We interviewed Gong Mingli just three days after she returned from Nanjing. She had traveled to her hometown to introduce Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) to her high school alma mater. She said, “This is a great opportunity for me. I am very happy to share how I chose SUSTech among many universities across China and to review my time on campus. Why do I recommend SUSTech to my classmates and their parents?”

Gong Mingli has received offers from 13 top universities from around the world, including Columbia, Johns Hopkins and the University of Pennsylvania. When asked why she decided to take the offer from Ivy League university Cornell, she smiled while commenting, “I have such a love of life. While some universities have better resources than Cornell, Cornell does have a better location, more beautiful scenery and a superior climate. They all work together to make me feel good.” Gong Mingli will always feel heartfelt gratitude for SUSTech, despite departing soon to the United States to further her academic pursuits.

Gong Mingli arrived at SUSTech in the autumn of 2015 and struggled in the same way that many of her peers did. She didn’t have good grades in her freshman year, in part due to her lack of a clear goal. She found inspiration in the second half of her freshman year after listening to a lecture by Professor Cheng Xin from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. Finally, she decided to change her ways of learning, as she knew she had to study hard in order to provide more choices for her future development.

“When I was a freshman, I lived more freely. As a sophomore, I realized that I needed to be more serious and responsible for my future.” When we asked how she improved so rapidly, Gong Mingli admitted that she set higher requirements for herself. By paying attention to her daily studies, she took each assessment seriously, thereby increasing her knowledge base. Gong Mingli knew that cramming during finals week was ineffective, so planning ahead and studying consistently every day would be the most effective method for her to maximize her understanding of various subjects. Her high standards ensured that her grades improved rapidly and stayed there throughout the rest of her degree.

Gong Mingli quickly determined her professional direction. “While my physics and chemistry knowledge bases have improved, they are not particularly strong. Materials science is a comprehensive discipline. Materials science combines both physics and chemistry, so its interdisciplinary approach provides lots of options.” Thus, entering the Department of Materials Science and Engineering is undoubtedly her most desirable choice.

Some students may be distressed by the vast array of potential academic directions. Gong Mingli suggests that students try lots of different general education courses. “There’s nothing stopping students from taking courses multiple times until they find something they are interested in.”

As part of Gong Mingli’s graduate school application, experience in scientific research is undoubtedly important. She entered a research group in her junior year, familiar with the subject matter and the fundamentals of laboratory facilities. However, she commented that as a sophomore and junior student, there wasn’t a lot of time to spend in the lab outside of her regular classes. This would make it hard to produce results. During her final semesters, Gong Mingli would practically live in the laboratory, in order to increase her scientific knowledge and experience. She also believes that her scientific research experience gave her practical skills that will increase her employability in the future.

Gong Mingli was honest in her assessment that she was not solely responsible for her achievements. “My tutor, Dr. Guo Chuanfei, was so helpful throughout my time at SUSTech. Whenever I encountered problems and bottlenecks, Chuanfei would give me advice. Whenever I was providing a report for a group meeting, he would recommend that I adjust the font size, and ensuring that my hands were somewhere on the report.” There were also senior students and friends that have helped me as well. She admitted that she wasn’t sure what to do for her graduation project. Some senior students would suggest some papers they thought would be important, provide some guidance and help find solutions when I was having trouble.

Many emerging products will rely on new materials, some of which do not yet exist. Her post-graduate research will focus on flexible films, which act as pressure sensors. “These sorts of materials are strong and require significant amounts of R&D. The films can be applied to electronics, computers and biomedical engineering.” She believes that it is possible to develop a product to test bodily functions. Gong Mingli thinks that film gloves can be used to help people using prosthetic devices have the feeling of touch again. She wants to continue her research, and potentially lecture at SUSTech when she completes her postgraduate studies. She wants to form her own research group that can ultimately provide practical products that can benefit society.

Given the pressure of her studies and scientific research, Gong Mingli finds her own way to release pressure through exercise and yoga. She tends to go for a run in the early evening before turning in for the night. Gong Mingli also finds inspiration and respite from spending time with her friends. They would often swap notes about preparing for certain classes and registration deadlines. She also talked about the process of applying for universities around the world, in order to prepare for a foreign academic and cultural environment. Students should consider their strengths in science and English before choosing potential universities for postgraduate studies.

In summarizing her time at SUSTech, Gong Mingli said that students were highly stressed about different things. She felt that as long as students worked hard, the results will work out for you. Students can learn even more from the experience of being at university than in the classes and laboratories. “Focusing on your happiness now should be the most important thing in a student’s life.”

Students sometimes use the word “confused” to describe their time at university. However, Gong Mingli told us that the most important thing to learn is persistence. The results that she has achieved are rooted in her hard work and unpaid rewards. Her radiant energy will not be concealed for long, as it will ultimately bloom into a more beautiful and knowledgeable scientist through hard work.