Alumni in the Spotlight-Christy Z.
Alumni in the Spotlight-Christy Z.
Christy Z. is a 2014 graduate of Dulwich International High School Suzhou. After graduation, she majored in Accountancy at Bentley University. At present, she is working in Shanghai at Ctrip as an Overseas Financial Analyst.
1 Why did you choose Dulwich?
I’d already decided to study abroad when I started at high school. The teaching style at Dulwich International High School Suzhou is very close to what you find in classes abroad. As a result, Dulwich provides a good preparation for college.
2 What subjects did you choose at Dulwich? Which teacher or teachers had a great influence on you? Why?
Maths, Physics, Chemistry and economics. Rain really helped me to choose a college. She combines western and eastern thinking and gives good and reasonable suggestions to students.
3 What Co-Curricular Activities did you choose at Dulwich?
Business Competition. 5-6 students as a group. The school will gave each group about 300 Yuan. Each group decided what products to sell in order to make money for charity.
4 What experiences did you have at Dulwich that determined your major at university?
I think the business competition and economics class both lead me to my major.
5 What were the biggest difficulties for you at university? How did you overcome them?
I think the biggest challenges are working in a group and adapting to American culture. For the group work, you have to meet with students from all over the world to discuss the business cases and do brainstorming. In order to overcome the challenge, I always think of ideas in advance, so you can keep up the pace, or even lead the team discussion.
6 Did high school life at Dulwich International High School help you adapt to university life and study?
The teaching style at Dulwich is almost the same as the teaching style at University. Studying in Dulwich doesn’t just allow you to practice English. It also teaches you how to communicate with a professor.
7 Where do you work now? What position do you hold? What is your job-seeking experience?
I am now a Financial Analyst at Ctrip. For the job application, usually, you have to prepare one year before graduation. First, you need to understand the trend of employment in China and see what level you are at. Then according your previous experience, prepare for the online application, written examination, group interview and one-to-one interview. In China, except for technical positions, almost all the positions require a group interview. You can find a few partners and practice together to get more familiar with this situation.
8 Do you have any suggestions to help students at Dulwich International High School Suzhou prepare for university life?
I think good learning habits and time management skills should be developed as soon as possible. Maybe now you think you don’t have enough time to prepare TOEFL, SAT and A-level at the same time, but this kind of situation will happen at both university and work in the future. So I think the ability to manage your time effectively is very important. For your university application, you should plan in advance. When Searching for schools, know the level you are at and select appropriately. In the future university life, self-discipline and time management are very important.
