Autography (Version 0.1)

到 UIUC 交換學生的報名總算如期在 2/14 情人節完成了，在大過年期間還有教授肯回我信實在太感動了，感謝林導和郭教授，以及期間有幫過我的坤哥和兔子，現在想想，萬一上的話對還沒有出過國的自己來說還真是個挑戰呢！不過有磨鍊的機會當然不能放過啦！

前一篇的自傳都沒有人要給我意見，太令人傷心了，這篇再貼上自傳的英文版，應該有超多缺點了吧，所以才在 0.1 版而已，感覺光是英文就有很大的問題，翻得很吃力，太久沒讀英文了，果然整個生疏，懇請英文強者指點錯誤吧，當然自己也要開始加強英文去考 TOEFL 了。

Background:

My name is Guan-Shian Li. I was born in a rural country in Taiwan. My father is a businessman, and my mother is his assistant. My father rise in life by his own effort and always tells me not to give up easily. My mother is always by my side when I am in difficulties. I will not become myself today without their guide and support.

Study progress:

1. Elementary school:
   

   At this stage my parents let me read a lot of popular science books autobiographies of many great scientists. I was impressed by the research spirit of Galileo and Edison and made up my mind to become a scientist since I was a child. At that time I had grate Enthusiasm to learn. Therefore, I got good grades in school. In addition to science, I also tried to participate in literature contests and learned much knowledge and many experiences during preparation.

2. Junior High School:
   

   This is the first time I felt the competition among my classmates because all students in my class had been selected from entrance exam. I began to take my homework seriously and study very hard. I got good grades, and moreover, this established the foundation for my further studying. At the same time I made up my mind that I will never go to cram school. I believe that study by myself will make me learn best.

   This stage is a milestone for the establishment of my Basic English. I had a good teacher and from her I understood the principle that I should regard English as a ‘language’, not just a subject. On the basis of this principle, I am not afraid of English as many students in Taiwan do; instead I gain some efficient learning methods. Since then I maintain good English standards.

3. Senior High School:
   

   I enter Changhua High School, but I failed to enter the Class for gifted and talented students. This school is not a elite school in Taiwan, so the learning environment is not very well except in the special class. This is the first setback in my life. It did not defeat me but instead, it encouraged me to study more diligent. I firmly believe that I could learn well no matter how the environment was if I work hard. Finally I proved I was right. I graduated from school to the second.

   With the more positive attitude toward the world, I found out that the environment was not as bad as I thought. In this place I met many kinds of people. Everyone had their own life styles and goals. This opened my mind to accept different life philosophy. I discovered one thing that is much more important than grade: attitude. From that moment on, I consider not only my grades when I review myself, but also whether my behavior and living attitude are positive.

4. University:
   

   I choose the Electronic Engineering Department in NCTU that is famous among Taiwan’s industry circles because I am interested in science and practical works.

   This stage is a turning point of my learning progress. This is the first time I leave my hometown to see the big world that I have never seen before. In this free learning environment, I try different learning methods and life styles again and again. Gradually, I find my rhythm and life goals.

   In the beginning I work very hard on my homework. I almost spend all time studying because every course is much broader and deeper than I expect. When encountering problems, I will not ask people easily. I only ask for help if I still can not figure out the answer after thinking over again and again. This way my logical reasoning ability becomes better. In addition, I insist on reading English books and it greatly improves my English reading ability. Consequently, my learning becomes more and more efficient. I keep my grade in the top three and have more time to absorb other fields of knowledge.

   As the courses become more complicated, I spend more and more time discuss with my classmates. They are the elite from all sides. During the discussion I learn from them the idea of different angles toward one problem. In the process of expression, I can verify that whether I have real understanding and this provides me more thinking space. This is an unprecedented experience for me.

   I also read many extra-curricular books. From the books I see a greater world and accept a wider range of knowledge in other fields. I find my second interest: Finance and Economics. I learn economics by myself and as I care the industry circles using this knowledge, I find they are linked together with my professional knowledge. To be able to contribute in the industry circles is my goal and gives me motivation to learn.

   t the University I have learned a lot, but I think this is not enough. I just like a sponge that absorbs the waters all the time in the vast knowledge sea.

Activities:

1. Wind Band:
   

   I attended my junior high school’s wind band and play the Trumpet. The band holds many concerts every year and takes part in many music contests. During every activity the process is so impressive, and I deeply appreciate the spirit of cooperation of groups. Moreover, the solo experiences made me no longer have stage fright in my presentation.

2. Mountain Climbing Club:
   

   This is a challenging club. All the preparation must be conscientious. During every activity we face a lot of problems that we did not take into consideration. Thus, I learn a lot of experiences about dealing with problems and it makes me to use higher standard to request myself when coping with problems.

   Besides, every journey is a great test to me. I have to climb uninterrupted upward slopes, pass many dangerous landforms. But after the struggles, I will never forget the happiness in front the beautiful scene at the destination. This makes my willpower to be much stronger when facing difficulties.

   The most important is that I understand the life philosophy contained in mountaineering: Regardless of difficulties, as long as I don’t give up and persist, the result is sweet.

3. Stock Research Club:
   

   In this club I learn a lot of knowledge about investment and money management. In the meantime I get into the market to invest. During the process I gain many precious practical experiences. I also make friends with those who have the same interest and spend our free time sharing our opinion about the topics that will not be learned in school courses.

4. IT Seed:
   

   IT Seed is a training project sponsored by Taiwan’s IT industry. This is the most impressive activity I have ever attended, and also gives me the motivation to join the exchange student project.

   ing the one year period training, many directors, managers, or engineers in the industrial circles share their experiences to us and analyze the developing trends of the hi-tech industry. We also visit large companies such as Microsoft and TI. It really opens up my eyes to this big world.

   The most important part is that I meet so many excellent students from different fields. They share their experience to me. Some of them worked in famous companies; some of them go abroad to visit or study. Everyone has so many stories to tell. I am shocked that the world I have seen is so small. I never go abroad and this is what I need most if I want to see more. I am eager to contact the world outside my hometown, my school and my country. I believe the exchange student project will let me have many stories to tell.