A rainy morning car ride to Gambier, a small town in Ohio – I thought, God, if only it was London. Suddenly the endless country blurred into a beautiful Harry Potteresque college campus. Before I knew it I was at Kenyon College.

I know what you are thinking – who on earth wants to go to school in Ohio? Not even Columbus, the biggest city in the state – but still a small town – is an hour and a half drive away from it. Surprisingly, Kenyon College is one of my favorite schools I ever visited in the United States.

We all know Oxford is the filming place for Hogwarts in Harry Potter, but did you know the filming crew almost chose Kenyon College? Every building on its campus is a testament to European architecture – mysterious, academic, and poised. The Old Kenyon residential hall is the oldest standing Gothic erection in America. The libraries and dining halls are a combination of Hogwarts, a stained-glass church, a 19th-century historical mansion, and a tasteful art gallery. Kenyon is also spacious and luxurious, occupying 1,000 acres of nature that encloses Gambier. A road called “the middle path” runs through campus from beginning to end. Lining it is lush green trees and trim grass meadows that look like a vacation forest in summer, an oil painting with bright red, yellow, and orange leaves in autumn, and a silver snowy photo in winter. Undoubtedly, Kenyon is one of the most aesthetically pleasing campuses in the US.

Kenyon College is also known as the writer’s college. English, public speaking, foreign language, and creative writing infuse its curriculum. Every niche of writing can be found here, from science and nature writing to poetry, each taught by accomplished and caring professors. Even biology courses force students to listen to a tree and launch a creative writing piece about what they heard. This intense amount of writing is usually challenging for freshmen, who often get a C on their first paper and pages of feedback longer than the paper itself. They will learn the Kenyon writing style, improve their draft, and watch it regraded. After four years, graduates become the most uniquely well-read, well-versed individuals to grace the world.

You probably guessed it, but Kenyon is a feeder school for prestigious media or publication companies and literary journals, such as New York Times and Penguin Random House. The powerful and passionate alumni are often handing lucrative jobs exclusively to Kenyon graduates. According to my tour guide, “nepotism sucks, but it gets you really far. It’s scary how everyone wants to hire Kenyon students”. Best of all, The Kenyon Review, one of the most exclusive literature magazines in the US, was founded in 1939 by John Crowe Ransom, a literary critic and professor at Kenyon College. To this day it remains on campus and offers students associate and paid internship positions (more than half who apply get in).

My personal favorite, though, is how close Kenyon professors are with their students, and with it comes the students’ personalities. Many students are on first-name basis with professors and call each other lifelong friends. They visit for casual conversations, dinner, advice (academic and non-academic), and pet-sitting or babysitting. Sometimes they sit on a playground in the sun to talk about life for three hours. Other times they get top-tier paid research opportunities that graduate students can only dream of. It’s precious and heartwarming to see the small community truly care for its members. Students, well, are all a little weird – in a good way! They are authentic, genuine, and unapologetically themselves. There is charm and flair in that. They are also kind and collaborative despite the rigorous curriculum. You will see biology students spending hours explaining their experiment to a lost classmate and English students overlooking every essay you turn in to eliminate grammar mistakes.

Kenyon Fun Facts:

• Don’t step on the circular gold emblem in the dining hall. If you do, you won’t graduate!
• Friends, don’t walk on both sides of the stature on middle path. If you do you will stop being friends. That’s why large crowds of people wait to cross one side.
• In the science building there is a basement library. There are three floors, each one more quiet than the last.
• There is also a biology, archeology, anthropology and geography curation. Latin labels included.
• Other than writing, science is a population major because of the wonderful research opportunities. Psychology is classified as a natural science. So, less memorization, more experimentation.
• Introduction creative writing courses are graded on bravery, not performance. Even if you are not the best writer and are nervous about sharing your work with a 8 people class, it’s still A+ for effort – as long as you are willing to learn and turn assignments in on time.
• One of the best study abroad programs in the U.S. – students can go to London to take any courses in Oxford University and visit literary landmarks in Exeter. All credits transferred. Most who apply get in. If not, all other foreign exchange programs are lovely.
• Theaters are huge and beautiful and full of performances that never end there are quite a few on campus
• Housing is guaranteed and paid for all four years. Upperclassmen can live in Gambier town apartments – cue independent living.

