From the Office of College Counselling
characteristics at Keystone. Every academic year, Being ‘unique’ does not mean that what one has
the stories of our young graduates are published in achieved cannot be replicated and it does not mean
Keystone’s communications platforms.
either that no one cares about what you do or what
achievements you have gotten in your academic
Students have the option to choose any activity: a
life. It is about why you do it, how you do it, and
project or a creative idea. But whatever your choice how well you do it. It is the results of your personal
is, you need to constantly ask yourself: Am I hon- growth and personal efforts, not just a paragraph
estly pursuing a heartfelt interest? Why am I doing written on your resume.
this? Do I sincerely care about my relationship with
the people and the environment around me? Why
· · ·
do I continue to pursue this? What is my academic
passion? What are the shared concerns of the world The New York Times columnist Frank Bruni recently
and humanity that I care about? What other things wrote, “Where you go is not who you will be,” a
have I tried and persisted in doing? “Making a quote that has been shared by many applicants,
difference” is necessary; repeating the same things parents, university admissions officers, and college
in the same fashion as others is never a good idea. counselors alike. They echoed the idea that factors
That said, doing things that are extravagant but such as school ranking that many people (espe-
completely meaningless is not advised either.
cially in China) care about a lot are not as important
as they may seem because everyone agrees that an
The most essential idea for applicants is to learn to applicant’s experience in college, rather than the
think independently; search for problems based on college itself, will have a more profound influence
their observations of learning, life, and society; and on their life. As I mentioned at the beginning of this
explore their interests and passions. Some students article, the most important task for a college coun-
like scientific research and immerse themselves in selor is to help applicants find and get admitted to
their field of interest. Others pursue public welfare a university that is challenging and matches their
and are passionate about social responsibility. long-term goals. It isn’t easy to be accepted to a
Some students enjoy working on nonacademic reputable and suitable university, but it is also not
projects to deepen their understanding of the difficult for applicants to ponder what they really
world. Others enjoy trying new things and bringing care about, develop good study habits and skills in
innovative ideas to life. You might enjoy sport, high school, and build a ‘unique’ self. And through
music, performance, education, virtual reality, this, they should attend the university that is the
artificial intelligence, the internet, astronomy, right fit for them. At Keystone, a culture of anxi-
archaeology… the list is endless. Only by finding ety-inducing pressure does not exist. We encourage
your area of research or interest and sticking to it our students to take the time for self-exploration
can you present a ‘unique’ self in your application and academic development, all the while staying
to colleges and universities. true to their authentic selves.
The Keystone Magazine 97