What is great about a Liberal Arts Education: answers and advice from a student who knows

How does someone get accepted into what some surveys call the best Liberal Arts College in the US? What should a student do on campus to contribute in and out of the classroom? How does a student prepare for the real world after graduation? Lisa provides invaluable insights in her interview.

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Questions

Can you tell us a little about where you grew up in China and a little about your family?

I was born and raised in Tianjin. Whenever I am asked where that is, I usually say that it’s a city next to China’s capital city, Beijing. LOL. Like most of my friends, I am the only child of my family. The one word I would use to describe my parents would be “ambitious.” Both of them are very ambitious about me as “the future of my family.” I am, as the saying goes, the “apple of their eyes.” Since my parents did not have many opportunities when they were my age, they worked extra hard so that I could get access to the best education.

You attended Tianjin Foreign Languages School. Recently the school was featured in a profile and here is part of what was said:

"Mastery and proficiency in languages alone is no longer sufficient to prepare the students for the competitive global market," said Diao Yajun, principal of Tianjin Foreign Language School, which has 2,100 students in six grades.

"It's more important to boost creative and innovative thinking, so that students can better adapt to the global community whatever their future major and career is."

First of all, did the school teach students to be more than just good students and if so how did they do this? 

I’d say that they did an absolutely great job at preparing students for the real world. So if you travel back in time, you would see that the typical “good” students are also involved in tons of activities on campus – partly because of TFLS’s dedicated support for student leadership development, creativity and international outreach. TFLS is an open-minded place where any student can make things happen. “Dreaming big” was not something we were taught at school, but it was just there – embedded in our culture.

A lot of people in education in the US (and In China too) say that schools in China only teach students to be great test takers. I hear this all the time and yet I know some schools in China are doing far more. Would you say there is too much emphasis on rote learning or is this becoming an outdated paradigm for top schools in China?

From my personal experience at TFLS, learning by rote was never a thing. Take for example my English classes, teachers ALWAYS encourage us to practice what we learn from the textbook with one another and with native speakers. In those days, we did recite considerable amount of texts from “Look Ahead” (the textbook we used for our English classes)… sometimes 400 words per week. But everybody understood that it was for our own benefits. Believe it or not, recitation was a wonderful way to turn something unfamiliar into a habit. The more I practiced, the more I spoke and thought like a native speaker. At some point, it’s just like relying on muscle memory when playing the piano! I might have excelled at test taking, but I know the things I learned at TFLS would help me excel at cross-cultural communications.

Tianjin Foreign Language School

Were there substantive activities associated with the school and if so what were they?

In terms of activities, the performing arts were definitely a big theme in my days – it’s really been a while! There were also debate societies, Model United Nations Club, TFLS Television, and a variety of other activities. One thing that I had at school, which I’m not sure still exists now, was that on every Friday afternoon, students had “activities time” where they could shop around and join one of their favorite. It’s definitely one of the highlights of my middle school education. I love the opportunity to explore and learn more from my teachers and my peers.

From there you decided to change your life by attending a school in the UK. The school itself has a unique history and is not well known in the US, First of all how did you find out about Royal Wolverhampton School? Why did you decide to go there, and finally what was it like? Was it a tough adjustment? Did you find the academics challenging? Can you say why you chose the subjects you did your GCE’s in?

The long story began with a global merit scholarship exam that the British Council in China held on behalf of the Royal Wolverhampton School (RWS) in November 2009. TFLS was, very fortunately, one of the participant schools that sent candidates to take this exam. So I found out about RWS through the British Council. If I were lucky to be selected by the school, I would have a chance to get 100% funding to pursue two years of high school education in the UK. That was the only thing I knew about the school when I went to take the exam. I didn’t consider going abroad for high school very seriously at the time and wasn’t sure if I would make one of the seven global scholars they looked for. That’s why I put these thoughts away as soon as I finished the exam.

I was notified of my admissions to the program with full scholarship in April 2010 and hence began one of the most heated discussions in my family’s history. Should I go or should I not go? Trust me, it was a tremendously difficult decision to make! I was ready to say yes because I always wanted to travel around the world and become a global citizen. My parents were a lot more conservative and suggested that I weigh the pros and cons of going abroad, which they saw as a risky step to take. In the end, I listened to my heart and embraced the uncertainty.