For some bizarre reason, Kenyon’s deep British academic roots and whimsical students made me think of a quote from Marilyn Monroe: imperfection is beauty. Madness is genius. It’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.

Images: Helen Wang

Jenny Jin and Bella Li G10：Untitled

oil on canvas

This artwork depicts our friend group sitting in a restaurant, which aims to express our love and appreciation towards our friendship and the years that we have spent together. Through this artwork, we used both realism and impressionism through the contrast of level of details between the subject, the people, and the background. This allows us to make the faces of our friends more outstanding, thus attracting the audience attention to the main topic of this artwork. This will also add layers on the artwork as the abundant use of colors and lower level of realism on the background compares to the realistically depicted faces, providing the viewer with a more lingering charm. When the audience views this artwork, we want them to feel a sense of warmth and friendliness.

Yuqiao Chen G12：Unconscious Boundaries

Acrylic on Canvas, 23 x 39 inches

Everything is in constant movement and this rings true in the boundaries between dream and reality. Slashed upon the canvas, the chaotic bright streaks of yellow and red break out of the confines of recognizable shapes and outlines to represent the simultaneously existent and invisible line that defines dream and reality. 

Luofan (Felisa) Gan  G10: Monster 

Clay, wire, wood, 50cmx35cmx25cm

This work is an inventive narrative piece depicting an original character. The sculpture’s bust and size, position, and stature reflect the stoicism of the character while there are also whimsical circles, dots and flowers incorporated throughout. This work employs both additive and subtractive methods and the movement in the hair along with the decorative elements  creates interest through the entire form.

Patience Ma G12: Fading Palace

oil painting, acrylic, watercolor, spray lacquer, 40cm*80cm

Due to the development of modern society and the globalization of different cultures from different countries. The Forbidden City is a very symbolic feature of Chinese culture. I drew it using a contemporary style – abstract expressionism. Splashy strokes created by spray lacquer create a bursting feeling for the erupting sense of national confidence. This painting expresses my passion for conveying Chinese culture and increasing the cultural confidence of the Chinese. There are abstract and expressive expressions in this painting, but also some very detailed strokes which created the shiny golden roof of the Forbidden City.

David Fu G12: Serenade of a Nightingale 

Oil paint on canvas and digital editing, 50cm*40cm

Music has a way of bringing back memories and imagery. The violin has a significant effect on me, sounding like a singing bird. The nocturnal and mystical nightingale in this work is placed to the ear of a tree to symbolize melody and beauty. “To dream of these birds is often symbolic of joy and hope” the ear on a tree is shown to represent the awakening of nature. Bright colors are used to emphasize the wild vitality of Spring and the nightingale’s song awakening something inside of me. 

Images: Courtesy of school

This article appeared in the jingkids 2023 Graduation Issue

Last day of high school junior year. By the gates, there will be stressed students who almost grew out of adolescence but is not yet an adult. They will pass a busy summer specked with infinitesimal moments of fun. The heat waves will carry a certain restlessness: one year into IB, a few months after AP, a half term of A-levels, and five months until the college application deadline.

This summer, I am that student.

I attend the Beijing City International School (BCIS) and intend to study in the United States, with a focus on small private universities and liberal arts colleges.

I will be a creative writing major with a minor in communications and media. I love the arts and journalism and everything in between. in classic post-covid fashion, I am going to visit schools with my dearest dad.

Join me as I take you on my college visit tour across the US.

