And the interviews begin…

Hello readers :).

It’s hot again today: sun and a radiant sky. I’ve decided to try something different for my upcoming posts—I figure that you might all be tired of me exclaiming over how wonderful I find my life, so I hope to tell you about how other Wellesley students find theirs. I asked Alice first; we were sitting together in our room, me on the floor, absently eating strawberries, her at her desk, a Thai drama on pause. “Can I interview you now?” I asked her, and she swiveled her chair around, looked down at me. “What do you want to ask?” she said, and I opened up a word doc, writing down questions and the many answers I knew already…

Name: Alice (Zi Wei) Liao. She goes by Alice at Wellesley; She picked the name when she was 11. I’ve asked her the origin a number of times. “I don’t really remember, but I think it was Alice in Wonderland. I’ve read that book in so many languages…”

Year: 2015. A rising junior, like me. We’re the yellow class; Wellesley rotates through four colors (red, purple, yellow, and green) for each new class that comes in. We all share the school’s color and mascot, the Blue. 

Major: Biochemistry, minor: psychology. If you aren’t a double major or you don’t have a minor, you’re hardly a Wellesley student :). I myself only have a single major, neuroscience, but am unusual in that respect.

Favorite class so far: My NMR seminar (a 300-level chemistry course) with Professor Nancy Kolodny. Why? It’s a different style of learning than in most of my classes: a cross between lecture and discussion-based. We go very in-depth into one interesting topic, and Prof. Kolodny brought in ten outside speakers through her connections. We even took a field trip to Brighman Radiology. Did you know that their set-up is almost exactly like ours? It shows that what you’re learning in class is applicable to real life. Not like inorganic chemistry. (smiles).

I know that Alice ended up into Prof. Kolodny’s seminar because she began doing research with Prof. Kolodny first year. I asked her about that next.

Why did you end up doing research with Prof. Kolodny? Monica, you know this story! (I did. Just temporarily forgot it. “Oh, Chris A, right?”) Yes, Chris A. At the end of Chem 120, (an accelerated version of introductory chemistry that crammed a year’s classes into one semester, taught by Professor Christopher Arumainayagam; humorously, many of my lasting science friends were also in Chemistry 120 with me first semester first year.) he told me to go talk to Professor Kolodny, since I told him I was interested in Biochem. No one knows how Professor Kolodny chooses her students, but Prof. A asked me the next week if I was doing research with her yet. So I knew I was in. I’ve been working for her ever since.

(Alice’s story is not unusual for Chem 120 students :). Prof. A helped many of his Chem 120 students into research labs by the end of first year, and took around seven of us, including me, into his own lab after class ended. This occurs to a limited extent with other professors taking students into their labs after introductory classes, but Prof. A goes above and beyond. So if you’ve got a AP Chem score of 5, or can pass the entrance exam, taking Chem 120 with Prof. A is a hidden and incredibly valuable gateway into hard science research at Wellesley :). It is an example, a marvelous one, of how giving and engaged our Wellesley teachers are in their students.)

What do you research in her lab? Synthesis of silica-coated iron oxide nanoparticels for target cancer therapy. (I laughed at her as she delivered this. It’s an exact recitation of the titles of the posters she has presented.)

What do you plan to do in the future? MD/PhD. When did you decide? At the beginning of sophomore year. Before that, I just wanted to do an MD. I still needed to do research for that, though, so I was looking for research when I arrived. Did you volunteer at hospitals? (I ask because I am well familiar with the requirements necessary for being pre-med. Many of my friends are, and any science major is strongly encouraged to consider it.) Yes, every summer for three years during high school.

So what are you doing this summer? Yeah, I know, but tell me again. I’m doing a lot of risk analysis of second cancer in patients with germ cell tumors. I work at Boston Children’s hospital, through the Wellesley Center for Work and Service internship, for Dr. Frazier. Do you like it? It’s interesting. I couldn’t see myself doing it for the rest of my life, but risk analysis and epidemiology are important to medicine, an important aspect of clinical work in general. Will you end up doing clinical work? Probably. I want to do research too though. You can do research as an MD… but I think that the PhD is important and helps in doing research. It’s interesting because most women end up doing clinical work. I don’t just want to go down a path I’m not sure about though; I don’t like closing doors. I think it’s a part of my personality that can be a pitfall or something that made me who I am today.

What do you see yourself doing in the future? I’m interested in translational medicine… connecting basic science to clinical work. I’m not doing this in undergrad; I’ll do so in medical school.

Well, that’s all about your future. Past time! Where do you come from? China (moved when I was 11), Toronto, Canada, then here.

How’d you end up here? I wanted to go South. Really, south? The US is South now? Yes, Monica, it is south of Canada. Fine. Why Wellesley then? A combination of two things: the financial aid, and the small classes. Best part about Wellesley? (no hesitation) The opportunities. Worst part about Wellesley? That’s hard to say. Food, I guess. But I’m picky. She is. Unlike the rest of us, Alice can actually cook—I’d be happy eating her food in a restaurant.

What are you involved in at Wellesley? I was on Slater e-boad, I do school, I work for Prof. Kolodny 8 to 10 hours a week, I work at the Sports Center three hours per week when volleyball or swimming are in season, and I work at the Computer Help Desk six hours a week minimum.

Class load? I’m on the extreme end, but not the extreme. First semester, I took 5 classes with research, and 2^nd semester, I took 4 classes with 3 labs and research as well. (I agree with her classification of extreme. Alice has the most rigorous course schedule of the people I know at Wellesley. She claims she knows others who are crazier though. We attempted to search one of these people, and they didn’t exist ;P). What’s a typical Wellesley schedule then? 4 classes per semester, with 2 labs, no research. Alice, that would be a typical science major schedule :). What’s your idea of a typical Wellesley student? Econ major, don’t work part-time, involved in 3+ clubs, 4 classes per semester, no labs, takes a class or two at MIT, no boy/girl friend. Are they busy? Very busy. (at this point she nods gravely, and then we’re laughing at each other again.)

How’s being an international student? At Wellesley it’s quite good. It’s better than a lot of schools, because we have a lot of support. It’s hard to get on-campus jobs and funding. But Slater International Center has good advisors…they walk you through how to get jobs, what’s legal, what’s not. Tips about what you can do. They even have connections to lawyers if you need them (smiles).

How has Wellesley changed you? (Long pause.) I’m more willing to voice opinions, especially in front of large groups of people. I’m not afraid to approach speakers after talks to ask questions. Why? Well, it happens every day in class… professors are always making you ask questions, and you get used to it. And your friends do it too… it doesn’t feel weird. Professors are asking questions, your best friends are doing it. It’s the environment.

Thank you, Alice. Hey, are all of your interviewees going to be science majors? Uh… Yeah, we had to bring a non-science major friend to class once. It was very difficult. Who did you take? Nevatha. She was a chemistry major, but then she switched to a chemistry minor and a Anthropology major. Alice, Nevatha was in Chemistry 120 with us. Great, isn’t it? That’s how I knew her. (And it degenerated into listing all of our non-science friends (a pitiful list) from there :)).

So that’s Alice, in a half-hour conversation :). Roommate and friend since summer of first year, when we both were doing the Wellesley Summer Science Research program. Let me know if you like this format—it takes longer than usual, so I’d like to know whether to keep it or not. And I’ll call up some swimmers when the science gets to be too much ;).

Best to you all, Monica