Does anybody have a map?
Anybody maybe happen to know how the hell to do this?
I don't know if you can tell
But this is me just pretending to know
– Anybody Have a Map?
This takes around 8 minutes to read in full.
And military training was over. And I was still very sick (I blame the poor hygiene conditions at the training camp that must have gotten me infected). However, school wouldn’t wait for me to fully heal, and it started abruptly as I bid farewell to summer break. Humans are naturally social, and during summer break, I was bored every day because I couldn’t meet anyone. That’s why the new semester was exciting: I could finally see people again.
Meeting New People
The process of meeting new people began long before school started, however. This was the beginning of a new school year, which meant welcoming a new group of freshmen. Last year, I was too shy, always worried about how others saw me. This year, though, I realized I needed to be more open. Plus, meeting more people would help me promote my club, WebArtistry, more effectively. It was time to take action.
Last year, my petite club had only five members. One of the main reasons might have been that no one knew who I was. So, I made it a priority to get my name out there. I added almost every freshman on WeChat, sending them a friendly greeting that I wrote beforehand along the way. I started actively chatting in the large student group chat (which turned out to be more fun than I expected). I liked people’s posts on WeChat and occasionally left comments. All of this ensured people would have an initial impression of me. I wasn’t expecting much, but it worked! At a freshman event during summer break, people recognized me just by hearing my name. After school started, some people would actually greet me when they saw me. It was pretty neat!
Coursework
With a new year comes a new schedule, and once again, I’m packed with courses. We have the compulsory Integrated English SAT and Chinese Language Arts, along with my chosen AP courses: AP Calculus BC, AP Physics C: Mechanics, AP Macroeconomics, and AP European History. This year, I’m also planning to self-study and take the exam for AP Computer Science A.
The most worrying course is AP European History. AP European History involves an overwhelming amount of reading. Over the weekend, we were assigned to read the textbook and complete a review sheet. The chapter was incredibly long, possibly over one hundred pages, and took me about two hours to finish. We also practiced short answer questions in class, but I found I wasn’t retaining much material. In fact, I don’t think I’m remembering anything from the classes, partly because I often fall asleep during them, and partly because the course content is presented in a very scattered manner.
Otherwise, things are mostly fine. Over the summer break (and a little bit in June), I self-studied the content for AP Calculus BC, so that’s relatively easy. Similarly, AP Physics C: Mechanics and AP Macroeconomics won’t be too much of a concern because they aren’t that difficult to begin with.
The Story of WebArtistry
One important focus for me was persuading new students to join my club, WebArtistry. We’re a small club dedicated to teaching web development and working on projects. I started the club in 2023 as a freshman, but unfortunately, I didn’t manage to attract many members. Last year, we had a somewhat cliché name: “BAID Web Dev.” This year, we have a better name, a tagline, and even a logo, albeit a rather simple one.
Once school started, I began to blast people with advertisements, fully utilizing my newfound prominence. When new students entered on the first day of school, they received a BAID postcard, a BAID Coke, but also a WebArtistry flyer. On the freshmen’s floor, the first thing anyone would see was WebArtistry’s poster. I also sent out advertisements daily in the large student group chat and on WeChat moments, something I had feared doing because I was afraid of others’ scrutiny.
I wasn’t getting any responses, though. Nobody replied to my advertisement in the group chat. Hardly anyone pressed like on my ten WeChat moments advertisement. I started to panic. I thought I had an advantage by serving people impressions early on, but maybe that wasn’t an advantage at all? Maybe it didn’t work out at all? Maybe my efforts were in vain?
This was happening as other student clubs ramped up their promotions. The BAID merch club was led by someone with a real talent for socializing, and another biology club was run by someone who claimed to have recruited new students over the summer. Gradually, WebArtistry’s poster wasn’t the only thing new students saw in the hallway. The space was filling up with other posters, and some people even stole the pins from my posters. I was having trouble concentrating, as my mind was filled with thoughts of what I would do.
I felt my advertisements weren’t enough, so I stepped up my efforts. I carefully monitored the WeChat moments of people I’d added to see if they were interested in computer science. I noted those who seemed interested and sent them private messages with more details. Even then, people only responded that they would “consider” joining, without giving me a clear answer. My anxiety grew. I printed out more posters and visited individual classrooms to promote my club. This was already a major step out of my comfort zone. I had always been incredibly afraid of people’s scrutiny and couldn’t imagine advertising in classrooms. It took a real effort just to step into the classrooms without trembling. But even that didn’t seem to work. People would listen, but often without any real response. Some of my classmates started asking tough questions, like “How many people have you gotten?” I could only equivocate, trying to hide my fear.
The agony culminated on the day of the Clubs Fest. This was the big day when people would decide which clubs to join, but no one had confirmed they would come yet. I rolled up my poster, readied my flyers, and made sure I had the best spot right next to the entrance. Then, people began to flood in.
It felt a bit surreal, and I was almost handling the situation unconsciously. I remember people coming to my stand one after another, either asking for a flyer or wanting to hear about my club. Some had questions, some had critiques, and some just hung around. Slowly but surely, though, the registration sheet started to fill up. All of a sudden, I had 18 people signed up.
That was when I woke up to ecstasy. Oh my god, I actually had 18 people sign up for my club! I could hardly believe it—the advertisements actually worked! I felt a rush of pure joy and relief. It was a moment of triumph, and all the stress and anxiety melted away, replaced by a profound sense of accomplishment and excitement for the future. I did it.
College Fair
On Friday afternoon, many people in my class went to the school camping event, so most classes were canceled. I didn’t go camping, partly because I didn’t feel like leaving the comfort of my home, and partly because I wanted to attend a college fair. The college fair was hosted by THISDL (Tsinghua International School Daoxiang Lake), a private international school located in the far west of Beijing. It was such a remote place that you could even see mountains.
I have to say, the facilities at private international schools are impressive. The college fair was held in a gym that was enormous—probably even bigger than our entire BAID. From what I’ve heard from the freshmen, though, the students and faculty at THISDL aren’t that great. This seems to be a general trend in Beijing: public schools may have less fancy facilities, but they often have a better student and faculty body and better admissions outcomes. On the other hand, private schools have impressive facilities but tend to offer lower overall educational quality.
The gym was packed with people. Thankfully, I arrived early and managed to secure one-on-one discussions with the admissions officers from popular schools. Later on, you’d have to wait up to an hour just to get a brief chance to speak with them. I had great conversations with the admissions officers, who remained friendly even after speaking for hours. They offered many insightful ideas about college admissions as a whole, and overall, the conversation was very fruitful.
It was stressful but also tremendously fun! In just two weeks, I’m traveling to Japan again to take the SAT. I’m really looking forward to what the rest of my sophomore year will bring. Go onwards!
I'm flyin' blind
And I'm making this up
As I go-
– Anybody Have a Map?
(Sep 15, 2024)