Lisa at RWS 

For my parents who used to see me 7 days a week, my going abroad at the age of 17 was definitely a tough adjustment. But for myself, it wasn’t at all. I traveled all by myself to the U.S. for a two-month leadership summer camp when I was 15 and then to Melbourne, Australia shortly before I turned 17. So going to England was not a daunting idea, nor was it in practice. I still remember the moment I arrived at the façade of RWS – it was just like one of those royal castles in Harry Potter! Engraved on the building were the words that revealed the magic of the place – “I was a stranger, and you took me in.” A stranger as I was to the rest of the school, I found a warm and welcoming home. It was a comfortable place where I developed my personality and made lifelong friends.

In terms of academics, it was definitely more challenging than I expected – challenging in the sense that the methods of learning were almost alien to me. Take my favorite subject, history, for example. GCE A Level history was so much less about memorizing facts and figures than it was about logically structuring the facts and figures we know into a coherent argument. I struggled with writing in an argumentative style from the beginning but got a handle on it over time. As a huge fan of social sciences, I also chose Sociology, Geography and Economics, all of which gave me a better understanding of the society I live in and the rationale behind human behavior. On top of these four subjects, I completed Mathematics and Further Mathematics in my own time during the first year so that I would have the time to focus on more uncharted territories in my second year.

How were you treated socially (As an aside I know of some international students who have attended boarding schools in the UK and had great experiences academically and socially and others who did well academically but felt very marginalized socially)  What activities did you take part in and what did you learn from them?

RWS boasted a very close-knit but welcoming community. When I first got there, I didn’t feel like an international student at all. I was treated equally with domestic students, if not more favorably! Although I was a part of the Sixth Form (the British equivalent of high school), I got a lot of opportunities to mingle with girls from lower years since we lived in the same boarding house. It was a ton of fun getting to know many others who have grown up in a totally different background from mine. This prepared me well to serve on the Prefect Team (the British version of “student council”) as the Head Girl when I was in Year 13. Being Head Girl was exciting for me but also meant responsibilities. I worked very closely with RWS’s senior leadership and coordinated Prefect meetings with the Head Boy. We organized bonding activities as well as outreach programs for the community. It was a big part of my life at RWS that I still miss a lot.

Lisa in her duties as Head Girl at RWS

From what I can tell you are exceptionally talented when it comes to the fine arts. How long have you been playing the piano? Do you have any videos or recordings of a performance you’d be wiling to share? You also do Chinese calligraphy.  And you sing as well. Did your parents guide you into the arts early on? And when did you realize you were gifted this way?

I’ve been playing the piano for almost 17 years! I started playing since I was 4 years old. It was less of a self discovery process in the very beginning but gradually became one. My mom had an instrumental role in my musical education. She is not musical herself but read a lot about the benefits of musical training for children starting from an early age. She was also a big proponent of learning about Chinese culture through Chinese calligraphy. If it were not for my mom’s perseverance in accompanying me to all these lessons outside of school, I would have given up a long time ago! As a child, I did rebel against the “burdens” imposed upon me from time to time; as a young adult, however, I feel immensely grateful for my training in the arts from early on. Up till now, music and the arts are still indispensable to my extracurriculars. I feel that I have begun to claim ownership over what I do and I am loving it!

How have these interests shaped your personality and your way of approaching learning?

Practicing the fine arts from an early age was definitely beneficial to my personal development. Having to play long pieces of music from memory gave me very good mental exercises while practicing Chinese calligraphy made me slow down and focus on my inner world. Both made me a better person. I treat music as a special friend of mine with whom I can “talk about” almost anything. This is especially helpful when I have so much stress but nobody around to talk to!

You decided to apply to colleges and universities in the US. How did you decide where to apply and how hard was it to prepare for SAT and write essays etc? Did the school know much about US colleges or did you get advising in some other way?

Unlike domestic students, I didn’t have the opportunities to visit college campuses before applying. I spent time researching schools on their websites but honestly, all of them look like places where I want to be! I also talked to alums from TFLS who attended top universities in the U.S. but there were not a lot of them either. The summer before the application season, I participated in the LiberalArts College Tour China  where I talked to admissions officers from liberal arts colleges such as Williams College. I learned about the differences between comprehensive universities and the smaller liberal arts colleges and felt that I would love to be a member of the latter. It was a great opportunity as well as a turning point in my college research.

