- California Institute of Technology
- University of Oxford
Caltech (REA) and the University of Oxford — Physics
An A-Level student from a Beijing public school’s international division, equally at home in physics and philosophy, admitted to both Caltech and Oxford on a narrative of persistence in the pursuit of scientific truth.
- Major
- Physics
- Round
- REA
- School
- Beijing public school international division, A-Level
- GPA
- 4.26 / 4.5
- TOEFL
- 116
- SAT
- 1540
Applicant profile An interdisciplinary student of exceptional academic promise, focused on physics and philosophy and skilled in scientific research. She stood out in international competitions while also committing to education outreach and community service, showing both creativity and social responsibility.
Main activities
- Computational research on nanofluid identification
- Independent research on fractal morphology and fluid properties
- Founder and mentor of a magnetic-levitation project; member of the IVPT club
- John Locke Essay Competition (Grade 11)
- Philosophy seminar (organiser)
- Academic translation
- Ambassador of the school history museum
Awards
- Yau Science Award (Physics), national final third prize (top 1%, Grade 11)
- CYPT (China Young Physicists’ Tournament national training team)
- PhysicsBowl, global bronze (top 3%)
- British Physics Olympiad (BPhO), global gold (top 2%)
- USA Biology Olympiad (USABO), national top 4
Main essay
Through repeated attempts and failures while maintaining an aquarium, she showed a persistent pursuit of scientific truth and an unrelenting work ethic.
Supplemental essays
Ten supplemental essays and one additional-information statement. Through observations and reflections on different physical phenomena they explored the complexity of the world from a physicist’s perspective, showing not only her love of science and spirit of inquiry but also her research ability, creative potential, leadership and social concern.