My school list:
Little ivy leagues: Williams College, Amherst College, Pomona College
Women’s colleges: Scripps College, Smith College, Wellesley College, Mount Holyoke College
Ivy Leagues: Brown University, Dartmouth University
Liberal arts colleges: Middlebury College, Bates College, Hamilton College, Kenyon College
Private universities: Tufts University, Chapman University

July 23rd. Afternoon.

Heated by the sun. Heading towards my last destination of the day, Chapman University opened up its gate. It is a private, small to medium-sized university located in Orange County, an area on the outskirts of Los Angeles. It was founded in 1909 by the Christian Minister Association of Southern California, especially Charles C. Chapman. Although it has connections to Christianity, it is not a religious institution. Though ranked number 121 by US News for national universities in the United States, Chapman has hidden perks that benefit a plethora of students in the film, arts, language, media, and communications realm.

Chapman’s best major is undoubtedly film.

Its Dodge College of Film and Media Arts is ranked fourth in the United States and harbors the role of an unofficial props storage for Hollywood. Students can use Hollywood props at any time they need. Chapman is also incredibly close to Disneyland, foreshadowing its emphasis on creative, literary, and artistic pursuits with a dash of modernity, such as television, media, and journalism.

My tour guide was a creative writing major whose career advisor taught her how to make a romantic yet financially disadvantaged field into a lucrative future. From resumés to potential magazines, Chapman’s professors and academic advisors guided her with care and patience.

Though reputed by artistic and literary endeavors, Chapman’s Dale E. and Sarah An Fowler’s School of Engineering is also worth mentioning.

Students are required to utilize scientific knowledge in projects that solve real-life problems. A bit like group 4 projects in IB DP, but more complex and impactful. Students of other majors can also engage in these projects to…you know…enhance their resumé.

Chapman admits students from over fifty countries. However, it is less well known in Asian areas than within the US itself. Most students on the tour guide were humble in attitude and eager to learn, coming from different states such as California, Massachusetts, and New Mexico with majors in philosophy, writing, journalism, and film. I was the only Asian, but that might have been just a coincidence.

Interesting Chapman facts:

• Despite being a research university, most of its classes only have 20 students while introductory courses have 60-70 students
• Undergraduate students can join graduate students to conduct research, but some might have to wait up to 2 years after notifying professors in advance
• 50% of its students study abroad. and short 4-6 week programs are often funded
• US domestic students receive generous financial aid and scholarships
• The spacious campus is modern and furnished with high-quality equipments, including a premium gym and theatre
• There is a special place of worship for Christian students and others of different religions
• It is a misconception that Chapman is a Christian university
• Students must live on campus for freshman year – unless they have a permanent residence within 30 miles of campus
• Apparently, the best food on campus is Einstein Bros Bagels
• Plus, freshly pressed juices and Frappuccinos are very popular

Images: Helen Wang

Last day of high school junior year. By the gates, there will be stressed students who almost grew out of adolescence but is not yet an adult. They will pass a busy summer specked with infinitesimal moments of fun. The heat waves will carry a certain restlessness: one year into IB, a few months after AP, a half term of A-levels, and five months until the college application deadline.

This summer, I am that student.

I attend the Beijing City International School (BCIS) and intend to study in the United States, with a focus on small private universities and liberal arts colleges.

I will be a creative writing major with a minor in communications and media. I love the arts and journalism and everything in between. in classic post-covid fashion, I am going to visit schools with my dearest dad.

Join me as I take you on my college visit tour across the US.

My school list:
Little ivy leagues: Williams College, Amherst College, Pomona College
Women’s colleges: Scripps College, Smith College, Wellesley College, Mount Holyoke College
Ivy Leagues: Brown University, Dartmouth University
Liberal arts colleges: Middlebury College, Bates College, Hamilton College, Kenyon College
Private universities: Tufts University, Chapman University

Sunny July 23rd.

I went to visit Pomona College, a liberal arts college located in Ontario in LA Country, California, and ranked national top 3 by US News. It is also apart of the “Five Cs consortium”, which is a liberal arts college association including Claremont McKenna College, Scripps College, Harvey Mudd College, and Pitzer College. All five colleges are within walking distance; they share classes, sports teams, and campus facilities.

