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More serious, optimistic, and perfectionist is how Leer's classmates describe themselves. She has a strong internal drive and a dedication to math. She says, “My time at Sedbergh was like an amazing adventure that took me from a student who struggled with math problems to someone who dared to solve problems with mathematical creativity.” With her continued focus and dedication, she has been rewarded with a succession of acceptance offers from prestigious schools such as King's College London, the University of Melbourne, the University of Sydney, and the University of Manchester during the application season.
With love in your heart, your dreams are never far away. In her story, there is no label of “academic bully”, but only a preference for the world of mathematics and science. In this issue of Graduate Stories, we will go into the story of this “girl who sees the world with mathematical thinking”, and experience her growth process of dialoguing with mathematics.
Sedbergh taught me more than knowledge
After returning home from Singapore, my family and I have been looking for a quality school that can continue the internationalized education atmosphere. After a site visit, I was attracted by the advanced educational philosophy and diversified curriculum of Sedbergh School, and finally decided to choose Sedbergh School to start a new chapter of my study.
When I first transferred to Sedbergh School, the differences in the curriculum and the new environment posed quite a challenge. Fortunately, the warmth of my teachers and classmates helped to ease my anxiety. I remember that my math teacher was always keenly aware of my learning state, patiently relieved my anxiety, and “sacrificed” her break time to provide me with tutorials; my accounting teacher constantly encouraged me to participate in club activities and helped me expand my social circle; and my classmates took the initiative to invite me to join group discussions and after-school activities. These warmth quickly dispelled my sense of strangeness and made me look forward to the brand new study environment.
▲extracurricular activity
The rich extracurricular activities of the school have added different colors to my study life. For example, helping foreign teachers to learn Chinese has not only improved my language skills, but also deepened my understanding of different cultures. At the same time, I benefited a lot from the independent learning mode advocated by the school, which allowed me to arrange my study plan according to my personal progress and gradually developed my good habit of independent thinking.
The most precious part of my time at the school was the late-night conversation with my best friend Brigitte. Whenever we finished a busy day of classes, the dormitory became our “secret base” after lights out. From foreign experiences to classroom problems, from hobbies to future plans, our seemingly casual conversations made our friendship grow deeper without us realizing it.
A Math Learner's Path to Growth
What I love about math is the process of solving a problem and the thrill of getting the answer, which cannot be replaced by anything else. With my love for math, I am determined to break the stereotype that girls are not good at math. Throughout the history of mathematics, countless outstanding female mathematicians, such as Emmy Noether, who pioneered modern algebra, and Marianne Mirzakhani, the first female mathematician to win the Fields Medal, have long proved that mathematical ability never varies according to gender, and that it is the persistent passion and relentless pursuit that truly determines academic achievement. In the pursuit of truth, gender has never been a criterion for ability.
During my study abroad, the teaching style focusing on logical thinking and practical application provided me with a solid foundation in mathematics. Whether it was algebraic operations or geometric proofs, I was able to master them with ease. However, when I was first introduced to A-level Mathematics, I felt pressured by its rigorous theoretical depth. I often found myself in a cognitive dilemma of “knowing every symbol but not being able to connect the dots”.
I am especially grateful that the math teacher at my school pays close attention to my learning situation. In the face of complicated math problems, the teacher guided me step by step, and my thinking gradually became clearer and clearer. When I finally solved the problems, the sense of achievement made me realize the charm of mathematics for the first time.
The road to learning is not always smooth. I remember an important exam, despite the fact that I had invested a lot of time in studying algebra and calculus before the exam, repeatedly deducing formulas and practicing problems, but the results were much lower than expected when the exam was announced. This setback prompted me to re-examine the learning method, began to systematically analyze the previous years' exams, all kinds of proof problems summarized and organized, disassembled each step of derivation, and even tried different methods to verify the same proposition. Through a series of training, I overcame the difficulties and reshaped my understanding of the mathematical way of thinking.
Rational Choice and Emotional Pursuit
The math program was always my first choice. When choosing a school, I consider three key elements: the fit between academic resources and my personal research interests, the richness of the university-enterprise cooperation platform, and the potential for cross-disciplinary development with fields such as computer science and economics.
In my application, I focused on the unique perspective that comes from cross-cultural learning experiences. By comparing the difference between Singapore's application-oriented math teaching and Sedgwick's A-level theory system, I presented the integration of the two ways of thinking. Describing how I used mathematical thinking to solve problems in my essay was a much better way to demonstrate my love for math than simply listing my competition results.
▲Hiking to release stress
The biggest test of the application season is time management. I had to cope with the A-level Higher Maths course, IELTS exam preparation and paperwork polishing within a limited time. I was tired of the heavy workload, but my family always stood behind me and was my motivation to keep going. My parents took the initiative to share the daily tasks and create a favorable study environment for me, and my mother provided spiritual encouragement from her own experience. My math teacher provided me with professional guidance, helped me break through difficult points in my coursework, and offered constructive advice on writing paperwork. It was their support and help that enabled me to overcome all the difficulties and successfully complete the whole application process.
When I received the long-awaited acceptance email from the university, my hands were trembling slightly with excitement, and my heart was filled with the joy of being recognized. Of all the offers, the one from the University of Melbourne was particularly pleasing to me. I hope that I will finally be able to enter this prestigious institution and start my next journey of knowledge.
I am looking forward to my university life, where I can build deep friendships with students from different cultural backgrounds, broaden my horizons through multicultural exchanges, and share the unique concepts and teaching methods of mathematics education from different countries, and learn from the best in the collision. In the future, I hope to be the “spark” that ignites students' interest in mathematics. I will use my own experience to help students understand the charm of mathematics, guide them to establish mathematical thinking patterns and discover the beauty of mathematics.
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