Can you imagine going to university at age 14? This year, Jia Zijun, from Henan, did just that. He became the youngest freshman at Beihang University and plans to study aircraft design. "I didn't know I was the youngest until I got here, and it feels quite cool!" Jia told The Paper.
Jia took part in the college entrance exam in June and got a total score of 642. People often think students like him must be really talented. But Jia thinks his achievements mainly come from curiosity (好奇心) and good study habits.
"When I was in Grade 1, I was curious about what we were going to learn next. So I borrowed Grade-2 textbooks and taught myself during my summer holidays. I enjoyed searching after new information." he said. Because of this, Jia skipped (跳过) Grade 2, and then Grade 4.
As he went to high school, he found things were getting harder to learn. So, he started to make plans every day and set goals for himself." I would strictly follow the plan, and gradually I'd see my progress."
Jia would also review what he learned each day before going to bed. If there was something he couldn't remember well, he'd take a look at it the next morning.
"I was not good at English in high school, so 1 printed the vocabulary list and stuck it onto my bed. Every morning when I woke up, I looked through them, and it's a good way to remember things."
When Jia felt stressful, he had a special way to relax: working on math problems. "I'd find difficult problems to challenge myself, and when I worked it out, I felt really happy""
As he told The Paper, he hopes he can stay hungry and keep study habits in university, and keep challenging himself to become a better person.
