Starting from scratch on the application journey, I finally realized my dream of going to a G5!

Date：2022-03-19   Author：admin

Student Cai

School attended: Hangzhou No. 4 High School

Standardized test score: IELTS 7 (6.5)

A-level: Math A*, Physics A*, Economy A*, Chemistry A

Admitted school: UCL

Admitted major: Psychology


1. Regarding the motivation for studying abroad

Choosing to study abroad is primarily because it offers me more opportunities, whether in terms of academic paths or career development.

Moreover, I myself enjoy trying new things. Going abroad means a completely unfamiliar environment. I find it very interesting to study and live in such an environment. If I can successfully integrate into the local area, I will also have a great sense of achievement.

Another thing is that I myself really enjoy the A-level learning process. Compared with the exam-oriented education in China, this kind of learning makes it easier for me to integrate knowledge.

I chose the UK because it is a country with relatively strong inclusiveness. The UK (especially London) is generally friendly to Chinese people, and the probability of encountering racial discrimination when studying and living here is lower than in other countries.

A large part of the reason for choosing psychology stems from personal interest.

Although I had no exposure to this subject at all during high school, after reading the introductions of psychology courses on many school official websites, I gradually developed a strong interest in psychology.

Psychology is a broad and diverse disciplinary field, with a very rich curriculum that allows me to explore various possibilities.

I have just finished my freshman year now. Although I don't have a very specific research direction, I am more inclined to judgment and decision making.

My interest originated from the lecture in my freshman year. This part of the lecture enabled me to understand how people influence others' decisions, the reasons for making such decisions, and so on.

On the one hand, this part of knowledge is widely applied, such as consumer decision making in economics. On the other hand, if I think deeply about this knowledge, there are still many areas that are black boxes.

So I think this direction is of great research value and I also look forward to continuing to explore this path in the future.

2. Regarding the criteria for choosing an intermediary

As my goal is set at a G5 university, I hope to have a professional team to provide me with strong support. The criteria for choosing an agency are naturally very strict.

For me, one of the criteria for choosing an agency is a timely and effective response.

For instance, if I encounter difficulties in a certain aspect, can the consultant reply to my message in a timely manner and help me solve the problem?

The teachers of Explore Stone cooperated with me very well in this regard. I remember participating in an event at that time, but I wasn't sure of winning the first prize. After learning about my situation, the consultant teachers effectively helped me improve my personal ability rapidly in a short time, giving me enough confidence to successfully win this award.

Also, here are some tips for choosing an agency for everyone:

I believe that before choosing an agency, everyone must have done a lot of research. On the Internet, one can obtain a lot of official information about the agency, such as Weibo and official websites. These places help me understand what specific services the agency offers.

But at the same time, one should also look for some unofficial information, such as evaluations from real students and so on.

In this regard, you can look for reviews on Weibo, Zhihu or from acquaintances, but it is essential to conduct a survey. Relying solely on one account's evaluation of a study abroad agency is not reliable.

If conditions permit, you can communicate with the internal staff of the agency.

3. Insights on the Application process

One step in the application process is to  a school. From my personal experience, when choosing a school, one should first have a general understanding of the target institution and major. One needs to weigh the importance of the school's ranking and the major's ranking, and then have in-depth communication with the consultant teacher. This can ensure the effectiveness of communication.

During the entire application process accompanied by Explore Stone, it was mainly the close cooperation with the essay teachers.

First, I had a deep discussion with the document teacher about our current background. After learning that the major I wanted to apply for was in a field I had never touched before, the document teacher recommended several related books to me.

Since the professional direction I have chosen is very broad, but the application essay requires a specific direction, I need to have a general understanding of the major and its various sub-directions first, and then tell the application essay teacher the direction I am interested in.

Then, with the help of my teacher, I gained a more detailed understanding of the chosen direction and formed my own summary and comprehension.

Subsequently, under the guidance of the document teacher, I understood the specific structure of the document and began to draft and outline it by myself. Then, I filled in the content according to the structure and sent it to the document teacher for revision and polishing after finishing.

