After studying for almost four years in the Department of Social Sciences at UIC, Yang Xiaoman is admitted by the Department of Sociology at the University of Oxford for her graduate study.
Yang Xiaoman
Yang has always been concerned about social issues. Her research abilities in sociology have flourished by participating in multiple research programmes organised by UIC.
She joined a research group focusing on pandemic policies. She went through and summarised a vast amount of materials from different countries, enabling her to gain valuable research experience and hone her critical thinking.
Based on her previous outcome, Yang continued to turn the spotlight to the impact of the pandemic on the elderly in her final year project (FYP). She said quantitative analysis methods would be deployed to improve the project.
Yang also put her knowledge into practice. She went to an internship arranged by UIC's Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at a daycare centre for the elderly in Shenzhen during her third year, assisting the elderly in adjusting their mindsets when reaching old age.
Yang interns at a daycare centre for the elderly in Shenzhen
She works as an intern at the China Merchants Foundation currently, involved in international charity projects despite being busy with her FYP.
She said that the experience allowed her to witness the hardship faced by the socially disadvantaged and the front-line community workers, deepening her understanding of what she had learned at UIC.
Yang had promised herself to improve her interpersonal skills before starting college life. Thanks to UIC's curriculum setting, she could take part in various presentations and group discussions. As a result, she has become confident and gained her abilities in teamwork and leadership.
With outstanding performance, she won the Dean's Award twice and the Mr Fung Sun Kwan Scholarship of Excellence with a 3.92 GPA.
Looking ahead, Yang hopes to learn more about macro-sociological theories and quantitative data analysis methods and participate in more front-line social activities.
As for graduate study applications, she said internships and research experience are as crucial as good grades, and thoughts and understandings of the discipline should be the core of a personal statement.
Yang looks forward to her life at Oxford
From MPRO
Reporter: Cecilia Yu
Photos provided by the interviewee
Editor: Deen He
