Recently, Tang is reading A Dream of Red Mansions, an obese review. "No matter where I am, I will read for a while every day." This is her habit.
Generally speaking, Tang will make appointments with friends, read the same books, watch the same plays, and even stay up late to play the same games. "It's more interesting for everyone to spit together." Most of her friends are graduates from famous American universities and have a successful career. Among them, there are investment bankers who are too busy to forget to send equipment to the "tribal war" in the early morning, and there are also artistic youths who collectively fly to see "The Sorrow of Comedy"; Some of them, like her, are also "alumni interviewers" of famous American universities.
The alumni interviewer system in American universities is a voluntary part-time job. Don loves this job very much. For her: "Being an interviewer is equivalent to playing back the past scenes." And this is repeated over and over again, "I am very happy."
In 2005, Tang from Shanghai was the only high school student who was admitted to Harvard University in advance. The key battle to change fate is "interview". "It rained heavily that day, and the interviewer chose her husband's office to meet me." She said. Don was very nervous during the interview. "At that time, my watch was lost in the light rail. When I entered the room, I was all wet. "
Until now, Tang still remembers the situation at that time-"She is a very kind woman and has the power to calm people down." The first thing the interviewer does is to let her relax. "I said that my English was good from the beginning, and I praised it first." Then, the two began to talk. Don went to an American high school for a year in exchange for excellent grades. Not only that, she also actively participated in many extracurricular activities, such as being a small reporter and building a website. "The interviewer asked many interesting questions about these from the beginning."
Tang admitted that this elder had a great influence on himself. "Because now my interview style is very similar to her. I'm asking someone else the question she asked. She asked to bring a resume, and now I will remind the children to prepare only these materials. "
Most importantly, "she feels that children must relax to show their true level." Now when Tang is interviewing, she will also set aside time to "adjust" the students.
Every year, Harvard University selects about 2,000 freshmen from more than 30,000 highly competitive applicants around the world. Take the application season of 20 1 1-20 12 as an example. About 1 1% of these lucky young people come from more than 80 countries except the United States.
The lucky ones who are selected will eventually live in the old school building built by 1636, which has the largest campus library in the world, with 3,500 subject courses and a collection of150,000 volumes. In this university town known as the "World Think Tank", 47 Nobel Prize-winning professors, 8 American presidents and many political and economic leaders who changed the world were born.
"One in a hundred", so who will be the winner? In fact, the admission of Harvard University has mysterious and unique criteria, which they call "overall review" and "hand-picked". "It sounds a bit like the process of picking the best grapes to make wine-it can't be described, it can only be understood." Don smiled and explained.
"Choice is not a right, but a responsibility"
In fact, the interview process at Harvard University is very strict. "Apply online first, and then the school will decide whether to interview according to the materials." She said, "Students who can get this far are usually excellent. Almost everyone's test scores are super high. " Therefore, if we only focus on our own achievements at this stage, "it is of little significance."
After reviewing the standardized students' applications, the school will judge their comprehensive performance, explore the matching degree between the applicants and the school from an individual perspective, then select them one by one, have a deeper contact and understanding, and then return to the whole and make a final decision.
This process is like a delicate craft, and there is no formula that can be cracked. "This is a process for one person to understand another person." Alumni interviewers are not examiners. Don's role is to "get to know the students, see their Excellence, and share his experience at Harvard with them, not evaluate them".
"Alumni interview" usually occurs in the middle and late stage of the application process. Harvard University will entrust alumni from all over the world to conduct one-on-one or many-on-one interviews with outstanding people. This job is unpaid, and even the interviewer has to pay for meeting the students himself, because in the words of Mr. fitzsimmons, the current director of Harvard Admissions Office, "selection is not a right, but a responsibility." However, Tang and her interviewer friends enjoyed it and reported the interview results to the Admissions Office with no less sense of responsibility than any major job.
In every interview, "I see these children as if I saw myself." Tang said, "The uneasiness and complacency of that year have emerged one by one."
When Tang reported to Harvard University, undergraduate study abroad (Weibo) was not common in China. She said: "In fact, if there is no grant, it is very stressful to afford a child to go to the United States for undergraduate studies. The annual tuition fee is about 40,000 US dollars. " Tang, who studied economics, found that after experiencing the stock market peak in 2006 and the property market peak in 2008, "when most families in China were able to save a sum of tuition fees, the middle class joined the tide of studying abroad."
When Tang was studying, the exchange rate between China and the United States was 8.3. "It's 6.2. The economic depression in the United States after the financial crisis has also increased the policy of studying abroad as a pillar industry. "
In fact, "the children of 1990 are completely different from those born after 1980s." Observing the changes of a generation is also one of the pleasures of the interview.