I visited Pomona and Scripps.

Let’s start with Pomona.

The school was founded in 1887 by west coast Congregationalists who wanted to recreate East Coast New England liberal arts colleges on the outskirts of Los Angeles. They chose eclectic yet cohesive architecture, wiring together neoclassical, Spanish colonial, and post-modernist in a wide campus of palm trees, sunshine, and small town cafés—some might even call it Instagram aesthetic. Californian sensibilities are strong, from the way students dress (thrifted sweatshirts, Adidas slides, Brandy Melville sweatpants) to the food offered (Acai bowls, avocado toast brunches, rainbow-colored boba). I felt its inclusion, open-mindedness, and down-to-earth generosity.

Interesting things about Pomona:

• There is a Peet’s Coffee!
• Uba Tuba is the best Acai bowl shop – no extra charges for topping and pays its employees more
• Students love the food, they go between the five colleges for brunches and dinners. The campus cafés are excellent quick cash opportunities
• Taylor Swift performed there in 2012
• A tradition called ski beach day – all cost covered, students go skiing and then sun tan on the beach in LA
• A tradition called “Fountaining” – on your birthday your friends throw you into the beautiful fountain next to the Frary dining hall
• Speaking of Frary, it’s beautiful and reminiscent of Hogwarts’ dining hall in Harry Potter
• Summer undergraduate research program (SURP) allows freshmen to conduct paid research with professors. No competition with graduate students, since Pomona is a liberal arts college with only undergraduate concentrations
• Pomona College Internship Program (PCIP) funds students to reap the working benefits in LA
• Pomona College and Pitzer College team up for varsity sports tournaments
• The average class size is 15 students, and student to faculty ratio is 8:1, so professors will not only know your name but also know you as a holistic individual. It’s not unusual for students to ask their professors for the best wedding plans and meal recipes, or dog-sit and babysit family members long after graduation
• Freshmen immediately connect with a Sponsor group consisting of upperclassmen during orientation week. These sponsor groups are lifelong friends, social networks, and support systems that are just as powerful as the high-achieving Pomona alumni
• As an academic elite institution, Pomona is actually more collaborative than competitive. Students enjoy seeing each other happy and have an immaculate sense of humor. My tour guide cracked 50 jokes in 30 minutes – I loved her personality!
• If you are an IB student, Pomona’s classes won’t be extremely difficult compared to DP. However, balancing your social life, laundry, dinners, and clubs will be a challenge
• Pomona’s core curriculum is broad and solid, from language to arts to science to humanities. A foreign language is required for minimum 3 semesters
• You declare a major at the end of the sophomore year, and switching majors is relatively easy
• If you have a US passport and is interested in financial aid, then Pomona is a great choice. My tour guide came to Pomona mainly for the need-blind policy and fully funded scholarship.

Moving on to Scripps.

Scripps is a women’s college founded in 1926 after the women’s suffrage movement by Ellen Browning Scripps, a reporter, businesswoman, and philanthropist. She invited several renowned feminists on board to establish women and gender studies focus. Though not as glamorous and renowned as Pomona, Scripps is an interesting school on its own:

• It is very cozy and small, so a sense of community is immediately lauded by visitors
• It has many many traditions, from “on Wednesdays, we wear green” (because the Scripps campus is so green) to naming squirrels on campus (unofficial mascot because there are so many of them) and wooing other students with freshly cut roses from the residential garden
• Pomona, Harvey Mudd, Claremont McKenna, and Scripps share a huge library, but Scripps also has its own library with antique, special edition books. One of them is “The Book of the Dead”, bound by human skin and kept in a 60 degrees Fahrenheit room.
• The food court is combined with a presentation/open mic court, and turtles live in the central pond
• Saturday brunch – avocado toasts!
• Water ponds and fountains are a recurring theme on campus
• The residential hall is modest and humble, but inside it, there is a grand piano and a drawing room full of books. A Harry-potter-themed mini library with a fireplace and an old painting of one of the founders.
• The core curriculum has a theme that changes every 3 years. For example, “truth” and “crossroads”.
• Students are required to take classes in 8 domains: letters (English, writing, philosophy), language, science, math, gender studies, social science, foreign language, arts
• My tour guide is a theatre major, but Scripps does not offer that major so many of her classes are in Pomona. Notice the flexibility?