When we have different opinions on the suggestions of the document teacher, we will discuss with each other and reach a mutually acceptable result to revise the document.

When the second draft of the document is completed, it will be submitted to the professional teachers of the Explore Stone team for another review to check whether the logic is clear, whether the sentences are smooth, etc.

Throughout the entire process, the document teacher's responses were very timely, and all the questions raised could be effectively resolved.

I remember when I first came into contact with psychology, I was completely confused by many professional terms and often went to disturb the document teacher in the middle of the night. But the teacher never asked me to search on Google by myself. Instead, he/she patiently answered my questions in detail in his/her own way, making all my problems and difficulties easily solved.

I think this has already met the standards of a good agency in my mind. Throughout my entire learning journey, I have also gained a deeper understanding of the major I will study in university.

Like most applicants, the state of waiting for an offer is undoubtedly anxious, especially when I see that my classmates have already received offers from their dream schools before me.

But when I received an offer letter, my anxiety was greatly relieved. All I could think about was that I would be able to go to school no matter what (laugh). The offer from UCL came late. I remember I was extremely excited at that time. All my efforts were not in vain.

Among them, what surprised me was the psychology offer from the University of Bath. This school is very popular in the UK. I just applied with a try-it-out attitude, but unexpectedly, it gave me an offer.

4. Sharing of application experience

Learning experience


If it is an A-level learning experience, doing practice exercises is effective, but meaningless practice exercises should be avoided.

It is suggested to mark the part of knowledge that was misunderstood and what was understood correctly beside the wrong questions. This will prevent making the same mistakes again. Moreover, when reviewing, the questions can pass quickly. As long as you grasp the correct knowledge points, that's fine.

Then, since people often store memories in the form of sounds, don't listen to music when doing exercises and reviewing.

Mind maps are effective. Human memory is a web-like structure, and so are mind maps. To verify whether review is effective, one can use drawing a mind map for verification.

Planning application


Preparing for a study abroad application should be done as early as possible. In my opinion, one can start preparing from the first year of high school.

For the international high school I'm in, the first year of high school is the adaptation stage, the second year is the main time for A-level study, and although there is also A-level study in the third year, the application will be even more important.

However, the preparation for some activities also takes time. If it follows the school's pace, it often leads to insufficient preparation. So, the earlier you plan, the better.

"Status adjustment"


Whether it is studying or applying, it is necessary to maintain a good state to sustain one's combat effectiveness.

For me personally, exercise really works. Secondly, try to move the tasks to the morning to complete. Most of the brain's prime time is in the morning.

I sincerely thank Explore Stone for its patient service, which enabled me to avoid detours on the road of application. The cooperation with the document teacher was also very pleasant, making me feel that I gained a lot.

Even though my application season has come to an end and I encountered any bottlenecks during my freshman year of study, the teachers would still help and guide me enthusiastically and patiently.

On the journey of studying abroad, I'm grateful to have you by my side all the way.

Tutoring Review

When Cai first got in touch with us, he expressed his strong interest in psychology. However, since he didn't take psychology as an A-level course, his understanding of professional knowledge and vocabulary was relatively weak.

For the document part, we started from scratch. After communicating together, we combined her own academic background, personal interests and the course content of the university, and set the main direction of reading on cognitive psychology, among which we gained a deeper understanding of the part of cognitive neuroscience.

Because this part contains a great many professional terms, it was very challenging for her at that time.

But she reads very carefully and earnestly. Whenever she encounters something she doesn't quite understand or comes across knowledge points that interest her, she is willing to explore more.

I remember she read A Fish Tale of Memory Loss in the book at that time. We went to search for more information together and discussed the possibilities and applications.

It can be said that during the process of writing the PS, Cai student had already demonstrated a strong sense of curiosity and an exploratory spirit. She has maintained such traits throughout her undergraduate studies, which has helped her get through the difficult initial adaptation period.

I'm very glad that she has discovered more interests in her current studies!