Don Mei Jie remembers interviewing her first child on a rainy day. "I chose the western restaurant in the center of Shanghai. However, she was late. I waited until I was hungry and ordered dinner. "
The child never came, and Tang Dou was worried to death. At this time, she received an apology message, explaining that she didn't leave until after class, and it was a rail transit, so she was late. On second thought, Tang said, "On the other hand, it also reflects her good quality. Because I have met too many students, I don't even attend classes when I say I want to go to the United States. "
See you later. Don found the child's psychological quality excellent. "First of all, she said that she was afraid of being hungry and didn't perform well, and then she began to order. From the previous dishes to the soup, I left nothing behind. It's really a bit anti-customer first. " After eating, the child asked her, "How is your life at Harvard?" At this time, Tang felt, "Is her English better than mine?"
During their conversation, Tang learned that "this girl is not simple". She began to learn to dance at the age of 4, and jumped to the third year of high school. "Every year, a small partner gives up dancing because of junior high school and junior high school, but she doesn't. And her academic performance has always been the best. " As an interviewer, Tang saw the "precious spirit" in this child.
"This is a very persistent person." Tang said to him. Later, this student was admitted to Harvard University, becoming the only student in her high school history who entered Harvard undergraduate course. After arriving at Harvard, she joined several dance companies and began to choreograph.
"Of course, there are also bad cases." Tang Weiwei smiled. "Some children in the 1990s have been soaked in honey since childhood." An interviewer friend told her such a story. "On one occasion, she made an appointment with a girl to go to Xidan for an interview at ten o'clock in the morning three days in advance. As a result, this girl sent an email saying that Xidan was too far for me. After a while, another email came: OK, I'll come. But I will be late. "
"This incident has a great impact on everyone." Don and her friends thought, "When a university wants to interview us, we are eager to leave immediately with our bedding and report cards. I would be very grateful. "
"Some children in the 1990s have high test scores, but their EQ is quite low." Tang bluntly said, "In fact, they are all children, and there will always be some nervousness anyway. If you shake hands and sweat, at this time, I will say something else to calm them down. But strangely, many children will immediately rebound and think that you are wasting his time. He will get to the point and say how good his grades are. Then, he will recite the prepared English paragraph by paragraph. "
"Good grades are the lowest bottom line." Tang said to him. In fact, American universities don't have a domestic "score line for Weibo College Entrance Examination", which is generally called "average admission score line" and is rarely published. Although the enrollment situation of American universities is different, "recommendation letters, grades, extracurricular activities and composition applications are all very important." Ivy League schools in the United States generally conduct interviews, while some universities ranked in the second and third lines still do not conduct interviews. "In other words, there are also interviews after the first move."
During the interview, Tang often met international students from Shanghai High School, Shanghai Middle School and other universities. "Because I know many friends, I am particularly familiar with these two schools." Sometimes, she will suddenly tell a story, "The children are surprised." She was serious when she said this. "So it's hard to brag here."
To tell the truth, a Shanghai student left a deep impression on Tang. The student insisted on studying oral history during high school and followed a series of research by university professors. In an interview, when referring to a novel by British writer George Orwell, Don Mei Jie asked, "Why do you want to read this book?" The child said, "Mom bought Les Miserables online, and the website suggested that Orwell's novels could be bought free of charge, so the book came to my house."
This reminds Don of the first question she was asked in the interview: "Why do you play hockey in America?" So she told each other frankly: "The school team recruited people in the corridor that day. I went over and asked them what hockey was. They said we would teach you. I said,' But I don't like to wear skirts',' It doesn't matter,' they said,' It's actually culottes.' "
Tang deeply felt-at that time, the girl could tell a magnificent story in order to "add gold" and "add points" to herself. But she chose the truth. Harvard has also extended its hands to such talents.
In fact, "there is a world of difference in doing something out of enthusiasm or utility." This is Tang's personal experience, and it is also a special concern of her in the interview.
Tang once interviewed a student who won numerous math prizes. But as an interviewer, she is curious about the "Piano Grade 10" on her resume. Because she noticed that the child's hand was very small, which was a "defect" for the piano practitioner. "Your hands are so small, why do you choose to practice the piano?" The child replied, "Since I began to learn the piano, I have been advised to give up. My hands are too small to span eight degrees. " But she just won't admit defeat. "This made me see her persistence and stubbornness." Finally, "she was successfully admitted."
In the interview, Tang likes to ask some "surprising" questions, which is also the reason. "I don't want to give the interviewer too much time to make stylized preparations and let me see a completely real person." Harvard University is a diversified campus, and likes students with full personality.
"Showing your true self in the interview will be recognized by the interviewer. Often what students try to sell is not what I like. And the details they ignore are often the most touching. "
"Both Kennedy and Emerson used this kind of faucet."
