Student brings Colgate message to native China

A student volunteer program went global when more than 300 students flocked to hear Hao Yin ’07 speak about Colgate at his high school in Zhengzhou, China, during winter vacation.

‘To my knowledge, this is the first time that one of our students has ever done a Colgate Admission Ambassador presentation for us overseas,’ said Gary Ross, dean of admission, ‘and it is definitely the largest presentation of its kind that we have ever had.’

Each year, between 70 and 80 Colgate students volunteer to serve as Admission Ambassadors during a semester break, visiting their own high schools to share their personal experiences at the university with prospective students.

According to Yin, his information session made Colgate the first American liberal arts college not only to offer an information session at his high school (No. 1 Middle School of Zhengzhou), but also at any local high school in Henan province (the largest province in China, with a population of nearly 100 million).

To his knowledge, he said, American universities tend to recruit students from international schools rather than local high schools. Yin said that he is the first from his high school ever to attend college in the United States.

Yin, who is a Colgate Alumni Memorial Scholar, said that he provided a general overview of the university and talked about the strength of the international community at Colgate, the friendliness and accessibility of his professors, and the strong school spirit. He said he also ‘made a point of focusing on things that international students would pay attention to,’ such as visa issues, admission policies for foreign students, and academic readiness.

Yin said ‘the students wanted to know very detailed things about what happens during the admissions process’ ‘ but he was intrigued to find that ‘we had a very deep talk about what our lives are going to be like in the future and what our education should be. They wanted to know how to pursue knowledge, and how the liberal arts helps you do that.

‘The students wanted to know the advantages of an American liberal arts education,’ said Yin. ‘Their questions gave me a very deep impression of what Chinese students are concerned about. They want to know about the meaning of life.’

Yin said that he feels a personal responsibility to introduce the liberal arts to Chinese students, and also to bring back to China the values he has learned at Colgate, including the mission of giving back to society. He expressed gratitude to admission staff members for supporting his idea, saying that he felt that their effort ‘manifested Colgate’s commitment as a global leader in liberal arts education.’

In addition to the one at his high school, Yin also made an Admission Ambassador presentation to a smaller group in Beijing, and another Colgate student from China, Hui Yang ’05, gave one in Shanghai. Yin, who was acquainted with Yang before coming to Colgate, decided to come to Colgate in part based on Yang’s recommendation. The pair organized the Beijing and Shanghai sessions in cooperation with student representatives from Swarthmore College.

Yin plans to return to China after graduation and would like to be a journalist. In the meantime, he hopes to do more information sessions in China, and to encourage other Chinese students to do the same.

‘The overseas information session goes beyond the boundary of recruiting students. Colgate gave them a deep impression, regardless of whether or not they will apply. If we can continue this work, we will build a sound rapport with the elite students of China. Most will go to top Chinese universities, but presenting Colgate gives them another option,’ said Yin.