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Snowmi comes from Tianjin in China, studying at Wellington College International. Read more about her experience of the UCL Pre-University Summer School.
Why did you choose to study the UCL Pre-University Summer School?
I like the fact that it was not just an English course.
There were also classes that touched on other disciplines and many social activities, like theatre and experiencing local markets. It is a global summer school, there are many students from different countries and I could practise my English with people from different languages and cultures.
On top of this, UCL is a top university in the world. I want to apply to UCL next year.
What have been the highlights of the course and why?
Academic
I really enjoyed the science experiments; they were amazing and there are more facilities than in my school.
Social
The other students are really friendly; we had loads of chats and shared ideas. I found students very open-minded. Chinese students in general do not share their ideas. They work for themselves, and there is less communication at home; here it is global and shared.
The trip to Brighton was my favourite part of the programme, the little town with its houses and the buildings that are so different from the buildings in London. We walked around and despite the rainy day I really enjoyed it.
What skills have you developed on the UCL Pre-University Summer School?
In China, I am always nervous doing presentations, I was more relaxed here because of the study environment and because I felt more confident. In China, I will be more confident now with a PowerPoint presentation because I’ve had the experience to face different students from different countries.
What do you want to do once you have finished high school?
I want to study Computer Science with Mathematics in the UK. I would like to do research for an International Centre with Artificial Intelligence somewhere around the world.
Our school provides A-Levels, so it makes sense for me to study in the UK. I just like this country, but don’t know why! I think about UCL, Imperial, King’s College... Universities here are highly ranked compared to China; they have a long history. These universities have taught many famous alumni.
What advice would you give to a student who wants to do the UCL Pre-university Summer School next year?
Practise your English, the classes here are all taught in English!
Prepare for the weather, it’s very unexpected! It was tricky: sometimes cold, sometimes hot, sometimes windy, sometimes rainy. In China, it is 7 hours sun or rain nonstop. Here it changes very quickly.