A Letter from Princeton

(Li Laiyin graduated from Shenzhen Middle School and is now studying at Princeton University in the United States.)

Dear Readers,

Those of you who read me regularly will know that I am in my fourth and final year at Princeton.

So what does it feel like to be an old-timer at the top of the "pyramid?" Well, I feel no different from when I was a freshman, sophomore, junior, or high school senior.

I may be one of the few who think this, but I remember thinking in fifth grade that I would "rule the school" when I became a sixth-grader. Unfortunately, I did not feel any different in the last year of primary school.

I remember harboring the same giddy anticipation at the end of junior year at Princeton. Not surprisingly, I have yet to see how being a senior is any more empowering than my other Princeton years.

There are some perks to being a senior. For one, I am now officially president emeritus of the student organizations I had been involved with and have much more free time on my hands.

Additionally, seniors have top priority in course selections as we only have two semesters left to fulfill academic requirements and complete the necessary classes for our majors, this is also why seniors, and every other class of students for that matter, will wake up at 7 in the morning on a school day and make their course selections online.

The junior, sophomore and freshman classes are assigned incrementally later dates to enroll in their desired classes so as not to conflict with seniors.

Also, I was in for a nice surprise at the library today: on a whim, I decided to borrow a few novels, mainly thrillers and mysteries, for some leisurely reading. Upon checking them out at the front desk, I realized they were not due until May next year as opposed to the usual four or so weeks I have grown accustomed to.

Finally, there is no doubt that knowing your way around campus and academic resources in this school is a major benefit, as I am sure is the case with a senior at any institution.

Well, I have to get back to brainstorming a topic for my senior thesis now. My challenge is to come up with an interesting, applicable and innovative issue to conduct empirical research and modeling. Said issue must also be an intersection of economics, which is my major, finance, which is my minor, and environmental studies. Wish me luck and of course best of luck to you too!

Sincerely, Laiyin