I prepared for the SATs on my own while in England. It was not the easiest experience since I had to juggle between test prep and my academics. When it comes to essays, I had this peculiar idea that nobody is able to know me better than myself. I trusted the power of my individual voice in my essays and mostly refrained from consulting outside resources.

How many schools did you apply to? What did you chose to write about in your essays and did you send arts supplements?

Ultimately I applied to 20+ schools in the U.S. (I know it’s a little scary!) mainly because I applied for financial aid for every single one of them. Financial aid for international students was limited and extremely competitive. Especially after the financial crises of 2008, many top schools (including Williams College) revised their need-blind financial aid policy for international students. My essays were very personal. I wrote multiple versions for different schools. One of them was about my observations of the human society in general while swimming in a crowded pool during the summer holiday. Another essay talked about my reflections on my strained relationship with writing when I was young and why I grew up to produce my own literature. If there was a general trend in my essays, it would be “liberal artsy!” This probably explains why I was admitted to the majority of liberal arts colleges I applied to.

Graduation from RWS

You were accepted to Williams College, which Forbes has just picked as the number 1 school in the US. They take very few students overall and very few from China. I don’t know any other way to ask this, so what makes you so special? Why do you think you earned a spot at one of the most selective schools in the world?

Williams admissions staff do a great job figuring out who is a good fit for the college. I actually don’t know what made me so special – you might have to ask the admissions to find out about this haha – but I will share with you my guesses: intellectual curiosity (this one absolutely comes first), creativity, kindness and concerns for the community (personality matters), and the ability to take advantage of the best liberal arts education in the country. On this note, I add that Williams is a challenging place to study at given that professors push students very hard, so I’d say that the ability to handle academics is crucial. Looking back, I do think I conveyed many of these values in various parts of my applications.

You have now been at Williams for a few years. How was your initial  adjustment?  Can you describe what it is like to attend a small liberal arts college? What do you like the most about it and what would you change about the school if you could?

Williams has been a home-like place for me since day one. Our small size means that we bump into one another all the time and that our community is super close-knit. I certainly felt everybody was welcoming! My initial transition from high school to college was smooth in general. However, the academics in freshman year was particularly challenging – perhaps I overestimated my ability to handle higher level courses from the beginning! The materials in class were very difficult compared to what I was used to back in high school. But as I move up the class rank, I have come to the realization that the academic training I have received from Williams is the most precious thing from which I will always benefit endlessly. Although Williams doesn’t offer practical professional training, I think it has given me invaluable skills to ponder on a wide range of problems that we face as a human race. Williams is a perfect bubble to live in. People who love it wouldn’t want to change anything about it, but people who don’t would probably want to change everything. I love Williams.

Lisa with Williams apparel back in China

Some students who come from China worry about the small size of your school and the town that it is in. What would you say to these students to allay their concerns?

This is a fair concern for Chinese students. But I would say that coming to Williams is a self-selective process. My advice for future applicants is this: if a small community located in the middle of nowhere is a deal-breaker for you, don’t apply to Williams just for the name! Even if you are admitted and decide to enroll, you won’t feel happy being here.

I am perfectly content with spending the best four years of my life in Williamstown. Granted, it is remote, small, quiet… but at the same time, it really makes you focus on thinking carefully about who you are. (You have no idea how many college students don’t even think about this. But at Williams, there are plenty of opportunities to engage in a conversation with yourself!) If this isn’t enough to win your heart, Williams is also home to some of the most amazing artworks around the world in the Clark Institute and boasts a very strong music culture. (We now have a Chinese Music Ensemble!) No other college in this country offer students opportunities to take tutorials  across the entire curriculum – yes, including math and science! Having taken a tutorial myself, I promise you this is the most rigorous academic training you will ever have and will prepare you for literally anything you aspire for after graduation. The last thing I will mention is that Williams also has the most amazing alums in the country. So far I have had 100% response rate to every email I write to connect with alums working in firms I am interested in. Every single one of them, no matter what titles they hold and how busy they are, are always willing to jump on the phone with me for 30 minutes or longer! I feel so special to be a part of Williams. And I hope you can say this to yourself someday as well!

On campus at Williams

What are you studying? Can you talk a bit about a few favorite classes and why you like them?

