Sunday, August 19, 2012

Words of Wisdom from Yueming Wang


Hi fellow ILCers,

My name is Yueming Wang and I am a sophomore at Cornell University where I’m studying engineering. As of now, I plan on majoring in Operations Research, possibly minoring in Computer Science while staying on track for Medical School. For those that read my reflections from last December, I’m still unable to decide what career I would like to pursue after graduation. I know I’ve always been the type of person who liked to plan ahead of time so having absolutely no plans for life after college is extremely unnerving. I learned that having no set plans for post-college life is not only acceptable, but is also normal. And this is the first piece of advice I’d like to impart to you: Do not be afraid of not knowing. You’re not expected to have everything figured out yet so do not shy away from asking for help or simply give yourself more time!

One of the reasons I’ve been a bit indecisive is that I’ve simply had too much fun in most of my classes. While I enjoyed math (the ultimate factor why I chose engineering), I had no interest in physics in high school. Last semester, I took a mandatory introductory physics course for engineering students which ended up being my favorite course all semester. I actually looked forward to going to class to learn new concepts and watch my professor’s demonstrations. What I learned from this experience is that I should be open to the idea of taking some classes in different subject areas, even if I didn’t enjoy them in high school. This is my second piece of advice: Explore as much as you can and be open-minded!

One comment from my friend Stephany Ny that I’d like to emphasize is to really take advantage of this ILC experience. Having participated in the ILC program at Cornell University the summer before my junior year was the sole reason I decided to apply to the school during my senior year. Although I like to believe that I would have been just as happy with my college experience at any other school, I am so glad that I’m at Cornell right now. Not only do I have wonderfully engaging professors, a variety of student resources, and what seems to be limitless opportunities to have new experiences, I’ve also been able to reap some benefits of being a Cornell student off-campus. This summer, I worked as a branch manager for Revolution Prep’s Ivy Insiders program. Not only did I teach SAT courses and tutor students, I’ve been able to advertise in the community, coordinate public events, communicate extensively with customers, following up on leads, and pretty much learn the ins and outs of being a successful entrepreneur. Being a student at Cornell was one of the main reasons why Revolution Prep decided to even consider me for the position. In short, please take full advantage of the wonderful opportunities offered by the ILC for your experience can be the beginning of something even more amazing.

As always, feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Best of luck ILCers, and I hope to see some of you at Cornell! Cheers to the start of another wonderful school year!

Sincerely,
Yueming Wang
College of Engineering Class of 2015
Cornell University

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