Chen Jinming
●Department of Mathematical Sciences, 2020 class of Beijing Normal University and Hong Kong Baptist University
●Accepted the MSc in Mathematical Sciences and Mathematical Modelling and Scientific Computing from the University of Oxford, and the MSc in Statistics from the University of California, Berkeley
He is a good learner and can often be seen in the self-study area of the Learning Resource Centre, he is an active problem solver in the classroom, he likes to share his study notes with his classmates, and he has won the first-class scholarship for three consecutive years and the 2022-2023 National Scholarship. He is Chen Jinming, a prospective graduate of UIC majoring in Financial Mathematics, who has received offers from the University of Oxford and the University of California, Berkeley. Let's walk into his story today.
The "Mentor Troupe" helped me go to Oxford
Chen Jinming believes that in addition to his personal hard work, he is inseparable from the "mentor group" behind him. While preparing for the interview at Oxford, Chen Jinming asked for advice on weak points. "Many teachers and doctoral students were enthusiastic to answer my questions, such as Dr. Wang Zhaohui answered my questions about linear algebra, and Prof. Zhang Qiang and Prof. Wang Yuliang answered my difficult questions about partial differential equations. I also asked Dr. Wenshan Yu about dimensional analysis. On the day of the interview, these questions were covered, so the whole interview process was particularly smooth. ”
Chen Jinming (middle) was awarded the National Scholarship
Exploring questions is Chen Jinming's daily habit. In order to grasp a theorem in depth, he tried to consult five teachers separately to understand the interpretation in different professional contexts, in the interdisciplinary free elective courses, he actively asked questions to impress the teachers, and he often communicated with the doctoral students in the school, and when he encountered problems, he would get to the bottom of the problem.
For the application for graduate school, Chen Jinming suggested that the younger students should understand the admission requirements of the target university in advance, such as which courses need to be taken at the undergraduate level, so that they can be targeted when selecting courses, and in daily study, they should have the courage to ask teachers and classmates for advice when encountering indigestible knowledge points.
Knowledge sharing and mutual help
In his freshman year, due to the difficulty of homework, Chen Jinming spent a long time thinking and solving problems, and shared his experience with his classmates, which also pushed him to understand every knowledge point thoroughly. Later, Chen Jinming helped his classmates overcome their learning problems by creating study groups and sharing notes. Before the big exam, he would take the time to give a lecture at the Tencent meeting. Teachers and classmates from our school, as well as students from other schools, came to "listen to the class".
Chen Jinming's IELTS score was not high for the first time, but later through exploration and hard work, the score was increased to 7 points. He also shared his study notes and exam skills with his classmates.
In his junior year, Chen Jinming was offered an internship at a state-owned enterprise in Beijing, and the recommender was a classmate he often tutored.
Refuse to roll in, maintain internal drive
Chen Jinming graduated from Foshan No. 1 High School and chose Beijing Normal University to major in Financial Mathematics out of his interest in the field of quantitative finance, and plans to devote himself to the business field in the future. To this end, during his studies at BNU, Chan worked hard to expand his knowledge, not only delving into the core content of his major, but also using resources such as online open classes to learn knowledge and skills outside the classroom on his own.
In his junior year, he took advantage of the opportunity of the school's overseas summer program to enter the classroom of his dream school, Oxford University, for the first time, and the first class had a big impact on him. "The content of the course was difficult, which made me realize the gap between myself and the top schools, so I immediately adjusted my learning methods when I came back. ”
Chen Jinming attends summer classes at St Anthony's College, Oxford
Chen Jinming believes that it is very important to establish long-term goals and find interests, which is also the biggest difference between "involution" and "internal drive". "With a clear goal and an eye on the present, even if there are setbacks, you don't get caught up in a state of gain and loss, as the saying goes: 'You don't have to win every battle to win a war.'" Chen Jinming said.