I am now officially an Economics and History double major at Williams. My favorite classes so far have been across multiple disciplines, including Political Science, Ethics, and History. The one that I would like to highlight among all is Fin-de-siecle Russia (a history tutorial) that I took in sophomore spring. It was my first tutorial at Williams, so I felt much anxiety. Being both reading-intensive and writing-intensive, this tutorial would often take up a good chunk of my time during a normal academic week! But looking back at those all-nighters I pulled during the spring, I don’t regret this experience at all. For those people who are not so familiar with the tutorial system, we normally have a one-hour – sometimes slightly longer – class meeting per week during which one student presents an 8-page paper while another student critiques it. Tutorials tend to be discussion-driven and is monitored by the instructor who only plays a minor role which means that students like I am responsible for deciding on how best to guide the class and lead discussions. What I learned from Fin-de-siecle Russia was not only how to make an argument, but also how to synthesize information and articulate them in a structured way that contributes to the general understanding of the period in question. On the other hand, coming up with critiques that go well with a well-written essay can be even more challenging than writing a good essay! I often thought about my tutorial as a “historical struggle.” (Joking!) Ultimately, however, it was worth wrestling with thought-provoking questions that did not have exact answers (because history is full of contingencies that we fail to explain) and drawing general historical tendencies from the particular periods being read. How charming is history itself!

Have you found a mentor there of any sort and if so who is it and what do they do to mentor you?

Every Williams student has one or more academic advisors throughout the four years. The idea is that we all have someone to seek advice from in freshman/ sophomore year and that after we declare majors, we are able to pick major advisors from relevant departments. Every student has the flexibility to choose advisors at any point during the four years if doing so helps with their academic and professional development. For example, I was assigned an advisor in freshman year who was a professor taught Arabic. Although we get along super well, her knowledge felt short of my intended areas of study. So I asked my Political Science professor, with whom I took a class in freshman fall, to become my advisor in sophomore year. It worked out so nicely that I got to learn more about different departments and also make friends with faculty members! (yes, it is more than possible at Williams to have a professor friend!) And this year, I have two advisors – one from the Economics department and the other from the History department. They are both dedicated to teaching and giving personal guidance, which make me love Williams even more.

What sorts of things are you involved with there and why did you join them?

Since freshman year I’ve been a loyal member of Far Ephs Movement (FEM), an Asian a cappella group founded by two recent graduate students from China. The fact that FEM is a cultural as well as singing group gives me a sense of belongingness. I was elected the co-leader for FEM towards the end of last semester and have been leading group rehearsals since then. I also served as a public relations representative for Chinese American Student Organization in the past and a piano accompanist for voice lessons at the Music department. This year, I am working as a student ambassador for the Career Center where I am in charge of organizing outreach events that incentivize first year students to start their career discovery. We’ve just had our first open house event last Friday – it was very successful! I also started working as a history research assistant for the “Mapping Early American Frontiers” project and will soon serve on the Junior Advisory Board for the History department. I participate in every one of these activities because I enjoy getting involved in all areas of campus life. You probably wouldn’t believe me, but there are hundreds of students at Williams who have even more diverse campus experience than I do. It excites me to see that everybody around me is willing to try new things – it definitely gives me more power to pursue my passions. FEM video channel on Youtube 

Far Ephs Movement (FEM) 

You have also had some exceptional experiences with internships. Can you talk a bit about what you did with Wine Intelligence?

The internship with Wine Intelligence (a boutique global wine consulting firm based in London) was my first job. My boss was a Brown University alum who interviewed me when I applied. He kindly offered me the opportunity to intern at Wine Intelligence after our conversation. During the internship, I read widely about wine markets around the globe and leveraged my social science background in conducting market research. I mainly assisted senior analysts to prepare for client presentations and got intense exposure to consumer insights in China and marketing strategies tailored for various audiences. The internship got me interested in consulting and market research, which I think could develop into future careers.

You just finished an internship with a great business: Dunwello

For those who are not familiar with Dunwello can you briefly describe what it is and then say how you obtained the internship and what it is you are doing there?

Dunwello is a software-as-a-service startup company that offers individual business owners and bigger companies a social platform where they can receive and give feedback on professional services they share with others. While Linkedin and Yelp share similar functionalities, Dunwello combines the strengths of both and therefore is able to help businesses and individuals build reputations by telling vivid stories. (learn more at www.dunwello.com) I learned about Dunwello through a Williams alum who used to work there. I interviewed for the position with him and another interview with the CEO before getting the offer. During the internship, I worked closely with the product manager and suggested ways to improve user experience. I also kick-started marketing strategies for Dunwello and advised our CEO on pricing and integration opportunities with third party software. I learned a ton of information on the latest trends in the technology ecosystem and felt very excited about working in technology in the future. I wish I could code really. But yeah, Dunwello has some of the smartest and most down-to-earth people I’ve ever known and it was a truly awesome experience to have worked there.

