Yan Junyong [Huashang Daily]

Yan Junyong, an 18-year-old from Xi'an, capital city of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, recently got an offer in psychology from Cambridge University, after studying the science on her own.

Yan was the only person to win a position at the prestigious UK institution among all those who applied from the country's five northwestern provinces and autonomous regions (Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia and Xinjiang).

As her senior high school offered no psychology courses, Yan was originally dissuaded by her parents from applying for the major. Without the instruction of professionals, she said "I can learn it myself!"

After watching the film The Silence of the Lambs, Yan became obsessed with the science of analyzing people's minds. "The heroine can interpret human nature and give guidance accordingly. I was instantly interested by such a process of thinking, testing and rethinking."

After class, she read reams of original work in psychology, accumulating rich knowledge in the field.

Apart from her psychology know-how, Yan got an A* in mathematics and three As in physics, chemistry and economics after taking the British A-level exams, a school leaving qualification offered to students completing secondary education.

In 2015, she took a summer-course at Duke University, in the U.S., accessing cutting-edge information and mastering the basic research methods.

During the Cambridge interviews, Yan asked the interviewers questions herself now and then, instead of being "passively led around," leaving a great impression on the staff.

Now, as tens of thousands of Chinese students prepare for the national college entrance examinationin five months time, Yan has already realized her university dream.

(Source: Huashang Daily/Translated and edited by Women of China)

Editor: Eileen Cheng(Woman of China)