Blog 7: My experience in the interview of USP

Prof A: an American

Prof B: a Singaporean Chinese

Me: nice to meet you! (Shake hands with PA)

       Nice to meet you, too! (Shake hands with PB)

       May I sit down?

PA: yes, please take your seat.

Me: thank you very much.

PA: ok, please tell me why you want to join USP?

Me: well, first, the small size of the class attracts me most.  In the small class, I have more opportunities to provide my own ideas with other international students and professors and digest their thoughts as well.  I love debate; I am always willing to exchange my ideas with others.  I love debate so much that I even rejected the offer from Hong Kong University.  It is a very interesting story; can I tell you about that? 

PA: sure.

Me: In the interview, when we were talking about the benefits of population explosion, other students talked about social benefits, including adequate labour.  However, I came with an idea of biological benefits. Some special, rare but important genes can only be reserved in a large group of people.  I think debate helped me a lot to get an offer from HKU; however I rejected it because I chose WHU; WHU it has the best debate team in China.  It may sound crazy, but I really love debate. Secondly, I want to join in USP because the competition is fierce and I am always willing to face challenges.  Although I am not a Christian, I always remember a story about two farmers, who desperately needed rain.  Both of them prayed for rain, but only one of them prepared his fields to receive it.  At the end of the story, there are two questions: Which one will God send rain to?  And which one are you? Hence, the competition will challenge me to move further, reaching my potential, to where I did not anticipate before.  I always tell myself, just work as hard as you can and see what will happen.  

PB: I see, except from debate, what else are you interested in?

Me: history, politics, literature....

PB: which book do you like most about history?

Me: pardon…?

PB: ……

Me: I am reading<1587, a year of no significance>; the writer thinks about big history- not only concentrate in certain significant events but think about history as a whole.  When I learned about using coordinate system to deal with geometry problems in<mathematics and philosophy>, I can feel the same idea-thinking as a whole can bring in some unexpected results.  I find that different books have relations, so it is hard for me to select a particular book that I like most.

PA: any books about politics?

Me: Sorry…? About what…?

PA: ……

Me: I am reading <野火集>written by Long Yingtai, a Taiwanese.

PA: ok, do you think China will take over Taiwan? Because China is becoming stronger

Me: I think this may not happen recently because I think Chinese are very…ok…quotation marks… we are not aggressive; we will not hurt others if we are not hurt. 

PA: well, why Chinese are “tame”, what is the origin of this?

Me: well…well…I will find it out in USP…

PA: if Taiwanese vote to be independent, what do you think PRC government should do?

Me: I think people’s will should be respected; we cannot force them to join us.  The most important thing is that the well beings of people in two sides can be promoted.  But we are all Chinese so we can still integrate with each other to move further, making progress together.

PA: so what do you think about Tibet? Should Tibet be independent? You know some people protest against central government.

Me: I think those people are just minority of the whole population in Tibet.

PA: how did you know that?

Me: I have been to Lhasa and talked to many local people.  A lot of them appreciate what the government have done for them, including the railways and the airport.  Some people complain that sometimes government force them to do something, for example to have a TV; however, government now respect them more and I believe the condition will be better.

PB: ok, thank you very much. Do you have something to ask us?

Me:I wonder whether there is a debate corner in USP? Because I want to invite more students to share ideas together and this is also one way that I can contribute to the school.

PA: yes

Me: ok, another question, can I be an assistant in the writing centre?  I am a member of Hubei provincial writers’ association and I am always willing to contribute to the class, the school, the whole society. 

PA: in year 2 or 3 you can