When the admission portal for the School of Materials Science and Engineering displayed "Admitted," the heavy stone weighing on my heart finally dropped. From choosing to pursue a Direct Ph.D. program to facing interviews and enduring the agonizing wait for results, the past several months were marked by anxiety and self-doubt over whether I could withstand the pressure of academic research. Now, I have finally delivered an answer to myself, drawing a clean close to the hustle of my undergraduate years. The road ahead will surely be exhausting, and long hours sitting at the lab bench will be routine, yet I hope to hold onto this passion and advance one steady step at a time.
My supervisor surely has no idea that a cosplayer has joined the research group. Seriously discussing experimental data on weekdays in the laboratory, then slipping into wigs and costumes on weekends to shoot at conventions—this sharp contrast is quite charming. Being fond of the 2D world gives my personality an endearing mix of quirkiness and tenacity, yet my approach toward research daily life remains strictly rigorous. I spend the vast majority of my time in the materials science building conducting experiments, organizing data analysis, reading literature, or fine-tuning code in the office.
Before entering the new lab group, I was quite apprehensive, fearing the advisor might be overly stern or that colleagues might be hard to connect with. Yet upon setting foot on the Shanghai Jiao Tong University campus, the dense yet liberal academic atmosphere and the university's abundant club culture made me realize that the future holds countless possibilities. Life should be vibrant rather than confined purely to dry papers; having an interest like cosplay helps reset my mindset, ensuring that beyond research, I remain an energetic and cheerful individual.
As for future research topics, I hope to adapt quickly and establish my research roadmap early on. Every time I put on a cosplay outfit for photography, it feels like granting myself a brief holiday amidst demanding academic responsibilities. A new journey has commenced; I hope to become not only a qualified materials science doctoral student in the Direct Ph.D. program, but also an authentic, vibrant 2D enthusiast—striking harmony between scientific rigor and lively playfulness while stepping firmly through every milestone of academic life.