Images: Helen Wang

June. Friday. Last day of high school junior year. By the gates, there will be stressed students who almost grew out of adolescence but is not yet an adult. They will pass a busy summer specked with infinitesimal moments of fun. The heat waves will carry a certain restlessness: one year into IB, a few months after AP, a half term of A-levels, and five months until the college application deadline.

This summer, I am that student.

I attend the Beijing City International School (BCIS) and intend to study in the United States, with a focus on small private universities and liberal arts colleges.

I will be a creative writing major with a minor in communications and media. I love the arts and journalism and everything in between. in classic post-covid fashion, I am going to visit schools with my dearest dad.

 

Why visit schools?

Usually, we are advised against squandering summer break on visiting abroad when there are more productive options, such as extracurriculars, research projects, community service, internships, and online courses. Should students ever leave their house, it is for relaxing and socializing, not some ‘major weirdo behavior’ like getting five vaccines at a foreign embassy in three weeks to hop on a ten-hour plane destined for exclusive private institutions that might reject you anyway. Well, I disagree. And here is why:

Most schools have official websites, zoom information sessions, and virtual tours, but it is difficult to feel the unfiltered, undecorated ground of an educational experience without actually experiencing it. Think of universities and liberal arts colleges in the US as companies. We are customers. Our tuition is income and profit. International students are a variation of VIP members since we pay more than domestic students. For popular companies, VIP membership is limited and competitive, so the number of international students is low and ever-decreasing.

Now, what are virtual events? Understanding the basic mechanism of business, they are advertisements.

Advertisements only show the best snippets of a product, not the whole picture. For example, do you like a campus, or is it too far from the nearest airport? Do you like the people, the humor, the culture, the food, or is it a stretch?

Do you like the residential hall, or is it too antique, too modern? If you are considering an elite institution, are the students socially and academically competitive or collaborative?

Most importantly, no matter what 19th-century poet founded the board, what Nobel prize winner built the gate, and what president graduated from the most exclusive Greek life association, do you feel, in your heart, body, and soul, that you will be happy, living and learning here for the next four years?

None of these questions can be answered unless you visit the campus in real life, observe how students get on with life, and ask how professors and alumnus deal with life.

Don’t visit EVERY school:

Yet, I digress. Not all universities require visiting. Some great schools are great virtually, too. Think carefully: Do you really need to visit Harvard and Yale? They are the crown jewel of American education, but if you know their reputation and essence, be a researcher, not a tourist.

Do you really need to visit Barnard? It’s a lovely building within Columbia University, so work smarter, not harder.

Do you really need to visit the University of California series, from UCE to UCLA? They are larger than life, offer 300 people classes, and form a public state school association. So, let’s be honest, they really don’t care whether you care about them.

That begs the question, what kinds of schools are worth visiting?

The answer is, small, private universities and liberal arts colleges that value demonstrated interest, a term that counselors love. It basically means a student must show he or she is interested in the school and did the homework by connecting with students, alumni, and professors and visiting in person.

Also, visit schools you are unsure of, like the ones tucked in the middle of nowhere, the ones hyped up by politicians and historians but lost a little of their glory, and the ones with small, tight-knit communities that might or might not exclude you…you get the gist. 

I selected an array of safety, mid-range, and reach schools for me, but everyone’s schools list should be different!

