Biggest Risk, Best Outcome (Essay C)

By Fannie (Qijiao Fan)

IS IT A WISE DEICISION TO STUDY ABROAD AT THE AGE OF 16?

It all happened right after I just attended high school. The CHI program representatives came to our school and had the information talk. I signed up and took an exam. Fortunately, I got accepted and had the option to choose to study in the USA for 10 months as an exchange student. I was super excited because it has always been my dream to study in a foreign country for a bit. But meanwhile, I will leave my friends and family to embark on this journey on my own when I just turned 16. Should I seize the opportunity?

DECISION MAKING PROCESS… …

I really value this opportunity and I want to take my chance.

But you are just 16, you can study abroad later when you are a little bit older.

You are a very talented student and I hope you take more considerations on our decision.

How Much Risk involved?SWOT Analysis

Strength• Have the chance to

immerse in different culture by staying in an American family

• Great opportunity to make friends all over the world and improve my English

• Prepare myself to study in a foreign country later

Weakness• Relatively high expenses to

participate exchange program

• Lack of enough freedom to pick the host family and the student will stay in a small town instead of a city

SWOT Analysis

Opportunities• Have the opportunity to

immerse another culture and establish contacts in the long run

• Have the advantage to apply for any US undergraduate schools

• Establish effective network

Threats• Defer my graduation from

high school

• Potential danger that may incur while staying in a foreign country

After almost 12 hours flight….

Beijing-> Sacramento (CA, USA)

Final Destination:Grass Valley, CA

DURING MY EXCHANGE YEAR…Frankly to say, staying in another country for 10 months was more

challenging than I anticipated. When I first came to Grass Valley, I faced languagebarriers that I could not communicate at deeper level with my host family. WhenI attended high school at first , I could not fit in with anyone at school. I can stillrecall I was crying for the first week I arrived in the states and wondered if Imade the right decision to leave my friends, my family and everything I was spfamiliar with behind to come here. Meanwhile, I knew that I must do somethingfor myself to change the circumstances. So I tried my best to overcome my self-consciousness and insecurity to start talking to people first. I learned to be moreoutspoken and talked to more people. As time went by, I began making friends atschool and talked more in classes. Without this experience, I would never pushmyself out of my comfort zone and know how much potential I have in order tosucceed. After I finished the program, I returned back to China and applied forundergraduate in the US. Then I got accepted by Knox College, a small liberal artscollege three hours ‘ away from Chicago. And I adjusted to college life so quicklydue to the exchange year experience I had.

FIRST TIME…

First- time Road Trip…

First time camping …

First time attending business competition

Knox College-ACADEMICS•Economics/ Statistics Tutor (Lower Left)

•Simon Case Competition(Upper Right)

• Off Campus Study: Business, Innovation & Entrepreneurship (Lower Right)

PERSONAL GROWTH

• Volunteer to help out for Knox’s 175 Birthday. Happy Birthday Knox!! (Upper Left)• Representing China for International Fair (Lower Left)• Founder of Oriental Hipster -Knox College Belly Dance (Upper Right)

Conclusion

• Throughout the exchange year, I not only improvedmy English skills, but also learned to becomeconfident, outspoken and mature. I learned tobecome a good listener and a communicator to getalong with people from different backgrounds.

• Because of what I have learned in my exchangeyear, I adjusted to my college life very quickly andaccomplished my goals at Knox.

•Knox is the place where I found out my passion ofmarketing research through my independent studyabout consumer psychology.

• It is a risk to study in a foreign country at early age,but the rewards are amazing. This experiences builtmy character and was a solid foundation for me tosucceed in the future.