I started attending private schools when I was a 7th grader. The previous international school I had attended was a big one, which organized various activities. What impressed me most was that I got many opportunities to do physical exercises. However, there were far too many students in that school for me to get enough attention from the teachers, and the opportunities for me to present myself were limited. So, I transferred to Hongrun Boyuan School in Grade 10.  I'm really glad I made that decision.  For me, the biggest difference between public and international schools lies in their curriculum and self-exploration. The curriculum system offered by international schools is relatively richer than that offered by public schools, widening our options, and giving us a lot of choices. For a student like me, who had mediocre academic performance and was not good at any subject, it was extremely difficult to stand out in the highly competitive public schools. Fortunately, the international school curriculum system has enabled me to develop in the field I am interested in by giving full play to my strengths and avoiding my weaknesses. At the same time, I could adjust the difficult level of my courses and choose the schedule that suited me most according to the suggestions made by teachers and students through the "trial course" at the beginning of the semester.  

In addition, the school offers a variety of student activities, providing me with various opportunities to explore my potential and enthusiasm. Seeing that many friends around me enthusiastically founded their own clubs or joined them when I was just admitted to this international school, I felt at a loss as to what I liked, what I was good at and what I could do. Fortunately, I was introduced to popular dance and became fascinated by it.  Dancing became a small relaxation window of my busy academic life in high school years. Sweating in the dance room helped relieve my pressure, and also helped me find a group of like-minded friends. In the past two years, I have also been the leader of the school dance club. Our club members can always be found performing on the stage in the auditorium for events ranging from "Celebrate the New" to Commencement. Club activities have cultivated my leadership skills, enhanced my sense of responsibility and executive ability, taught me how to make rehearsal planning in advance, coordinate places and members, and how to push everyone to complete one performance after another. As a club leader, I have to take all aspects into consideration before we can finally present a good performance to the audience.  

Accidentally, I found my interest in media. I have been fond of writing since I was in primary school. I also keep a diary to express my mood or record the good or sad moments in my daily life. A WeChat public account named "Ticket Inspector of Hall 3" aroused my interest in media for the first time. It was mainly about how to appreciate movies, and one of its columns was to recommend some good but not well-known movies . By reading this column I realized the power of media. For the first time, I felt that media played a positive role in my life. Without this program, I would have had no idea that there were so many wonderful movies out there. Secondly, the school once invited a journalist to give us a lecture. From her, I learned how reporters prepared for each interview, and how they made a summary and wrote a report after the interview. Thus, I have a deeper understanding of the profession of journalism and the role it plays in media.  

What I would like to say to juniors is that although surviving the application season is very difficult and painful, there is no need to be anxious and do not follow what others say. Only by taking time to understand yourself and what you want will you have a greater sense of purpose, motivation, and will the efforts you’ve made be more valuable. I've always believed in the saying, "The more we know about ourselves, the more we can live the way we want to live."  

The school has a sound system of college counseling and constantly provides us with necessary resources. Whether by participating in the goal-setting and career exploring activities organized in each academic year, or attending the regular counseling activities, lectures and consultation given by universities, I came to realize my interests, explored my future development, and learned more about universities.  

I think one's achievement depends on the environment he or she lives in. How time flies! I have spent two years in SHBS. It has changed me greatly. It has taught me how to study independently and how to manage my time well. It also gave me the opportunity to meet myself in high school, understand myself, my interests and hobbies and explore them deeply. It has also shaped my thoughts. In addition, my family have provided me with not only financial but also spiritual support. "A kid may not be smart enough, may fall behind at the starting line, but remember that an early bird catches the worm", this is what my parents often encouraged me with when I was frustrated. They told me not to get anxious and to constantly improve myself.  There were many outstanding students around me. Even though I could not catch up with them in high school years, I would succeed if I kept improving myself day by day and kept achieving my goals. I am also grateful to my off-campus college advisor, who helped me do a small project during the summer vacation so that I found out why it was better for me to apply for a Canadian university. I also learned how to extract and integrate key information, and how to think about problems from different perspectives.  

Finally, I hope all SHBS students will succeed in getting into their dream college or university.