In April 2021, the rampant nature of the COVID pandemic precipitated a crisis in our lives. In my personal life, I was also confronted with a huge decision: to transfer to a high school with an international division or not? Transfer during the tenth grade is extremely risky. I had covered courses in Chinese, and now I had to study subjects in English, and within one year, I would be applying to US colleges.

I had been weighing the pros and cons. The advantage was that I could study courses in English and prepare myself for US colleges. However, there were overwhelming disadvantages: the difficulty of English textbooks, insufficient time for extracurricular activities, and worst of all, whether it was even feasible to physically study in the USA due to the escalating pandemic. The more I pondered this decision, the more downsides loomed, crushing my spirit. However, if I abandoned my plan, my life would lose its color. My parents were adamant opponents, and toppled my proposal by revealing a fact: It is impossible to transfer in Beijing. However, if I could find a school to accept transfer students, they would give their consent.

To clinch the decision, I immediately started making contact with schools. I called the first one, asked about a transfer, and received a polite “No.” The second, third, fourth … they all gave a flat “No.” Then I changed my strategy. I mentioned my excellent academic performance first, and they listened with great interest, but when I raised the possibility of a transfer, they refused me. Then I changed perspectives. I studied their admissions policy and introduced myself from their perspective This worked much better, and one school showed some interest, but made no further contact. I persisted in calling.
The thirty-eighth call, I introduced myself.
“You sound a great fit, however, …”
Her voice was familiar, and I quickly tried to recall where I’d heard it before...
“Am I speaking to Headmaster Li?”
“Yes, how …”
“I attended your admissions webinars.” I wetted my dry throat.
“All I want is an interview. I am confident I am the student you are looking for.”
“Ok, I will give you an opportunity to demonstrate yourself.”
…

Russ Roberts makes an insightful analysis of our choices. Life is more than calculations of gains and losses that result from our choices. “The decisions we make,” Roberts concludes, “define us” and “determine who we are, who we might aspire to become, who we might come to be.”

Roberts is right. I want to add one thing.
Imagine: fifty years later, will you regret the decision?
If not, embrace it now.

Works Cited
Roberts, Russ. “How to Make Decisions When There is No ‘Right’ One.” The New York Times, 21 July, 2022. nytimes.com/2022/07/21/opinion/how-to-make-decisions.html.