Chasing the dream of entering the medical school: Fudan freshman Zhou Zhanjun's growth journey of "looking up at the stars and keeping his feet on the ground"
2024-08-07
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"It is the determination to improve the lives of my family and myself, as well as the pursuit of my scientific research dream, that drives me to work hard all the way forward." On the last weekend of July 2024, when 18-year-old Zhou Zhanjun received the admission notice for Fudan University's Basic Medicine major from the courier, he expressed his thoughts to reporters.
Zhou Zhanjun, who attended Beihai Primary School in Changchun Economic and Technological Development Zone, has been going to and from school and taking the bus independently since then. After high school, he also paid for his own air tickets, accommodation, and transportation when he left home for training and competitions.
When the reporter contacted Zhou Zhanjun by phone to ask for his opinion on the interview, he promptly agreed on the format and time of the interview. In the conversation, his mature, independent, stable and calm state should be the best proof of his training and growth over the years.
When Zhou Zhanjun talked about his experiences of going to and from school independently, he said that these daily little things allowed him to gradually learn how to plan his time and deal with emergencies. More importantly, they enabled him to acquire the ability to think independently and solve problems early on.
Zhou Zhanjun said that he is the eldest son in a family of four. His younger brother is his source of happiness. When he is unhappy, he can be happy again by spending some time with his younger brother. His calm and generous father is a water conservancy engineer and a role model in his life. His mother, who also works in water conservancy, has very strict requirements on him, which made him have a highly self-disciplined character since childhood.
The road to becoming a top student is not all smooth sailing. Zhou Zhanjun told reporters about his experience in the second semester of the second year of junior high school: due to the epidemic, he played games at home for a long time, resulting in very unsatisfactory final grades. After the third year of junior high school started, his parents confiscated his mobile phone. He didn't understand and tried his best to resist at the time, but now he deeply agrees with his parents' approach. He was admitted to the Affiliated High School of Normal University three years ago and received the admission letter from Fudan University today. When he looked back again, he was full of gratitude for his parents' approach. Because that made him really work hard in his studies in the third year of junior high school, so he has everything in front of him.
Reporter: What do you think are the biggest difficulties and challenges you have encountered along the way?
Zhou Zhanjun: In the final of the 37th China Chemistry Olympiad last year, my performance was not ideal and I only got a bronze medal. This meant that the competition would not help me much in my further studies. I only had six months to prepare for the college entrance examination and had to study in almost the same way as other college entrance examination candidates.
Reporter: How did you adjust your state at that time?
Zhou Zhanjun: Forget failure and set your sights on the college entrance exam. I see learning as a way to my future, not a hardship. I don’t find learning hard, so I was able to study persistently and was eventually admitted to Fudan University. This is the result of my six months of hard work and the support of my parents. I was admitted to Fudan University through the Strong Foundation Program, which is directly related to the knowledge I learned during the competition period and the awards I won.
Studying hard and striving for a better future is the most powerful motivation he got from the education of his teachers and parents. Whenever he felt tired of studying, Zhou Zhanjun would think of the future he longed for, those shining dreams, which gave him endless energy.
After the chemistry competition finals, Zhou Zhanjun set his ambition to study basic medicine. "I will continue my studies in basic medicine, pursue graduate and doctoral studies in the future, and hope to enter a university to be a scientific researcher," Zhou Zhanjun said.
Reporter: Can you share a learning method that you think is important?
Zhou Zhanjun: I think the most important method is to integrate knowledge points with questions. By doing questions, you can think about your understanding of knowledge points. In the process of doing questions, you can have a deeper and more systematic understanding of knowledge points, and thoroughly understand what you didn't understand in class.
Talking about his holiday plans, Zhou Zhanjun said that he plans to travel and do some tutoring work. Tutoring can not only bring him some income, but also help him exercise his abilities.
With clear ideas and fluent expression, Zhou Zhanjun has clear expectations and plans for his future. With hard work and unremitting pursuit, he interprets the true meaning of "looking up at the stars and keeping one's feet on the ground" with his actual actions. I hope his story can inspire everyone with dreams to bravely pursue and struggle to create their own future.
Author: Jilin Daily Omnimedia Reporter Zhang Huiyong Video Editing Intern Du Jiahui
