Lorenzo: SMOA Summer Program - Short-term remediation of academic shortcomings to help pursue the dream of Carnegie Mellon University
Academic Background
Lorenzo is an 11th grade student at an international high school in China. His goal is to enter the computer science major at Carnegie Mellon University, one of the top private research universities in the world. However, his GPA has been hovering around 3.5, he lacks experience in Lab Science courses, and his overall course selection is relatively homogeneous, with a lack of courses in the arts, which makes his academic background far from applying to his dream school.
In order to make up for his academic shortcomings and improve his GPA in a short time, Lorenzo chose SMOA Winter Academic Camp.
Analysis and Planning
Lorenzo is an 11th grade student at an international high school in China. His goal is to enter the computer science major at Carnegie Mellon University, one of the top private research universities in the world. However, his GPA has been hovering around 3.5, he lacks experience in Lab Science courses, and his overall course selection is relatively homogeneous, with a lack of courses in the arts, which makes his academic background far from applying to his dream school.
In order to make up for his academic shortcomings and improve his GPA in a short time, Lorenzo chose SMOA Winter Academic Camp.
Process of Study
When Lorenzo was initially studying AP Biology, which is a more difficult course, he expressed his frustration and said that he was under great pressure from the coursework. His Learning Coach provided him with some study suggestions, such as previewing the course content before class, looking up relevant information, and reviewing the material in a timely manner after class, etc. After adapting to the pace of the course, Lorenzo participated frequently in class and completed his assignments with high efficiency and quality, with remarkable results. The other featured film production course was relatively easy and interesting, with the foreign teacher emphasizing both theory and practice and paying close attention to classroom interaction.
Lorenzo not only mastered the hard skills of video production, but also improved his soft skills such as interpersonal and communication skills.
Academic Enhancement and Gains
- GPA scores increased significantly, and in 12th grade he could apply to his dream school, Carnegie Mellon University, with a strong GPA transcript；
- In the short term, he was able to quickly make up for his shortcomings in the sciences and the arts, and take AP Biology to help him solidify his academic foundation and enrich his academic background, which played a very critical and direct role in his college application;
- Learning to make videos, which can be used to present himself more comprehensively when applying to colleges through Profile Video；
- Interpersonal and empathic skills are greatly improved, learning how to view and observe the world as well as empathize with people through storytelling; at the same time, the self-image is more three-dimensional and diversified, which helps to win over college admissions officers through personal features and charisma.