My school list:
Little ivy leagues: Williams College, Amherst College, Pomona College
Women’s colleges: Scripps College, Smith College, Wellesley College, Mount Holyoke College
Ivy Leagues: Brown University, Dartmouth University
Liberal arts colleges: Middlebury College, Bates College, Hamilton College, Kenyon College
Private universities: Tufts University, Chapman University

Have a fabulous summer break! I’m excited to take you along my journey!

Images: Pexels

Parents may research, visit school campuses, and write extensive pro/con lists, but ultimately the education a school provides is for our children, and they have to be on board with the choice. When it comes to older kids, we as parents may even choose to take a step back and let them come to us with their decision, pending our approval of course. (After all, we do pay the school tuition fees.) The following teenage students tell us the reasons, in their own words, why they chose to attend the school they do. 

Oscar Tsui, 

Tsinghua International School, Grade 11

Granted, it’s not the largest campus or the loudest name, but it wins me over in the East-or-West game. Situated in the campus of Tsinghua High School west of Beijing, it literally is closer to home: Rooted in Chinese culture of the East whilst bridging that of the West, it is – figuratively, too – closer to home. More than that, there are loving teachers and lovely friends, all in a tightly integrated community that, by the way, incorporates the AP curriculum – not that I considered any of these when I enrolled in 5th grade … but what more can I ask for? 

XueFei Liu, 

Beijing City International School (BCIS), Grade 12 

I chose BCIS because of its countless opportunities. While providing academic rigor, BCIS also allows me to explore my passions outside of academics. I’ve founded various clubs (such as a cappella and candle making) thanks to the support and resources BCIS provides. 

BCIS’s mission is unique, allowing me to empower others and inspire others for the sustainable development of the world. It’s meaningful to become a part of a community that serves the world, and I’m glad I did.

Alice Cantarutti, 

No. 55 International School, Grade 9

I chose 55 because it is downtown and super convenient. Most of my elementary school classmates also went to 55 so it was nice to start middle school with some familiarity. There are many subjects, which allow you to find what you really enjoy learning – in my case I love humanities. 55 also focuses a lot on CTC (Chinese traditional culture): We learn calligraphy, Chinese diabolo, drums, etc. The teachers are very nice and make classes very enjoyable. The classes are taught in English with IB system so it works out perfectly.

Jacob Kennedy, 

AISB-Hope International, Grade 9

I did not personally decide to enroll at AISB-Hope International; however, I am thankful that my parents enrolled me in 2014. They decided on AISB because of the strong focus on character, standing out from other schools in Beijing. It has been nearly nine years at AISB, and I prefer it to any other school. I admire the teachers for striving to create a secure environment for each individual. I have ten classmates, which I believe is beneficial. First, we all know each other and have close relationships with each other. Furthermore, there are no tryouts for sports; teams are often small and have the bare minimum of substitutes. Also, many of my friends have come and gone throughout my years at ASIB-Hope, but those I keep in contact with agree that AISB is, above all, the best school. 

Jasper Roscher, 

German Embassy School of Beijing, Grade 12 

When we – my family and I – left Bavaria for Beijing in summer of 2021, we had to decide which school my three siblings and I would attend. For me, it was important to attend a school where I could receive the German Abitur, the diploma you get after completing the German school system, to easily get access to universities in Germany, where I plan on studying after leaving school (mainly because universities are comparatively inexpensive in Germany; for German citizens, attending one even is almost completely free). So, I have been attending the German Embassy School of Beijing for almost eighteen months now. 

Emma Sortais, 

Lycée Français International de Pékin (LFIP), Grade 11 

I’ve attended the French International School of Beijing since I arrived in China when I was just 3 years old. We chose this school for many reasons. The first one would be to keep my French roots and grow in a French community. As I left France at a very young age, it was really important for my parents to transmit to me the French culture and language – a culture that I couldn’t have discovered elsewhere.

I stayed in this school because it follows the French program, which allows me to later study or work in France. It also offered great opportunities like learning various languages like English, Chinese, Spanish, or German. We really enjoyed the possibility of choosing the British International section, allowing me [to have]a double diploma, a real advantage for my future. I also chose to stay because I felt comfortable in my school overall.

