Sichun Liu: 'I took classes from 12 different departments during my freshman year.'

Sichun Liu

Economics & Psychology

Beijing, China

Why did you choose Cornell?

My goal was to satiate my intellectual curiosity and ready myself to become a global citizen. On the one hand, Cornell is well known for having an incredibly diverse student body and a wide range of academic and extracurricular opportunities that could give me access to resources and viewpoints that I would not have elsewhere. Since I was undecided on my academic and career paths and wanted to explore various subjects in college, I wanted to attend an institution that could give me flexibility in my choices. It turned out that I took classes from 12 different departments during my freshman year. At the same time, the large Asian and Chinese communities at Cornell also reassured me that I would be able to find people with similar backgrounds and interests.

What accomplishments/activities are you most proud of while at Cornell?

I am most proud of my experience as the president of the Chinese Calligraphy and Confucianism Club. Besides weekly practice in Chinese calligraphy and literature discussion, we frequently cooperate with other student organizations on campus in major cultural events to instruct people how to write simple characters or their names in traditional Chinese. We seek to bring first-hand authentic Chinese culture and perspectives to non-Chinese speaking students so that they could have a more informed understanding of China. During my time at the club, we have interacted with at least 600 students, faculty and community members. It is in moments like these that I see myself as a cultural ambassador navigating through cultural, linguistic and social differences.

Who or what influenced your Cornell education the most? How or why?

Working as a writing tutor in the Knight Institute's walk-In service has greatly influenced my academic interests, career goals and my Cornell experience in general. As a tutor, I support writers from all disciplines with different levels of English proficiency at various stages of the writing process. I was one of the very few international student tutors and could not have obtained this precious opportunity without the trust and encouragement of Tracy Carrick at the Knight Instiutte. She had faith in me and believed that students who speak English as a second language could also make great tutors. I have since developed a greater interest in reading and writing in English, a stronger ability to make efficient and structured arguments and increasing comfort in providing one-on-one consultations. These changes have shaped my decision to go to law school and become a lawyer.