I am sure you have been asked this a million times so please forgive me, but if you could be doing anything when you graduate what would it be and why? Do you have short-term plans and long term plans ahead?

This is a great question actually! I am interested in starting my career in management consulting after college. Management consulting excites me because I know that my career won’t be pigeonholed into a single area from the very beginning and that I will be able to work across different industries and practices before I find my forte. Since Williams doesn’t teach its students skills needed on the actual job, I will get to apply the method of learning to the real world – which will be very exciting! An early career in professional services set the stage for my long-term goals, including getting an MBA degree and eventually starting my own business.

Do you have advice for students and families who have their hopes set on getting into great schools like Williams? How should they prepare and plan ahead?

One thing that I regretted not doing enough was reading. I feel that I can’t stress the importance of reading too much. I grew up with lots of books that my mom kindly bought for me, but I let them sit lonely on my bookshelf most of the times and only realized how important they mean to my intellectual growth when I went to England for high school. Read voraciously. Love your books. They will help you as the time goes by. Another piece of advice would be, don’t waste time doing something you wouldn’t like. If community service is not your thing, stay away from it and spend time with your passions. The time you waste following others’ footsteps may well add value elsewhere. It’s really all about who you are and what you decide on pursuing. Aim for the long run, because getting into great schools like Williams is never the finishing line.

Do you wish someone had given you some advice before you started your time at Williams and if so what would it have been?

I secretly wish that someone could have given me advice on how to balance my priorities, which was something everybody at Williams seems to struggle with. At Williams, we often hear about “effortless perfection” – a deceptive conception that we all tend to believe to be true. In other words, we think of each other as perfect individuals who get straight As for all classes while handling multiple leadership positions on campus while having a wonderful personal life. Oftentimes, this is not true in reality. There are endless opportunities here at Williams, but it is overwhelming to the degree that it is difficult to figure out what’s the best for me. Realizing how much choice I have over my college life can be a little intimidating from time to time. Or maybe college is intended to catch me off-guard in its classic way – constantly confronting me with difficult questions while asking me to be the lighthouse in my life.

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Lisa’s experience going from China to the UK to Williams demonstrates the lengths that some students are willing to go through to find the best educational fit. It’s clear that she is a star, not just in her academics, but also through her leadership and her involvement in the arts and other activities that develop what some call soft skills.

While some critics like William Deresiewicz bemoan the way students prepare to attend college and then act like “excellent sheep” once they are there, I don't think he knows enough students to substantiate his claims as endemic to the education students immerse themselves in at many schools. (His article on this issue has the most views of any article in the on-line history of the New Republic). Are there some students like he critiques at elite schools? Yes, but far less than he seems to think. Would he dare to call Lisa an excellent sheep?   Lisa undercuts this stereotype in many ways. She is an active learner who challenges herself in just about every way. (I asked Mr. Deresiewicz questions directly about this topic after a lecture he gave recently. I would add that he needs to talk to more students who do not fit into his stereotypical rubric. He should gather some data as well. Name calling does not help promote education.) 

She was willing to leave home and country for her education. More important, she has sought out opportunities that will allow her some great choices for her future. Increasingly, students need to reach out and learn to network to open doors and find professors who will serve as mentors and to others who can help with internships and job advice. Lisa and I have talked about the ‘what’s next’ question several times. She has then talked with some people in her fields of interest to get their perspective on the transition from school to the real world. She has just recently been fast--tracked for a job at one of the top investment banks in the world.

Her range of skills is deep and she is curious about the world. These two qualities will serve her well when she begins her new position. Her experience at Williams should be used as an example for many other students who often think that small Liberal Arts Schools do not have the same networks and opportunities for internships as some business programs at universities. Many students, especially those outside the US, don’t look closely enough at the way schools like Williams teach students to solve problems creatively and with critical thinking skills. In addition, the small classes also require students to talk and develop superior communication skills. Many employers look for skill sets rather than majors when hiring candidates and Lisa has so many skills it’s hard to imagine what she can’t do.

I would like to thank her for taking the time to share her experience here. I look forward to following her as she heads out into the world. She will be a leader who has a genuine concern for others. I am lucky to know her.