Images: Courtesy of students, Pexels

This article appeared in the jingkids 2023 School Choice Guide

Established in 2017 by two seniors at Beijing City International School (BCIS), Avenir is a business competition designed to encourage high school and middle school students worldwide to develop pioneering business plans. The competition was created to enhance the participants’ skills in entrepreneurship, social enterprise thinking, positive networking, and receiving critical feedback from business professionals, experts, and other global student teams. The aim of the competition is for students to work together for the good of all and for the sustainable development of the world.

Registration for the 2023 Avenir Business Competition is underway.

Important dates to remember:
The competition will be held at BCIS Main Campus on Apr 22-23.

Cost:
RMB 260 for early bird registration
RMB 360 for regular registration

Rules:
Each Avenir submission and presentation represents an original work that has been created by a team of two to four students from Grades 8 to 12. There is no limit to the number of teams that can enter the competition from the same school.

Registration is open now for any teams that wish to register for Avenir 2023, and confirmation of your participation in the competition will be sent after review of your Registration Survey, which can be filled out via the link below:

This year’s Avenir competition is also currently looking for sponsors, speakers, mentors, and judges. Please email Avenir at avenir@bcis.cn and erica.wang@bcis.cn for more information.

Images: Avenir

KEEP READING: BCIS Hosts Fourth Annual Avenir Business Competition

Do you feel like no one hears your voice? Despite that, do you still think and speak passionately? Worst of all, do you need an activity for college applications but secretly dread it?

If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then welcome to Unit-E. 

Unit-E is a professional, non-profit, student run magazine across all international schools in Beijing. Yes, it is an activity for college applications and character development and CAS – but our true purpose is to amplify the voices of Beijing students. In the spring of 2010, two students from Dulwich College Beijing (DCB) and International School Beijing (ISB) gave birth to Unit E, and grew it to all international schools in Beijing. Students participated as artists, writers, designers, entrepreneurs, and leaders.

Students, teachers, and parents agree on their favorite part of Unit E – its community. We build a community of readers and writers that inspire and empower each other through art and writing, learn from each other’s experiences and mistakes, and network, socialize, or gain new perspectives. Every year a team graduates, and every year a team begins a new journey within and without Unit-E.

In 2022, Unit-E have daily articles on WeChat and Instagram accounts as well as paper print issues every two months. Our funding comes from associated schools in Beijing, for whom we advertise in print. We have student representatives in Beijing City International School (BCIS), ISB, DCB, Western Academy of Beijing (WAB), Harrow, Beanstalk International Bilingual School (BIBS), Pakistan Embassy College Beijing (PECB), and more, webbing a diverse social network of multiple languages, cultures, and aesthetic sensibilities.

We have five columns to cover every bit of creativity, fun, love, talent, niche, and argument possible: Creative, Academics, Chillax, Student Opinion, and Happenings.

The Creative column includes art, music, photography, dance, poetry, short stories, diaries, personal essays, memoirs, and journals. We help you gain inspiration from and learn about adolescent artistic expression.

The Academics column is every student’s handbook. How to excel in school? How to study for IB/AP/A-level exams? How to study for SSAT and SAT? How and where to intern, become leaders, and do charity work? How to choose universities, agents, and counselors? We have valedictorians and progressing students to answer you. 

The Chillax column is fashionable, fabulous, and fun. We provide a reliable firsthand guide for students in Beijing on where to have a girl’s night out, a romantic date, a shopping spree, what to wear, how to relax, where to eat… it goes on. 

The Student Opinion column is of course, opinionated, and therefore encourages students to be bold and confident. We argue for ourselves in respectful and beneficial ways about relevant issues within Beijing and the international community. 

The Happenings column reflects the wider context——how we students fit in a world that’s ever-changing. From law to economy to movies to galas to royal families, we have everything——do you want to know the latest gossip? Yes, but first, tea at Unit-E.

