Luo Qinyue: No Detour in life, Only Experience

Picture with Prof. Gu Yang, Master of Diligentia College at the graduation party

Luo Qinyue graduated from Jiaxiang Foreign Languages School Attached Chengdu No.7 Middle School.

She is now admitted to the PhD Program in Economics at National University of Singapore

When I first saw her, she stood in the rising sun on the second floor of Symposium in a light pink coat, flipping through a book. Without knowing why, I suddenly felt a sense of serenity at that very moment. 

A yes-or-no question opens to two possibilities;

a crossroad leads to four directions；

late-night take-away ordering presents dozens of options.

How many choices, then, does the four-year university life reveal to us?

It seems that Luo Qinyue always has a clear picture about her future.

"Probably in the second semester of my sophomore year, I realized that I wanted to do economic research. Since then, I have been more focused on preparing for this goal, and thus I seldom participated in any student union or club activities."

At the same time, she began to challenge herself on the road of learning. Qinyue has attached great importance to mathematics. After all, in this era, who can live without numbers and data at all? In her sophomore year, she taught herself the basics of calculus and took MAT1002 of SSE. In her junior year, she took Stage-two Mathematics Analysis directly in the second semester. "We are young, and our brains are actively alive. And with previous experience, I will be  even bolder to try things out, and I won't worry about my GPA."

"With study, of course, you still have to learn on a down-to-earth basis. Don't be deceived by the high-school teacher's "college-is-easier" coax. As university students, we are of prime energy and quick intelligence. Once well utilized, university years might be the time we study even harder than in high school.  . That does not necessarily mean we should be buried in books. I guess what matters most is how we manage our time, as long as it is not wasted away. It is possible for us to be developed into a well-rounded individual. . Previewing before class, attending carefully and engaging fully in class, she even got an A in Mathematics Analysis without taking the course in the first semester. In economics, the subject area where there are so many excellent students, she has won many scholarships and academic awards of the Shaw College. " Although Shaw scholarships are of moderate amount, what's so exciting about the scholarships is the message behind, a recognition of our efforts as well as an encouragement for future excellence. "

In her junior year, Qinyue went to Italy as an exchange student in the first semester. She still cherishes this experience as a treasure. "Nothing in life is a detour. There is only experience."

Italy, with its European solemnity and complexity, has always been her dream place. Time seems to move more slowly there and the academic pressure is less straining. Shops close at 7 or 8 o'clock in the evening. When snow falls in winter, people all stay indoors. It should be kind of boring, but Qinyue met a diligent roommate in Italy. "I am not very diligent, but my roommate is the kind of person who works very hard and is strong in self-discipline." The lenient academic life allowed them to start preparing for their language tests in their spare time. They would naturally wake up at three or four in the morning as they slept too early. The Italian streets were eroded by the cold wind in winter, and the indoor heating made Qinyue and her roommate sleepy. "At that time, we usually wrap ourselves with a blanket and went outside, and then the chill in the air will refresh us."

Foreign food is also a big challenge for her. Growing up in Chengdu, she thought she was spoiled by delicious food. "In Italy, all you can get is pasta, and later I became used to it. At that time, I also found out that I was actually quite rough, almost able to adapt to any circumstances. I was not aware of becoming a better person at that point. Yet when I look back, I realise it was during those times that I managed to do things that I did not formerly expected myself to be able to do. "

For most of the time, she maintains a laid-back, healthy lifestyle. "I feel that my entire college life tends to be very simple. It's just about studying, running and cooking." Most of people at this age want to go to bed early and get up early, but those who manage to do it are rare. But she has kept the habit of resting early and rising early. "Once you establish the habit, it’s no longer difficult." The same is true for running. She used to run in the neighbouring university,, then in the gym became her prior choice. Now She prefers to run in Universiade. Healthy lifestyle has already become a part of her. "After all, our body belongs entirely to ourselves. Since we know the best of our own body, we should take full responsibility for it and cherish it."

At the end of last year, she participated in a running event with another seven girls, running for 214 kilometers in twenty-four hours. They set up a small tent at the competition venue, holding a banner with team slogan "Everyone is a Little Princess" on it. With their fingers in a "V" gesture, they linked each individual “V” into an octagonal star under the sun. Day and night, they kept each other company, depended on each other and encouraged each other.

On weekends, she takes the time to walk from campus to supermarket to buy grocery, wearing headphones in the fresh air of the morning, stepping on the shadow cast on the boulevard through the branches of treesAnd she will spend some time cooking in the college kitchen. "Spending time on such things is actually a luxury for me. But I really enjoy shopping in the supermarket and watching other people walking their pets or babies." It turned out to be such a delightful thing to occasionally slow down and enjoy life.

Finally, she said, "University is the place where our values are being shaped. It's also a time for us to discover the inner self, what we really want and what exactly we like to do. What follows is to develop our interest to the level that can be recognized by the society. If we don't find out what we want to do and just follow the general trend, we will end up miserable.

We are all different individuals, with different tastes, choices, and destinations. Some like to study, some prefer club activities, some prioritize internships. Paralleling one another, we all try to discover our hidden talent and strive to make it count. I, for instance, would rather lead a slow-paced life than to sacrifice my time and serenity for earning money. I'd prefer to devote my time to things contributive to the society. To be more specific, in Economics, we investigate the economic returns of education. Although it might sound a bit abstract, it could be my way of doing something for the society in general. And for those who secure highly desirable jobs immediately after graduation, I, too, highly congratulate and admire them.”

Interviewer: Zhang Qi