I transferred to SHBS when I was a 10th grader. Previously, due to the covid pandemic, I had not been able to attend a high school in the U.S., so at the end of that summer, I chose SHBS because it offered a curriculum system most similar to that of an American high school. At SHBS, each student has his or her own class schedule and can choose the courses that suit him or her or that he or she likes. Students may discuss what courses suit them with subject teachers, college counselors, faculty members, and even with the principal. In addition, they are allowed to attend classes on trial for a week after school starts before making adjustments to their class schedules so that students can fully understand both the courses and themselves. Sometimes, I was worried that some of the classes might be so difficult that my grades would suffer, but the teachers kept encouraging me to believe in myself and to persevere, though everything appeared to be difficult at the beginning. As a result, I got good grades in some Honor and AP classes. I like some classes very much, such as Women's Literature and World Literature, and I didn't find them difficult once I enjoyed them. I also had the opportunity to try tennis, golf, Tai Chi, and especially rowing. How relaxing and enjoyable it was to sweat heavily while rowing on the lake next to our school at sunrise!

Our school has been arranging a rich variety of activities: some of them are related to arts, while others are pro bono; some are exciting, while others are quiet. Thus, anyone can find one activity suitable for him or her. Much is left to the discretion of the students at SHBS. For example, students are encouraged to create their own clubs and organize their own activities, and teachers will give them full support. I am always on good terms with my schoolmates because I am ready to help others. I often participate in various activities and performances, especially pro bono activities , such as "Pickup Zhujiajiao " and Thanksgiving Charity Bazaar.

Our school started to offer us one-on-one college counseling when we were in the 10th grade. College counselors of our school helped us plan activities, gave us advice on many things such as course selection, academic grades, competitions, standardized tests and summer school etc. During the summer vacation before our 12th grade year, the school opened up the CIALFO system so that we could prepare documents needed for our college application including a detailed list of activities, personal strengths, preferences, personality traits, academic profile, majors, letters of recommendation, etc. By completing these preliminary documents, I got a clear picture of myself, my choice of colleges and the intention of writing documents. Afterwards, one needs to be very careful in the application process including filling in the CA system. For example, I almost forgot to sign the ED agreement in the end, but fortunately, my college counselor reminded me and gave me instructions in time.

I applied for Tulane University at the ED stage. When I was an 11th grader, I attended some presentations given on campus by several colleges, and I was impressed by the one given by Tulane. In my 12th year, Tulane University held another online seminar, and Ms. Shen reminded me to attend it and encouraged me to ask questions and interact with their admission officer. Ms. Chuman helped analyse my qualifications including my GPA and offered her advice that Tulane would suit me well. Of course, I could have striven for some colleges with higher rankings, but our school has never blindly believed in rankings, and I remember that several parents encouraged us not to go too far in the pursuit of ranking at the 2021 Parent Forum. Last year, Principal Chris published an article detailing what makes the best college. So when I decided to apply for Tulane at the ED stage, my college counselors and my parents supported me unconditionally. Although I had never mentioned Tulane to them before telling them my decision, we were in agreement with each other on this issue.

Tulane University places special emphasis on community service, and is probably the only university in the US that makes community service as a graduation requirement. Thanks to SHBS’s students’ voluntary service system, such as "Integrating into the community and serving the community" and "10 hours of volunteer service on campus", I happened to have 3-year-long experiences in off-campus social research and practice. Therefore, I have met Tulane’s requirement in terms of on-campus and off-campus activities.

Inspired by “Mind Over Major”, an article that Principal Chris sent us in July 2022, I didn't choose my major when I applied to Tulane. The article was written by his good friend Dan Edelstein, a professor at Stanford University, and it began with "What if I were to tell you that your major didn't matter?"  I was least confident in my Biology when I was in the 9th grade,but now it has become my favorite subject. People's interests change with time, so it's better for me not to decide on a major first. My father has been telling me for years, "The purpose of going to school is to learn, and what you will major in, what you will do in the future, and whether you will succeed or not, are all natural outcomes, and should not be the goals to be pursued." So, my father also liked this article. He said that this article mentions what Confucius said, "A gentleman is not a tool. (Confucius said: "The man of high virtue is not like a vessel of merely one limited use. The ancient Greek word for leisure was scholé, which noncoincidentally was also their word for school. Tulane is rated the happiest college in the nation every year, so maybe I'm not understanding it thoroughly, but it certainly reinforced my decision to choose Tulane.

I applied to very few other colleges except Tulane, and my parents asked me to apply to the UC system, but I refused. Fortunately, I got an offer from Tulane on December 1 last year. It seemed that everything went smoothly with my college application process, and almost all decisions were left to my discretion. However, my dream could not have been fulfilled without the guidance and support from my principal, teachers, classmates, friends and parents. I would like to give my sincere thanks to them!