Voices of Old Wellingtonians | Learning as a Happy Progression

In 2017, Lotus graduated from Wellington College Tianjin with outstanding scores on her public exams. After carefully considering several offers, she chose the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), one of the top G5 universities in the UK. Freshly graduated from university, Lotus once again finds herself at Wellington College Tianjin, this time as a teaching resident.

Lotus gives a class at Wellington College Tianjin

Lotus had always been a star at school. She even skipped a grade in primary school and was admitted to the best high school in her province. But after a year and a half of high school, she lost interest in her studies.

"Most of the top students in the province studied at my high school, so my academic performance was considered to be average. Sometimes it felt like my teachers treated top students differently from students like me. I felt that my talent was unrecognised," says Lotus. That was when her journey at Wellington College Tianjin began.

When Lotus started at Wellington College Tianjin, her English skills were slightly below average, making her studies all the more difficult. But, thanks to a combination of hard work and Wellington's immersive learning environment, Lotus overcame these language challenges within a year. It began to show in her grades, too. By the time she attended A-Level classes, she was one of the top pupils in the cohort.

"I think learning at Wellington College Tianjin is a happy and positive progression. Although my English was not as good as many of my peers and my overall results were only average, the teachers were very patient with me. This made me want to work harder and perform better. My teachers commended and encouraged me, which motivated me to work even harder, which, in turn, improved my performance."

After graduating from Wellington College Tianjin, Lotus began to study at the prestigious LSE, a school that has produced 18 Nobel Prize winners and 55 top government leaders. Lotus was attracted to LSE because of the sharp focus of its curriculum. Rather than offering hundreds of undergraduate programmes, LSE offers 20 in social science and business management. "As the campus is quite small, we got to know everyone in the same cohort well, and the entire cohort became quite tightly knit. Most courses at the LSE are interrelated, so students of different disciplines can always find something to discuss with their peers. Those of us in the same cohort always shared and exchanged thoughts on interesting matters," Lotus explains.

Lotus at LSE

Lotus was also drawn to LSE because of its attention to career development. "The university has the highest job placement rate in the UK. I believe this is because the school is incredibly helpful in providing students with useful resources," Lotus points out. For example, the school regularly invites outstanding alumni to the university to connect with current students. This presents them with many internships and career opportunities.

The school culture itself was very much career-orientated as well, Lotus observes. "By my second week there, most students had already finished writing their resumes," she recalls. "Everyone was so driven. I was stunned by their eagerness to try and learn."

Lotus (third from the left) and her classmates at LSE

"This is a trait unique to LSE," Lotus continues. "Upon entering the university, most students have a clear career goal in mind, and many realise their goals. 80% of the graduates start a career in investment banking and are determined to become an elite in the financial sector. In my first year, most of my classmates had a LinkedIn account, and they connected with alumni for career information and resources through it. It was a very strong and well-built network."

Like the rest of her fellow students, Lotus completed her resume within the first term. It was then that she started reconsidering her career path. "When I look back on that resume, my career experience seemed so trivial," she remembers, "but I tried my best to fill an entire A4 page regardless. I had a rudimentary understanding of the banking and financial industry back then. Most LSE students manage to find an internship role in the financial sector. I began to worry that if I could not land an internship at an investment bank I would be regarded as incompetent."

By the second term of her first year, Lotus was elected Environment and Ethics Officer of the LSE Student Union. It was then that she realised her passion may not have been in finance after all.

"I advocated a lot for sustainable development at university," Lotus explains. "I constantly thought about how resources could be redistributed fairly to the public, so society could develop more sustainably in the long term. I soon realised that I wanted to contribute to the sustainable development of society. I think this was why I decided to be a teacher instead."

Changing career paths was not an easy choice for Lotus to make. "Additional courage is needed for anyone to walk a different path than their peers," Lotus reflects, "but I still believe that passion is important. Without passion, I doubt anyone could persevere for very long in their career. So, I decided to follow my heart."

Lotus is nevertheless still grateful for the time she spent studying at LSE. Having skipped a grade, she began her studies at LSE at the young age of 17, which was a challenge in itself. "At any other university, three years might have passed in a blink of an eye," she says, "and I might not have undergone those times of struggle. But, at the same time, I might not have grown and developed so rapidly as I did at LSE. I believe that one must try and explore before they know what they truly love."

Lotus is currently completing a teaching residency at Wellington College Tianjin while preparing to apply for a postgraduate programme at Oxford University. "Interning at Wellington College Tianjin is superb. I believe that I have made the right decision and that I am better suited as a teacher because I feel that my passion and knowledge are valued here," says Lotus.

"When I teach my pupils, they give me their undivided attention," she continues. "Their thirst for knowledge moves me deeply, and I feel a great sense of achievement every time they learn something new. Moreover, the school has a very genuine and youthful environment. Every day I am met with my pupils' bright smiles. Seeing them happy makes me happy."

As an Old Wellingtonian who has recently returned to the College as a university graduate, what advice, then, can Lotus offer her younger peers?

1. Step outside your comfort zone

Although I am an IELTS Band 8 achiever, when I first attended LSE, I felt insecure and was not confident to talk to people. So I forced myself to befriend my housemates and spend time with them. Gradually, I made more friends, and I began to feel a lot more confident. International students often only make friends with fellow students from their home countries. This is a shame. We should always push ourselves to step outside our comfort zone in order to achieve personal growth and make real improvements.

2. Explore your interests and passions

Take my peers at LSE as an example. Most of them found internships or jobs in finance. Some may consider them to be more 'successful' than I am. This certainly may be the case for those classmates who truly love what they do. Many of them would happily spend the whole evening studying the stock market, just as I enjoy reading books on sociology, anthropology and environmental science. Interest and passion are what motivate us and drive us forward.

3. Participate in social events

Participate in more social events. Explore the world without the protection of the school campus. You will grow faster and understand more deeply how things work in society. This will make you more adaptive when you enter the workforce after graduation.