Wei Xuan, a fourth-year student studying Statistics in the Division of Science and Technology (DST) at UIC, received the admission letter from Yale University’s Master of Science in Public Health in Biostatistics. Wei Xuan’s college life is coming to an end; she says she will remember the beauty of the campus and the days studying with friends in the Learning Resource Centre. She grew a lot and found her direction in UIC. From UIC to Yale University, it was an excellent experience that was full of surprises.
According to Wei Xuan, a Liberal Arts College like UIC has created a tremendous academic and practical experience for her. Thanks to the diversified curriculum, she could develop interests and hobbies and broaden her horizons. UIC’s English teaching environment has improved her language skills, while the group projects have helped her with team skills, and more importantly, she has built up her confidence.
She participated in two summer programmes, one at Hong Kong Baptist University and the other at Simon Fraser University in the US. These have been unforgettable experiences for her since she could not only study the specialised courses offered by the universities but also experience the local culture.
Wei Xuan said she has received a lot of help from Associate Professor of Statistics Programme, Dr Deng Yuhui
When talking about her way of learning, Wei Xuan encouraged juniors to understand the knowledge rather than just memorising it fully. Meanwhile, use examples to reflect on similar questions, and never be afraid to ask teachers when confused.
In her studies, Wei Xuan attached importance to efficiency. She mentioned her experience when preparing for the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Due to her lack of experience, she started late and had to memorise more than 700 vocabularies daily. Thanks to the high-efficient learning methods developed in the past, she successfully passed the exam.
Wei Xuan believes in a balanced lifestyle. In her spare time, she loves to travel around, which allows her to release the stress from academic work. She explained that only through balancing study and life can she improve efficiency.
Wei Xuan travels during her spare time
In the eyes of Wei Xuan, the complicated statistical formulas are full of interest. It was the biggest reward to find her direction at UIC and to do what she loves and be good at what she does.
She explained that the academic tasks of the Statistics Programme are always challenging. For example, students must analyse the sample data through an algorithm in one assignment and explore the factors influencing their relations. During the process, she has learned a lot about the statistical model and found her interests in it, especially in its application to the related field of infectious diseases. She also learned about the mathematical model for epidemiological analysis.
Wei Xuan (third from left) and UIC President Prof Tang Tao (third from right) at the 2019-2020 Scholarship Presentation Ceremony
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Wei Xuan started to consider her future career. She saw the vital role of biostatistics in the fight against the virus, including suppressing the novel coronavirus, treatment for infected people, and development for the vaccine. Biostatistics could make significant contributions such as analysing the spread of the disease, the incubation period of the virus, and demographic information, including age, gender, and ethnicity.
Wei Xuan then applied to the Master of Science in Public Health in Biostatistics at Yale University, her dream college, and got admitted successfully. According to her, it was brought by fortune and related to the project experience gained at UIC, which presented her growth during undergraduate studies.
Wei Xuan hopes to find her direction in Biostatistics. She is looking forward to the places that she had never been to and the challenges she has not experienced yet.
From MPRO
Reporter: Du Jiewen
Editors: Samuel Burgess, Deen He, Covee Wang
