n Institution’s prestige ultimately comes from its alumni, and Ameson Institutes are no exception. Our school boasts a number of students that have gone on to excel at some of the finest universities in the world.

Following are just some examples of the exceptional talents that our instructors have groomed:

Cao Qing, UCLA Economics & Math

Qing Cao just completed a one-year AP course at the Ameson Institute. "The course at Ameson changed my life," she said. One year ago, as a Senior 2 student of No. 1 Middle School in Xuzhou, she took part in the 2008 edition of the Ameson Chinese Elite program. There, a public talk given by experts from an elite American university made her decide that she would study for her first degree across the Pacific.

"The talk touched my heart. I love challenges and I’m passionate for new experiences. The program at Ameson inspired me because I want to be a world citizen with global perspectives."

Qing believed that the US High School program has prepared her well for for her upcoming studies at UCLA. "The tutors gave us outlines so that we could enjoy the freedom of exploring by ourselves. We analyzed literary works and debated on macro-economic issues under the guidance of the teachers, through which I learned to research independently and think critically."

Xu Wenshu, Cambridge School of Natural Sciences

Wenshu entered Fitzwilliam College at the University of Cambridge via the Ameson Chinese Elite ID Scheme (AECIES) in 2008. Graduated from Changzhou High School in Jiangsu Province, she was the first student from the city admitted by Cambridge through the Ameson program.

Talking about her experiences at Cambridge, she expressed feelings of both tension and relaxation. "I am confident with my English, but when I first came to Cambridge, I could hardly understand what the professors were talking about. So I worked really hard to catch up in the first couple of weeks. The courses here are intensive and challenging."

On the lighter side, Wenshu was also impressed by the sense of humor of the professors, the supervision styles, as well as the diversified student life at Cambridge.

She is a member of Fitzwilliam College’s Boat Club and likes riding her bicycle around the city. "Although sometimes I miss mum’s cooking, I find the formal dinners of my College rather interesting."

Tang Dongyu, Bologna University

Dongyu lacked confidence when she first joined Ameson, but after her tutors suggested she become class President, she became more outgoing.Dongyu recently sent her regards to the Ameson Institute from Bologna Italy, where she is now happily living and studying. She feels that she is making solid progress in her major courses, with condfidence fuelled by having a good command of the Italian language.

Dongyu was lacking in self confidence when she first joined Ameson, although she excelled academically. After her Ameson tutors suggested she become class President, she gradually becaming more outgoing.

Now, she has passed the B2 level of the CILS Italian language test, and continues to enjoy studying one of her favorite subjects in one of her favorite countries.

Zhang Hanqin, Cambridge Economics

Hanqin Zhang (aka 'William') passed the Ameson Scholastic Test (AST) when he was a Senior 3 student at Jinling Middle School, Nanjing. He was admitted by Tsinghua University based on this test score (thus he was able to forego the usually mandatory GAOKAO) and was already studying there, when he received an offer from Cambridge. When Cambridge sweetened the deal to include a 6,000 GBP/ year scholarship, he accepted.

"Compared with Tsinghua, the professors at Cambridge encourage more seminar discussions. We meet frequently with personal tutors and supervisors. I found tutorials really helpful in career-planning for the longer term, for they produce more in-depth discussions."

His daily life at Cambridge usually starts with a training session at the Cambridge Rowing Club from 6:30 to 8am. Then, he attends lectures and seminars until 1pm, and typically spends his afternoons at libraries. According to William, one of the toughest challenges he faced was coping with so much freedom and flexibility. "I've learned a lot about self-discipline, since coming here."

Lou Chenxiao, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Engineering

Chenxiao was not aware of the AP program before coming to Ameson. Her courses were only three-month long and she was very brave to take as many as seven AP exams. “it looked like mission impossible at the beginning” says Chenxiao, “but I wasn’t discouraged by the limitation of time”.

The most worthy achievement to mention is her performance at the AP exam of World History. “It is difficult for Chinese students to get the score above 4 in such exam, especially when the course is taught in English with few Chinese history involved and plenty of academic terminologies.” Comments Jack, her personal tutor. “There were five of us at the World History course. But nobody could achieve anything by oneself. So thanks to Dee, our tutor, who led us overcome the challenges”. adds Chenxiao.

The uncertainty she had at first turned into courage and confidence eventually. She achieved the score of at least 4 in every AP exam she entered, which was good enough to help her getting admitted by many leading universities in the US and UK.