Inside Look is a new series of blog posts from current students at top schools—read about what they love about their school and how they spend their free time. Here, Qiumeng, who is getting her Masters in Statistics at Columbia University, shares how her weekend schedule has changed since moving to New York City.
When I was in college in China, I mainly reviewed the material I had learned during the past week. As a Chinese student, the competition is very fierce. No matter whether you hope to study abroad, study domestically, or work after graduation, you have to strive hard and try to stand out among your peers in such a country with huge population. Because of this, it is easy to understand why there were so many students studying in every library and classroom. I was one of them.
If reviewing took me 70% of the weekend time, the rest would be the time for relaxation. I usually watched movies and exercised with my friends and boyfriend. Another important part was spending as much as possible time with my family. We got together almost every week to have dinner together and chat about what was happening.
Although I am now abroad and far from my hometown, my weekend schedule did not change much. I have class Saturday, followed by a huge pile of homework. Therefore, I will still spend about 50% of time doing my homework. The rest is spent talking over Skype with my family and friends in China or going shopping. Life in New York is simple but challenging, and so far my time here has been happy and fulfilling.
To learn more about Quimeng, check out her Admit Profile!
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