Sun Mingzhe
On the morning of receiving the admission letter for the 1+3 MPhil Programme of the University of Cambridge, Sun Mingzhe excitedly posted on his WeChat Moment. He said he was excited to say that after 108 days and nights, he was finally admitted to the University of Cambridge. After two years, Mingzhe finally realised his dream and hoped that this is just the beginning of life.
In 2019, Mingzhe, a senior in Culture, Creativity and Management Programme at UIC, visited the University of Cambridge during his trip across Europe.
Without knowing whether the fate came from poet Xu Zhimo's "Saying Good-bye to Cambridge Again " or from the subconscious guidance, Mingzhe's dream of studying at the University of Cambridge started.
Mingzhe considered Cambridge stunning and walking on the road felt like going through history. He learned about the University's postgraduate programmes and made up his mind.
After graduating from UIC in 2019, Mingzhe studied for a master's degree in Arts and Cultural Management at the University of Melbourne in Australia. The epidemic in Australia last year was raging. While writing research papers during his intense schedule, Mingzhe started the "complicated and torturing" process of applying to the University of Cambridge.
During the 108 days of waiting, Mingzhe woke up every day to refresh Cambridge's application system to see the process. He said that pressure and expectations coexisted in his heart when he was admitted. His most prominent thought was to quickly prepare for all aspects of knowledge before going to Cambridge.
Sun Mingzhe at UIC before graduation
Mingzhe said, without UIC's distinctive educational philosophy, it would be impossible for him to be admitted to the University of Cambridge step by step. UIC's liberal arts education emphasises both humanity and sciences, which provided him with academic knowledge in many fields. Such a curriculum has allowed students to break the boundaries of thinking and knowledge.
In addition to the curriculum's breadth, Mingzhe also saw liberal arts education cultivate students' versatility. He explained that the course encourages students to think hard and actively participate instead of passively accepting knowledge.
Sun Mingzhe and teachers in UIC
Another critical feature of Liberal Arts Education is the Plato's Academy style relationship between teachers and students. Mingzhe has gained a lot from the teachers and friends he had met at UIC.
Recalling Dr Barend Venter, the final year project supervisor who inspired his academic thinking, Mingzhe is always grateful. Mingzhe explained that once after dinner, Dr Venter and him went for coffee. After passing a street, Dr Venter suddenly asked him, "What did you think of the street after just passing it?"
Mingzhe was stunned for a while. For him, this was just walking, and he never thought about anything of it. Since his supervisor asked, he tried to remember what the street looked like. He believed that this street's name was taken from a famous historic English town, which means that it might originally be designed to look like a cultural and creative street. However, it was difficult for Mingzhe to find relevant elements on the whole street. He told Dr Venter that many people might have excellent ideas, but there is a particular gap in the actual content, which is a common problem in the cultural and creative industry.
Dr Venter was satisfied with his answer and told him that he had strong analytical skills, but it was easy to miss very valuable things around him. He needed to discover the details around him and then ask questions about the details to find the source of problems.
Sun Mingzhe with Dr Barend Venter
Mingzhe is also very grateful to Ms Sophie Dubois-Pepin, his French teacher at UIC. To help create a good French environment for him, Ms Dubois-Pepin often chatted with Mingzhe in French. Mingzhe misses the days sitting in restaurants and chatting with Ms Dubois-Pepin and her son.
With a strong interest in French culture, Mingzhe went to the well-known IÉSEG School of Management as an exchange student during his third-year. This experience not only increased his professional knowledge but also expanded his horizons. What's more, this experience made him really interested in art. The impact of seeing the masterpieces with his own eyes has awakened his love for art.
Sun Mingzhe at IÉSEG School of Management as an exchange student
After returning to China, he applied for UIC's exchange student roommate programme. Mingzhe was introduced to the exchange student who happened to come from the same business school that he went to in the previous year. Mingzhe, with his roommate, got up early together to work out in the gym, ate in the cafeteria, studied in the library, and chatted about philosophy and hot social topics all night. They gradually became best friends.
Becoming good at studying
Mingzhe felt tremendous pressure from English teaching environment at UIC when he was a freshman. He felt pain and almost cried with a few classmates because they couldn't understand the lectures and were afraid that it would be difficult to "survive" in UIC.
Fortunately, UIC's English teachers were patient. They guided the practice of listening, speaking, reading, and writing English, and gradually taught speech and academic skills.
In the first year, Mingzhe's grades were average because of focusing on adapting to university life. He tried his best in the first semester of his second year, though; his final grade was the same as the grade he had got in his first year. He began to reflect and analyse the problem and realised that he worked very hard only in class. He paid more attention to pre-class preparation and after-class review to improve learning efficiency and effectiveness. He also paid attention to correcting some of his bad habits.
Scene of LRC
In the second semester of his sophomore year, Mingzhe's GPA rose to 3.5. He also won scholarships consecutively in the third and fourth year. His highest GPA of one semester reached 4.0. After graduating from UIC, keeping good study habits, and working hard, Mingzhe won the highest honour during his first year studying at the University of Melbourne.
Mingzhe summarised his experience that instead of being sad about low grades, it is necessary to think about why the problem happens. Also, finding targeted solutions is the most important, since everyone has different problems. He also suggested to grasp the resources of UIC and seize the opportunity to discuss with teachers. He thinks it solves the problems encountered in ordinary study and life. Mingzhe said that some international teachers also wanted to understand China in-depth, and it could be a great chance to introduce the real Chinese culture to them.
Bringing art to the public
Obsessed with museums and galleries, Mingzhe takes notes every time he visits. French artist Marcel Duchamp is his favourite. Duchamp's pioneering artworks inspired him to break the boundaries of disciplines, just like the spirit of liberal arts education. Mingzhe said that if the existing knowledge system restricts people, or if people blindly believe in authority, how can we keep a curious mind and explore the world?
Mingzhe will enter the MPhil in Education (Arts, Creativity, and Education) at the University of Cambridge in autumn. He will specialise in research methods, and then pursue a PhD over the next three years. His research of interest include mass communication, social inclusion, education policy and sustainable development of art.
Sun Mingzhe is obsessed with art exhibitions
Mingzhe hopes to enjoy his life in Cambridge in the future, as Xu Zhimo wrote in Saying Good-bye to Cambridge Again: Just to pole a boat upstream / To where the green grass is more verdant / Or to have the boat fully loaded with starlight / And sing aloud in the splendour of starlight.
From MPRO
Editors: Samuel Burgess, Deen He, Zhang Fan
