On crisp autumn days, as the season turns golden and fresh, Shanghai Starriver Bilingual School welcomed visiting representatives from the University of Chicago, Rice University, Swarthmore College, the University of Southern California and a number of other renowned universities from home and abroad, who held themed sharing sessions with our students and their families.

Ms. Alexandria Waters of the University of Chicago spoke on educational philosophy, intellectual disposition and personal decision-making, emphasizing that the value of application materials lies in presenting an authentic and complete self.

Ms. Jessica, Associate Director of Admission at Rice University, held an open session driven by students’ own questions. She explained the university’s review process and the qualities it looks for in applicants, and introduced its student-taught courses, which are designed and led by undergraduates.

Ms. Julie, the University of Southern California’s admission officer for China, drew on her day-to-day reviewing experience to advise applicants to present themselves as the teenagers they genuinely are. She noted that the university values the pursuits students sustain out of genuine interest, together with their ability to collaborate and communicate, and reminded students to take their spoken English seriously.

Ms. Natalie A. Gainer, Admissions Officer at Swarthmore College, introduced the college’s liberal-arts-integrated educational model, its approach to engineering education and its research resources, noting that research opportunities are open to all undergraduates and that students may take time to explore before declaring a major.

The sharing sessions created a platform for direct dialogue between our students and renowned universities from home and abroad. Students not only learned about the differences between different types of institutions, but also gained a clearer sense of their own positioning and future direction.