Personal Statement of Zilu Zhou

My English name is Steve and I am a grade 10 student at Shenzhen Huitong School & Studios. I
am a person with a good temper and always have a positive attitude towards challenges and
difficulties in my life. I also like to try new things and do things that I enjoy. When I do these
things, I feel energetic and entertained.

My passion for scientific and engineering subjects has led me to excel in my in-class studies, and I
find out that scientific and engineering subjects are incredibly fascinating. I am always eager to
learn more about them, such as learning new concepts, conducting experiments and applying
these to solve practical problems. I have a special passion for Physics because it explains how
objects interact and why things happen in the universe. Driven by that passion, I always learned
and explored in my beloved subject, Physics. Therefore, I have excellent grades in this subject and
received the Silver Award in the BPhO Intermediate Physics Competition last semester. Also, I
enrolled in an extracurricular course in school to prepare the Physics Bowl for next year.
Additionally, I attended an online physics engineering research project, which was seven weeks
long and yielded an essay that is going to be published. I look forward to have more opportunities
to be involved in physics activities at OIC. Besides, I also participated in various math contests and
got some achievements, such as winning the Bronze Award of Math Kangaroo in grade 8 and
becoming the top 25% in the 2023 Waterloo Pascal Math contest. I am also the class star for two
consecutive semesters in grade 8, and I have some medals from school Sports Day.

Except for activities in school, I also volunteered in the public library on holidays, guiding people
to certain areas, organizing and categorizing books. I find it to be a fulfilling experience, and it's
rewarding to know that I am making a positive impact on the community. When I have free time,
I enjoy playing and watching sports, particularly football. I signed up for the football team in
school, and I find the sport to be exhilarating, and I enjoy the skills, the teamwork, the tactics and
the camaraderie that comes with it. It's a great way to stay active and healthy, and it brings a lot
of joy. I support Real Madrid in Spain, and I am almost spellbound with it. I always try to have
time to watch every match replay of Real Madrid, and I occasionally stay up late to watch live-
streams of crucial matches. I am also a member of the school’s Basketball team, and my favourite
team in NBA is Golden State Worriers. Aside from sports, I like to play board games, chess, and be
together with my friends. I often go out with my friends to go shopping, watching movies, play
some live-action games, etc.

There are a few reasons why I want to enter OIC. The first is the atmosphere and success of OIC
that attracts me to become a part of it. The second is I visited Oxford with my parents when I was
little, and I love their environment, which enticed me to study in UK. The third reason is that OIC
provides Math, Further Math, Physics and Economics in Alevel. I am planning to choose these
subjects because my major for university is likely related to physics, business or economics. I
prepared this year by learning AP Calculus BC, AP Physics C Mechanics, both AP Microeconomics
and Macroeconomics. OIC is the perfect place to help me in my learning for the last two years
before going to university, and I think OIC has outstanding teachers and abundant resources that
will support my upcoming learning. Now, I can’t wait to join OIC.