My name is Sheng Ao, currently a junior attending specialization in accounting in the University of Alabama. I have been nominated to represent the University of Alabama as an exchange student at the University of Glasgow in Glasgow, Scotland, for the upcoming spring semester, January – June 2015. I really appreciate for the opportunity.
My interest in studying while travelling began when I was 14 years old. I joined an international activity about communications between China and Japan as a young journalist (2008). I took charge of drawing a picture as a present for the mayor of Hengbin in Japan and of asking a few questions during several interviews with some celebrities. This trip inspired not only my thirst of knowledge, but also my love for travel. I learned to enjoy the local culture and absorb its essence into my own thoughts. Furthermore, I love to record the beautiful sceneries by drawing or photographing them whenever or wherever I see something meaningful.
The reason I chose Scotland is that I haven’t been to Europe yet. In order to attain wisdom, reading thousands of books is not as useful as travelling thousands of miles. Due to the Eurail Selectpass and the popularization of English, I can use my leisure time to travel to some other European countries as well. Moreover, according to my search, Adam Smith Business School at the University of Glasgow is highly ranked in the UK and the libraries there are full of treasures and historic books. Thus, I hope to finish some specific courses there, such as literature (209), management (301) and finance (302&301). What’s more, there is no doubt that I want to gain more friends and to broaden my horizons from this exchange chance.
I have done all the preparation that came into my mind. I carry mostly some heavy clothes with me because of the cold and wet weather in Glasgow. I also have the confidence and passion to face the new place and experience. Actually, I feel so excited about the following trip without any nervous since I have the experience about dealing with the new environment. The first thing that I will do after my arrival is definitely to send postcards to my family and friends. And I will explode the United Kingdom and maybe some more places in Europe during my leisure time.
I hope that I can strengthen the network through such a special experience that I can also record in my resume. Since I have gotten used to life in Tuscaloosa, which mostly focuses on my own studies. So I’m eager to break out and force myself to go out of my comfort zone. To be an exchange student to Scotland would be an adventure for me. It may bring a second chance to my life. After I come back, I hope that I can figure out what my career is and recognize the exact road forward in my future.