Early Decision: DAIS Class of 2023 on the Road to Success

On December 15, Dalian American International School and Huamei School Class of 2023 students started receiving Early Decision offers to top-notch universities in the US.

Eileen Wu has been accepted to the College of Engineering at Cornell University - an Ivy League school ranked #17 out of 443 National Universities in the 2022-2023 US News edition. She will be studying Operations Research and Engineering. 

Sam Wang received an offer from College of Arts and Sciences at Emory University – a leading research university in Atlanta, Georgia, #22 in National Universities (US News Best Colleges). Emory University is one of the 25 outstanding US schools named a "New Ivy" in 2007 by Newsweek. Sam will be majoring in Applied Mathematics & Statistics.

Evelyn Jiang has been accepted to Boston University's College of Communications. Boston University is ranked #27 among Best U.S. Colleges by The Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education. Evelyn chose the advertising program there.

Congratulations!

_{Eileen Wu (right)}

We interviewed the students to learn more about the university application process and their secrets to success.

DAIS: Why did you choose this major?

Eileen: I decided to choose this major when I was researching different options at the College of Engineering. Operations Research and Engineering is an interdisciplinary field that focuses on data-driven decision-making, machine learning, and mathematical modeling. I believe that having decision-making skills is especially essential in supporting me to adapt to the technology-driven economy.

Evelyn: My advertising side began in 2018 with social media operations such as TikTok, Xiaohongshu, and Sina Weibo, and it had flourished since 2019 when I started making money through these channels. From my experience working at Brandy Melville in Shanghai, I’ve witnessed how the innovative adverting approach has changed young Chinese women's fashion choices, inspiring them to be more confident in their individuality, open to new experiences, and unconstrained by convention. My motivation for advertising extends beyond simply increasing sales; it also includes changing the ideological zeal of an entire generation or society. So that's basically why I decided to major in advertising.

Sam: I’m intrigued by the patterns and trends in applied mathematics and statistics, and I aspire to leverage my quantitative skills to address pressing societal issues. I believe that statistics is more than just a collection of math models; it is a powerful tool for explaining common challenges and combating societal problems.

_{Sam Wang (left)}

DAIS: How has the school counseling team been supporting you in the application stage?

Evelyn: Ever since I transferred to Dalian American International School in 2021, the school counseling team has been a huge help to me. They have given me lots of guidance on everything from picking classes each semester to looking into universities. My counselor Mr. Donagher gave me many suggestions and assisted me in revising my personal statement and each university's supplemental essays even though my GPA seemed not very high, my AP scores seemed not very exceptional, and I didn’t take the SAT. As a result, my application essay and activity experience were very important. I am therefore very appreciative to our counseling staff for their support and encouragement throughout my application process.

Sam: The counseling team was really helpful and vital to my application process. I must express my gratitude to Ms. Sun, my counselor, for her great support. We started working at the end of the junior year to develop ideas for my personal statement and plan for the summer. Whenever I had a question about Common APP or the school student portal, Ms. Sun always responded immediately to provide the most effective solution. Additionally, Ms. Sun assisted me in getting in touch with my math teacher from my junior year to obtain my recommendation letter, which was crucial for me as a math major. She also worked closely with me to address my Chinese public school background and to ask the university admissions officer questions directly. I couldn’t have got into Emory without her support.

Eileen: During the application process, Ms. Sun always encouraged me and cared for my stress level when editing personal statements and many other supplements while dealing with some AP transitions. I was especially thankful for her support during distance learning when we had to move counseling meetings online and work on shared documents. Ms. Sun has given me lots of effective suggestions on improving my essays until the very last version, and she helped to make sure teachers’ recommendation letters were ready to go.

_{Evelyn Jiang}

DAIS: Would you give some advice to juniors who are just starting this journey?

Eileen: Firstly, don’t be stressed out or too anxious. It’s very easy to be peer-pressured, yet the easiest way to calm yourself is to focus only on your progress and achievements instead of constantly comparing yourself to others. Focus on what you can control, leave what you can't.

My second piece of advice would be to not procrastinate. Though there is a tendency for everyone to put things off until the very last moment, make a to-do list and start your application preparation as early as possible. I started writing essays in the summer and continued to edit my main personal statement and finished most supplementary essays by the end of September. Summer is a comparatively free period where you can get a lot done. For example, try to engage yourself in community services, or major-related activities, or simply figure out your school list and interest in your major.

Sam: Do not PROCRASTINATE!

Evelyn: My biggest piece of advice to the juniors is not to be anxious, to maintain a positive attitude no matter what, and to remember that everything will work out for the best. Another crucial piece of advice, in my opinion, is that if you already know what major you want to pursue in college, you should start engaging in activities that align with it rather than focusing on winning "pointless" accolades. Examples of such activities include internships, part-time jobs, and social activities that deepen your understanding of the major.

Congratulations to our amazing Class of 2023 students! We cannot wait to hear more acceptance news from you soon.

University Application Deadlines

Universities in the US offer several types of deadlines to submit applications (dates and conditions may vary):

• Early Decision (ED1: October 15th or November 1st, ED2: January 1st)
  You can only apply to one school. These are binding applications which require, if you are accepted, that you attend that particular school. You must withdraw applications to all other schools once accepted and cannot apply to any additional schools in any part of the world.
• Early Action (November 1)
  These applications are non-binding and non-restrictive (with a few exceptions – for example, most selective Ivy League schools have restrictive EA). Usually, you can apply to more than one school. You will be informed of the admissions decisions earlier (typically in January or February), but you do not need to commit until May 1.
• Regular Decision (January 1-15)
  With Regular Decision, you have the option to apply to several schools, review offers of admission and financial aid, and make choice. You will have until May 1 to either accept or decline the offer.
• Rolling Admissions
  There is no set deadline to apply. Schools constantly and continuously accept applications and provide decisions as soon as your application review is complete.

_{Counseling team}

Why Apply Early?

While early programs mean early deadlines (typically November 1, but for some schools it's even October 15), and all standardized testing, where necessary, and applications must be completed in a limited timeframe, there are certain benefits that Early Decision offers:

1. Higher acceptance rate. Your chances may be 300% higher if you apply ED!
2. Smaller applicant pool. Every candidate can only apply to one school, and you have good chances to stand out.
3. Show your commitment. Admissions officers tend to give preference to ED applicants as these students commit to attending this specific school if accepted. ED acceptances also improve the colleges' yield rate (the percentage of people who accepted their offers of admission) and let them start forming the class earlier.
4. Know the admissions decision sooner. While for Regular Decision you will only hear back from prospective schools in March or April, for ED you will know the result as early as December.

In the previous years, DAIS/DHS students have been accepted to these highly selective universities through ED:

• University of Rochester
• Emory University
• Vanderbilt University
• New York University
• Johns Hopkins University
• Boston University

For now, only few schools in the United States offer ED, but their number is growing, and we encourage every senior to consider this unique opportunity to get into his or her dream school.

Class of 2023 Offers

In addition to ED, some of our seniors have already received offers from the following universities:

• Miami University
• Les Roches International School of Hotel Management
• Queen Mary University of London
• Whitworth University
• University of Georgia
• The University of Sydney
• Australian National University
• University of New South Wales
• The University of Manchester
• University of Southampton
• University of Bristol

We're proud of our outstanding Class of 2023 students as they transition from secondary to higher education.