Tony Chen, Class of 2022(衛道中學-美國社大轉學錄取 UC Berkeley, UCLA)
April 29, 2020

當我在 4/17 收到加州大學柏克萊分校經濟學的錄取通知時,在興奮、激動等的情緒過後,我心中湧現出的一股直覺是深深感謝 TopScore Education 的所有老師。
2018 年,決定進入社區大學對我來說是一個艱難的決定:由於我來自台中的私立衛道中學,校內菁英、有競爭力的學生皆為了台灣的頂尖大學和醫學院而奮鬥,而選擇到社區大學就讀對我大多數的同學和老師來說,看起來根本不算是成功,因此當時我害怕告訴別人自己要去台灣沒多少人聽說的學校讀書。
由於我是在 11 年級末才開始確定要申請美國大學,所以沒有足夠的時間準備 SAT、AP 和活動經歷,現有的條件亦不足以申請夢想學校 - 加州大學柏克萊分校和洛杉磯分校,這讓我在申請期間非常擔心、對自己的未來感到沮喪。

但是,TopScore 的 Johnny 老師,也曾是我哥哥的留學顧問,並沒有放棄我,而是給了我繼續前進的信心。TopScore 給了我大量有用且寶貴的建議,以克服恐懼並調整我對成功的思考方式。
他們清楚地分析了利弊,並陪伴我完成了自我賦權的整個過程,沒有他們,我將不會在這麼短的時間內走出舒適圈和沮喪。他們看到了我的潛力,不斷推動我前進,並引導我度過了我一生中最艱難的時期。我真的要感謝他們間接塑造我的個性,並指導我做出最重要的決定:以充滿信心和決心的美好生活參加社區。
在社區學院學習了一年半之後,很快又遇到了另一個挑戰 – 轉學至 UC Berkeley 和 UCLA 的過程。這次,Kate 老師和 Jessica 老師承擔了我的案件責任,並花時間與 Johnny 老師一起透過活動履歷和論文將我塑造成具有競爭力的申請人。他們處理我不合格的文章、耐心地給我指導,並以他們的專業來處理繁瑣的申請過程。
我衷心感謝整個 TopScore 團隊提供的所有幫助,以及在此過程中我從他們那裡汲取的所有人生教訓。我要感謝 TopScore 為我所做的一切,因為他們與我同在。

前往加州大學柏克萊分校和洛杉磯分校的道路確實是我一生中最艱難的嘗試,但我做到了。

When I received the acceptance letter from UC Berkeley with a major in economics on 4/17, after all the initial excitement, disbelief, and relief, the one gut feeling that emerged from my heart was my immense gratitude for all the teachers at TopScore Education. In 2018, the decision to attend community college was a difficult one for me to make: Since I was from Taichung’s private Viator High School, whose elite and competitive students strive for top universities and medical schools in Taiwan, studying at a community college really didn’t look successful at all to most of my classmates and teachers. Moreover, I was afraid of telling others that I was going to study at a school that not many people in Taiwan have heard of. Because I started my preparation for American universities late (at the end of 11th grade year), not having enough time to prepare for my SAT, APs, and activity experiences really worried me during the application period, and knowing that my application wasn’t strong enough to reach my dream schools UC Berkeley and UCLA really made me depressed about my future.

However, TopScore’s Teacher Johnny, who was the consultant for my brother before, didn't’ give up on me, and instead gave me the confidence to move on. TopScore gave me tons of helpful and precious advice to conquer the fear and adjust my way of thinking about success. They clearly analyzed the pros and cons and accompanied me go through the whole process of self-empowerment, and without them, I would not have walked out of my comfort zone and depression at such a short time. They saw my potentials, kept pushing me forward, and guided me through perhaps the toughest period of my life. I really want to thank them for indirectly shaping my personality and guided me to make the most important decision: to attend community with the confidence and determination for a better future. Soon, after a year and a half at the community college, another challenge arrived – the process of transferring to my universities UC Berkeley and UCLA. This time, Teacher Kate and Teacher Jessica undertook the responsibility for my case and dedicated their time to work with Teacher Johnny to shape me into a competitive applicant with my activity presentation and my essays. They handled my substandard writing and gave me instruction with patience, and managed the tedious application process with their professionalism and heart. I am genuinely indebted to all the kind assistance offered by the entire TopScore team, as well as to all the life lessons that I’ve learned from them in the process. I want to thank everything that TopScore has done for me, because they were with me every step of the way.

The path to UC Berkeley and UCLA was indeed the most trying in my entire life, but I made it.