We are also absolutely thrilled to announce our current recruitment!

Anyone in Beijing with passion and curiosity can join. Based on your interest, you can be an editor, designer, marketing representative, writer, artist, or musician!

Submit your applications to Editor In Chief 2015053040@mybcis.cn, and work to be published through the QR code below——we already have many members, so be quick or give the opportunity to someone else.

 We look forward to hearing from you!

Images: Unit-E

Study in Beijing or venture aboard? Boarding school or day school? IB or AP? Preppy or sporty? 

Families in Beijing are overwhelmed with a surfeit of high school options. Firstly, there is an air of prestige and merit around college preparatory schools in the US. Think of the halls lined with ivy, the small classes in big libraries, how romantic! However, studying abroad is challenging too. Many rumor that it can turn teenagers wild or break them down.  

Here are three students from Beijing City International School who are now in the US, with the right experiences to debunk the right myths.  

Green Guo moved to Deerfield Academy as a freshman. Deerfield is one of the oldest boarding schools in the US, founded in 1979 within Massachusetts. It is also a member of the Eight Schools Association, the Ten Schools Admissions organizations, and the Six Schools League. 

Green chose to study abroad for a diverse social environment. At an American private school like Deerfield, she could “perceive new perspectives while sharing her own”. There are many “mind-opening interactions” which she “never even thought was possible” within her hometown. 

Such things also had a cost. Deerfield has a rather low Asian population, making it difficult for Green to “embrace her Chinese identity”. She felt the social pressure to “talk and dress in a specific way”. Without her perfectionist parents, she found herself at odds with finding who she truly is. 

Balancing rigorous academics, extracurricular activities, and social life was draining, too. Outsiders marvel at the vivid school life dictated all by a teenage girl herself, but few understand the enormous responsibility it needs. Green felt she lacked critical self-growth . She felt all these conflicted feelings in her bones, as if she “had a taste of real life”. 

Secret tip: Reach out for help. Although it is easier said than done, Green encourages students to “keep an open mind and talk to people”, because it is unhealthy to wallow in negative emotions. Boarding school is tough without the pampering and warmth from parents at home, but resilience is key. 

Bella Shao moved to the Spence School in New York City in tenth grade but studied ninth grade there again to ease the academic transitions. The Spence school is an all-girls day school located in Manhattan, ranked fourth among the best private schools in New York. 

Bella’s parents immigrated to the U.S. for their daughter’s education, but the family’s cultural transition was arduous. The adults had language barriers, and Bella felt alienated as a Chinese introvert among American extraverts. Squeezing into the Upper East Side high society was “particularly difficult during the first year”. 

Secret tip: Have self-confidence and don’t overthink! If there was one thing Bella wish she could tell her past self, it would be to “let it all happen naturally”. She was insecure at first because “most students had studied here since kindergarten”, but later she was elected to the school’s student council and “found her concerns unnecessary”. 

Elena attends The College Preparatory School, an elite day school in Piedmont, California. Surprisingly, Elena encountered no academic challenges, and no social obstacles either. Like the Upper East Side, Piedmont is a tight knit community where everyone knows everyone, but Elena found neighbors she “trusted and loved from the bottom of her heart”. Her Chinese lifestyle turned 180 degrees, but she is “happy with the way things are right now”. Elena made new friends, explored romantic relationships, and learnt the tricks of independence. However, she does regret leaving behind her old friends in Beijing. She wishes for a place to preserve the old in her new life . 

Secret tip:“Trust me, having your mom here is great!” An important reason why Elena adapted so well to her new environment is because of her mother. Socially, the mother and daughter are like best friends. They attend the Ladies Luncheons together as sisters. Privately, her mother guides her through the difficult times. Elena always had a home to return to because home is where the heart is.

Images: Courtesy of students

This article appeared in the jingkids 2022 Teen Takeover issue