemical Engineering

Cohort 2021

High School:

Chongqing Bashu Secondary School John Carroll Program

Standardize Test Score:

SAT 1480 (Math 800), TOEFL 111 (MyBest^TM Scores)

Undergraduate offers obtained before:

McGill University, University College London, The University of Sydney, etc.

Why did you choose to study at GTIIT?

Institutions like MIT, ETH Zürich, Imperial College London, and Technion are all coruscating universities that constantly push forward the frontiers of science and technology, attracting millions of students in the world. Being a domestic campus of Technion which specializes in STEM, GTIIT is an indubitably natural temptation to 'nerds' of my kind who yearns for a pure environment of science.

I personally set my goal to study abroad a long time ago. Despite the fact of returning to a domestic university for my undergraduate due to COVID and everything, studying abroad is still of my interest. Therefore, a pure English-speaking pedagogical environment is my paramount concern. Being a campus that attracts students and teachers worldwide, GTIIT is certainly capable of accommodating me with an excellent studying environment, which makes it possible for me to blend into cultures of miscellaneous kinds and unshackle some of my entrenched cognitions to develop the citizenship of the world.

Prof. Aaron Ciechanover and students at GTIIT

I realized my affinity for chemistry at the beginning of high school. I have participated in AP (Advanced Placement®) tests in 10 different subjects and many academic competitions in my high school to explore my interest. When I knew the Nobel laureate in Chemistry Prof. Aaron Ciechanover also works as the Special Envoy of the Technion President at GTIIT, my confidence in studying at GTIIT was further enhanced.

How does it feel to study at GTIIT, compared to your peers who studied at other universities?

I study Chemical Engineering - but it shall feel all the same no matter which program you are in: 'accelerated' and 'hectic'.

This is a campus whose pedagogical system descends from one of the most 'top-notch' universities in the world – Technion – so both the course design and the faculty quality are assured; however, coming with that is the level of courses and the learning pressure here, which, to be frank, are also comparably intense. I suppose the initial anxiety might arise from two respects: understanding the language and familiarizing oneself with the western thinking mode. Admittedly, I might possess a fair edge in the language due to my past education experience, but to my surprise, after a long hasty year, my classmates' English has developed conspicuously, and there are almost no language barriers for most students to communicate with their professors. 

Kuang Wei's research tutor Prof. Xu Peng

One of the most crucial differences between studying at GTIIT and studying somewhere else is one needs to develop the consciousness of autonomous studying. Some students might assume shortsightedly that they can excel without any voluntary learning – which would undoubtedly place them on the verge of failing. Only conscientious students with adequate patience can truly outstand here. Studying here, one needs to make a regular summary of various subjects, go to office hours with unsolved problems, organize your study group, and so on. Remarkably, I felt I have bettered myself to an appreciable extent since I arrived here: I can communicate in English with my professors with assertiveness, browse through textbooks without external assistance, prepare a presentation without pressure, formulate the framework of any discipline I learned independently… 

Another thing I felt in the past year is the support from professors and the university. The first time I met Dr. Constance Van Horne was in her Advanced English class, and I was enormously intrigued by her exuberant teaching fashion. She helped to refine my CV and motivated me to apply for a professor's lab, and she also performed as a career mentor and coached me with her rich anecdotes. The university also furnished us with opportunities in the research lab. I still remember the rapture that permeated my dorm when I got accepted into my professor's lab team.

Kuang Wei's English teacher Dr. Constance Van Horne

Faith is a determining factor for anyone who wants to thrive. Just like many others, there were several nights when I struggled, felt depressed, and was on the brink of succumbing to hedonism; but fortunately, I restrained myself from yielding to self-indulgence and immediately mollified my internal anxiety. All these self-abstinences ensue from the faith in myself that makes every dilemma crystal clear. One more thing I learned at GTIIT is to ask for help because everyone, whoever might seem to you irrelevant, might have his distinct perspective, which would always make your problems straight serendipitously. So, think more, ask more, and learn from others.

Kuang Wei (right) worked as a volunteer to welcome the cohort 2022

What is your plan at GTIIT?

I always believe that self-discipline and planning ahead are keys to achievement. Knowing the precise position that you are in at different stages of life is an indispensable process towards something epic, along with constantly ruminating and replenishing. On a rudimentary basis, I will concentrate on digesting each discipline that would contribute to my future research/work so that I can transform what I saw and what I learned into something meaningful to our society. This pursuit of subjects should be viewed from a consequentialist perspective. I will treat those elementary courses as the building stone to the edifice of my knowledge system, which is of importance compared to grade points themselves. To be an eligible researcher in the future, being acquainted with the research life is another principal quest in my undergraduate. I am in a professor's lab already, but I am also aware that this is only the beginning of an 'austere' journey. 

As I said above, I have a general blueprint for my college time. I will prepare for the GRE test in the summer and take the test at the beginning of my sophomore year. In the second year, I will actively participate in the research projects assigned to me and explore the possibilities of different branches of chemistry. Then I plan to travel to Technion in my second summer and join the exchange program in my third year. In the latter half of my third year, I hope I can produce some research output and begin to prepare for other standardized tests. In my last year, I hope to fully devote myself to professor's research group and rehearse for my graduate study.

I hope I can get into my dream university in the end. Being a scientist is my childhood dream – and luckily, I still got that humble craving for this sacred vocation. "Be modest, be practical" is what my father frequently tells me. Coming to GTIIT is a big step forward toward my promise. As my research tutor, Prof. Xu Peng, once said, "your aim has to be distant so that it is worthy of your quest – it cannot be the hill or pond that is touchable." Dream big, do small – I look forward to seeing myself in three more years.

GTIIT Independent Student Recruitment

With the approval of the Ministry of Education, GTIIT continues to offer admission opportunities to students from the Chinese mainland who meet the requirements of Independent Student Recruitment in 2022, to alleviate the schooling difficulties of students studying abroad due to the COVID-19 epidemic. The deadline for application is on August 18.

Read More:

As the only Sino-foreign cooperative STEM university in China, GTIIT has introduced high-quality faculty and teaching resources from the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology to provide students with a solid academic research environment and the atmosphere for international communication, which will lay the foundation for their future career or overseas study.

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文/图：匡伟、GTIIT招生办公室、GTIIT传媒与公共事务部

Text/Photos: Kuang Wei, GTIIT Admissions Office, GTIIT News & Public Affairs

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