蔡卓苒來自深圳
從小對大自然充滿好奇
2019年8月進入哥倫比亞國際學院
今年5月即將畢業
已獲英國及加拿大六所世界一流院校
生物及醫學類專業錄取
成果斐然，令人矚目！
與生俱來的興趣愛好，更能激發求知探索的原動力！蔡卓苒就是一個典型例子。她自幼喜歡養寵物，像是烏龜、鸚鵡，還喜歡捕捉蝴蝶、螳螂及各種昆蟲，然後查閱百科全書，看屬於什麽種類，有什麽習性特征。
她還有一個許多人沒有的優勢：爸爸是一名外科醫生，擁有豐富的醫學及生物學知識，經常成為她討教的對象。
讓興趣進一步演變為未來專業方向，還需要“催化劑”的提升，拓展知識的廣度與深度。進入深圳外國語學校後，她成為生物實驗協會主席，與大自然的連接更加緊密；2018年，學校在的組隊參加國際基因工程機器大賽（IGEM），蔡卓苒被選中擔任小組領導，在通往生物醫學的道路上挖到了“第一桶金”。
什麽是IGEM？
IGEM是國際基因工程機器大賽（International Genetically Engineering Machine）的縮寫。這個世界級的合成生物學大賽由麻省理工學院於2004年首創，旨在培養合成生物學人才，促進各國大學生在該領域的學習、交流與合作。每年，大賽主辦方提供給各參賽隊伍一份DNA標準樣本庫，各隊自行選題，並通過設計和模型分析，將所需樣本導入現有的生物體系，合成全新的生物工程系統（即“基因工程機器”）。
官網：www.igem.org
這一屆IGEM的參賽主題是“乳腺癌的早期診斷”，對一群只學了幾年生物學的高中生來說，具有相當高的難度。蔡卓苒領導的團隊共有12名成員。她不僅要查找大量醫學論文與雜誌，還負責協調隊友之間的合作。
除此之外，蔡卓苒團隊還面臨一個棘手難題：尋找一家願意提供實驗室的贊助人。幸運的是，在指導老師的協助下，他們終於獲得深圳一家高科技公司的支持，能夠進入其實驗室進行研究。
雖然最後沒有獲獎，但蔡卓苒表示這是自己在學術上的重要裏程碑：“我們體驗了枯燥與失敗帶來的痛苦，看到了自己的缺陷，最重要的是對科學研究的途徑有所了解。”
蔡卓苒（右五）與化學課師生合影
在哥倫比亞國際學院學習近一年後，蔡卓苒覺得：與國內的生物課相比，加拿大的生物課學習的範圍更加廣泛。
“有很多需要記憶的內容，還有大量的實驗，我們還去貴湖大學及動物園參觀。”
怎樣才能在哥倫比亞國際學院獲得更加豐富的學習與生活體驗？蔡卓苒把自己的經驗與大家分享：
• 來CIC以後，要積極了解有學習資源，例如課後輔導
• 努力提高語言能力，盡早適應新環境
• 參加學生發展部（SD）的興趣社團
• 提高自我管理能力
為什麽申請的多數是英國院校？蔡卓苒表示，自己是個英式搖滾樂迷，最喜歡“齊柏林飛艇”與“皇後”樂隊。所以，英國是她首選的高校目的地。
至於成功獲得世界一流高校錄取的實戰經驗，蔡卓苒覺得：除了12年級的成績94%，生物比賽的經歷及個人陳述（Personal Statement）也很重要。
蔡卓苒毫無保留地把自己申請英國大學時所遞交的個人陳述與大家分享：
Personal Statement
By Cai Zhuoran
I have been fond of observing all kinds of creatures in nature since I was a child, from small mantises and butterflies to big dogs and wolves. Also, my favourite TV programs were nature documentaries on the BBC, such as Life and Blue Planet series. And I always pulled my parents to watch with me, gradually I had an elementary understanding of biological knowledge. Also, I still remembered that I bought a trap net and several cages to catch little animals like butterflies in a beautiful summer, then took them home for observation and found out what kinds of species they were through the encyclopedia. Besides that, my interest in biological science comes mostly from my father, who is a neurosurgeon. When I was a little girl, the mannequins and various medical books in his office became my toys. Sometimes he explained them to me, although I could hardly understand anything at that time, just felt his vivid speech was lovely. When I got older, I knew that my father still insisted on studying under tough conditions, and was eventually admitted to the most prestigious medical college in our province. It was he who ignited my enthusiasm for biology and made me believe again that efforts will pay off.
I’m eager to study further professional knowledge of biological science in the UK. Also, I want to choose the relevant programs like Genetic Engineering, Zoology, Molecular Biology or Biomedical Science. Currently, I am studying high school at Columbia International College from 2019 to 2020. Before that, I studied at Shenzhen Foreign Language School in China. I participated in the International Genetically Engineered Machine Competition (IGEM) in 2018. As the team leader, I took all members to visit almost ten universities and organizations to persuade their managers to support our project. We kept being rejected, but we did it finally and succeeded to complete the finals and the poster displaying in Boston, which has dramatically improved my leadership and understanding of scientific research. Until now, I still remembered the excitement of entering the laboratory for the first time when participating in the competition. Perhaps someone gets bored over time, but I am enjoying doing what I love. Besides that, I was also the president of the biological experiment society of our school. Under the guidance of my teachers, I usually organized to carry out biological experiments, through which, I had a clearer understanding of the biological field.
In 2017, I attended the International Summer Camp in Vancouver, Canada. I spent two weeks with young people from all over the world at the University of British Columbia, which gave me not only a deeper understanding of multiculturalism, but also realized that there were still many deficiencies if I want to be an international talent. I know European countries have more rigorous academic systems, more developed scientific research strengths and more abundant educational resources. Britain, in particular, owns many world-famous universities. Thus I hope to broaden my horizons through my study in the UK. To be added, I like listening to music, especially Rock. Britain is extremely attractive to me as the most glorious territory of Rock music. My favourite bands are Led Zeppelin, Queen, and so on, and I often draw these bands into my paintings. It has always been my dream to watch a live British rock concert.
In summary, I make a clear plan for me. I hope to learn more theoretical about biological science and then participate in the scientific research projects of professors or universities, to improve my scientific literacy and scientific research ability. After graduation, I want to apply for master’s and doctor’s degree to study biological science more deeply, and make preparation for being a university professor or a scientific researcher in the long term.
Thanks for your active consideration.