- Student Success
No matter how long you spend at Hangzhou International School, you can always try new things and discover your passion. Eventually, it will be your turn to go off into the world on your own and explore the possibilities, which is exactly what our seniors are getting ready to do. We sat down with Raina C, a senior that has been at HIS since kindergarten, to ask her what the future holds.
Raina C. is in her 13th year at HIS. As part of the community for so long, Raina has had many opportunities to try out different things at HIS and find her own passion. She’s set to pursue neuroscience and biology after she leaves HIS, a decision that has been shaped from many experiences in science leading up to her senior year.
What universities did you decide to apply to?
I applied around the world, including universities in Canada, the US, and the UK. So far I’ve been accepted to the University of Toronto, University of Bristol, Boston University, UC Davis, and the University of Washington (Seattle), and King’s College London.
What programs have you applied for?
I’ve applied for neuroscience in the U.K. and general biology in the U.S.
What made you pick these subjects?
Initially, for neuroscience, I wasn’t really interested in it, but after taking IB Psychology for the past few years, I’ve become more interested in psychology and how the brain works. Putting biology and psychology together, neuroscience, right?
So I applied for neuroscience in the U.K. And then for the U.S., since it’s more flexible, I chose general biology first, and I can decide later what to pursue with that. There are a lot of opportunities in the U.S. in terms of research and all that.
At HIS, back in 7th grade, I participated in a TEDx Youth Event and did a speech on biomimicry, which is howdesigns are inspired by nature and all things biology, and how biology and technology come together to make our world more sustainable.
Do you think the IB solidified that interest, or did it open a new path?
For DP I have biology and chemistry as my higher levels, so all of these classes coming together opens new topics and new understandings that I otherwise wouldn’t have had.
What are you most excited for going to university?
It’s a bunch of mixed emotions, nervousness, and excitement. I'm excited for university for all the new things, new cultures, new foods, new people, and new friends. I've been in this school for a long time and, of course, I love it and the people here, but the experiences that come from meeting new people is something I'm going to learn a lot from.
Do you think HIS has helped prepare you for that journey to meet new people in a completely new environment?
I think so, because I've always helped out at new student orientations, and I go to a lot of sports tournamentslike ACAMIS, where I’ve met students from different schools, countries and cultures.
What are you most excited to learn about at university?
I’m excited to learn about things outside of China. Of course, I chose biology as my major, and I'm going to learn all things biology, but it’s the little things that come with it, like taking care of myself and being independent.
Right now, my parents and my sister are a big part of how I survive. But at university, obviously I have themsupporting me, but they'll be a 10 hour flight away. So having that independence is going to be something I learn.
Do you have an idea of what track you want to do as a career yet?
Obviously biology majors go into pre-med and research, so yeah, that.