Top Graduates in Profile | To Become a Top Scientist in Physics

For Sam, he was not always a “top student” and his learning journey was not always smooth as others thought. He kept reflecting on himself, figured out his goal step-by-step, and moved forward without hesitation once determined.

Due to his parents' job transfer, Sam and his family moved from Beijing to Tianjin after he graduated  middle-high school. They prepared well for selecting a high school. A good friend of Sam’s was about to transfer to Wellington College Tianjin and encouraged him to visit the school. This visit to Wellington directly led to Sam's decision. “When I passed by the labs, I saw a lot of equipment for physics and other subjects in science and I was immediately attracted.” Sam said. The world's most advanced laboratory equipment was neatly displayed, and for Sam, that was necessary for his dream to come true.

In addition, Wellington College Tianjin has a rich experience in helping students to apply and receive  top university offers in Europe, the United States and the UK, and this fitted Sam’s plan for his future perfectly. “Because most of the physics literature, including physics research, is in Europe,” Sam said. It is fair to say that Wellington College Tianjin opened the door to physics for him.

When Sam first joined Wellington, it was very different to his previous school the learning environment was very international in feel. First of all, the classes are taught in English. Although Sam was in the international class of a local school, the students mainly communicated in Chinese. However, here at Wellington, “the teachers are mainly expatriates and the learning materials are in English.” At first, he wasn’t confident enough to communicate in English. But with the encouragement of his teachers and classmates, he was able to speak up and improve his English in a very short time.

Secondly, Wellington provides a wide range of opportunities for experimentation and practice for its pupils so that they can develop their independent learning skills in all aspects. For example, during Science Week, pupils could undertake research on projects designed by themselves. The teachers not only provided advice and guidance about the related theoretical knowledge but also provided materials for the pupils’ projects. In addition, pupils can use the school's facilities and equipment after school if they think it’s necessary to make full use of the school's resources for research and exploration. Sam recalls that in his first year at Wellington, he spent Christmas in the school’s lab, grinding coffee beans with lab equipment, observing the process of coffee refining and then enjoying the coffee. During the lockdown period of COVID, the pupils could request to study or do experiments at the school as long as they felt the need to do so and the school tried its best to accommodate their needs. 

Finally, the school encourages “debating”. Sam said, “Many local schools teach their students in an absolute form, but here at Wellington, pupils have many opportunities to debate with the teachers. This has largely stimulated my ability to think independently and developed my confidence.” For Sam, the school gives the pupils enough space and freedom to make choices. When they participate in activities or competitions or even apply for universities, the pupils can always make their own choices. “I applied for, and fought for every step that I have taken. Therefore, I cherish every precious opportunity I had,” Sam said.

During his time at Wellington, Sam grabbed many opportunities that the school provided. He participated in many important competitions. For example, he participated in the United States Academic Decathlon (USAD) for two years and became the subject leader of science in the second year. While developing his leadership skills, he also realised the importance of teamwork again. He also participated in the British Physics Olympics (BPhO) and won a gold medal. In his second year at high school, Sam attended the summer school at Imperial College London and won first place in the final group presentation. His experience at Imperial also helped him decide his direction for university applications later on.

Sam has had the dream of becoming a physicist since middle-high school. He hoped that he could immerse himself in the research of theoretical physics, just like Deng Jiaxian, Yang Chen-Ning and other great physicists. Talking about his dream, the eyes of this always modest and polite pupil shined. He said, “I long for such kind of life. Dedication to research for years and decades, I think it suits me.”

Talking about the new stage of his learning journey, Sam hoped that he could keep learning and pursue a PhD. Talking about his future, Sam quoted what Faraday said when his discovery of electromagnetic induction was questioned, “I don't really know what's the point of it, but it's a phenomenon that should be worth discovering.” Sam said that he hopes to make some real discoveries, but he did not expect to have any so soon. He would just like to keep enjoying the process of discovery.

Once again, congratulations to Sam for his outstanding offers! We wish that in the field he aspires to, the dreams of this future physicist come true and he can achieve his ambitions.