A Harvard student brushed his teeth in the bathroom in the morning, and many names appeared on the faucet: Roosevelt, Kennedy, Emerson, Eliot and other Harvard alumni. Then a question appeared on the screen, "They all used this faucet. Who's next? " This is a detail in the Harvard admissions promo.
"In fact, there will be a unique university feast waiting for Harvard freshmen." Tang said to him. There is an obscure but unique ancient school gate on campus. It says "Come here to increase your wisdom" on the outside, and it says "Leave here to repay your people" on the inside.
Don himself was at Harvard University and felt too many touches. What impressed me most was the "United Nations culture" in the school. It advocates understanding and respecting different values, ideals and people, and also exposes her to all kinds of ideas in the world. Take the freshmen of grade 20 12 of Harvard University as an example. They come from 75 countries, including Swaziland, Madagascar, Burundi and other extremely remote African countries.
At Harvard's graduation ceremony, Tang was elected as the representative of China and spoke at the graduation ceremony. Before the ceremony, the student representatives who spoke will be received by the principal. At that time, when Dr. Foster, the first female president of Harvard University, saw Tang, she helped her hold her bachelor's hat. The first thing she asked was, "Did you have a good four years at Harvard? Are you ready to leave? "
"Hearing this simple greeting, my sad thoughts about leaving campus in graduation season seem to have found an exit in an instant. I replied to President Foster,' I really enjoyed my four years at Harvard, but I suddenly graduated and I'm not ready to leave. Everything is so sudden. "President Foster told her with a smile," I've never heard of anyone who can prepare for graduation. The important thing is to have a good time in four years, which is what I like to hear from students. In fact, as long as you are willing, you can still enjoy your life and work after graduation, which has little to do with whether you are a Harvard student or not. "
"Enjoy it" is not an easy thing for a young man who has just started his career. But she decided to have a try. After graduation, Tang started his own business and established his own technology company. It is difficult to start a business, but "in your spare time, you can read books and drink tea." She said: "life itself is a kind of practice, and work can only be regarded as a small part."
Although in the eyes of ordinary people, Harvard University has been sending "leaders" to the world, including US President Barack Obama, former President George W. Bush and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. When asked about the understanding of "leadership", Tang and her interviewer friends unanimously gave an "atypical" answer-"leadership does not necessarily mean becoming a country * * * or CEO, or even success in the sense of money and social status; It is actually about whether a person has the strength to stick to a belief or hobby in life, whether he has the passion to infect people around him, whether he has the courage to propose and promote a positive change, and whether he has the courage to take responsibility in a group of people. "
In fact, every Harvard graduate not only enters a research institute or a world-renowned enterprise, but also many people choose to join public services around the world, "to be volunteers or charities."
Everything comes from his alma mater: once, Tang met the former dean of Harvard Law School at a family gathering, and her elders told her: "The United States is not like the old world countries with a long history, and it is not without nobles. The elite group of this society is not accumulated by money and wealth, but by a group of elite universities like Harvard, which are passed down from generation to generation by constantly recruiting new people in line with the spirit of the Brotherhood. "
How to find these "new people" around the world? Tang always believes that in the application and interview of Harvard University, "there is no qualification, only suitability, no matter where you come from or how you come".
What is appropriate? In the words of the admissions office, it is "extremely excellent" and Tang's translation is "particularly awesome". This needs to be found in "face-to-face communication, eye contact is very important"
In fact, she will constantly ask herself during the interview: "Is this young man in front of me a classmate who can take classes together, a friend who can chat together, a roommate who is willing to share life, the next Frankenstein who will soak in the laboratory, or a dance genius who can't stop wearing dance shoes in the club?"
"To use an inappropriate metaphor, a perfect interview is like a wonderful date, which will spark. You can get inspiration from each other's point of view, find exciting things, and have sincere emotional exchanges. " Tang and her partner often sigh that they have "fallen in love" with this student after a wonderful interview.
This method will also be questioned. Many domestic high school principals and educators have also asked: Is this admission process really scientific? "In fact, China also has the concept of teaching students in accordance with their aptitude since ancient times. Different materials will determine the difference of teaching. This is a very luxurious but reasonable transfer. " Tang believes that there are certainly "opportunities", but the growing "opportunities" have also taught Harvard students how to be grateful.
The interviewer's "part-time job" often needs to "post money" to meet the students. "I like to choose cafes and beautiful and quiet restaurants." Tang Weiwei smiled. "Because of the comfortable environment, children will relax. Whether it is successful or not, this journey is very important to them. "
In fact, after interviewing students every year, Tang writes a thank-you letter to his alma mater and the interviewer, "Thank you for letting me relive a wonderful time". Source: Bund Pictorial