With nearly 80 students in attendance, the first session of the Central Pékin Lecture Series was successfully held on the evening of 30 October 2023 in Classroom 305 of Building 2. The event was attended by the Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee Gaonan Xu, the Secretary of the Youth League Committee Qiudi Zhao and other relevant class advisers.

Shaohang Han, a student graduating in 2021 with an excellent GPA of 3.82, was invited to this first session. After his studies at Centrale Pékin, he completed his Master's degree at the Department of Cognitive Robotics at Delft University of Technology, where he published two papers in the field of ICRA/ITSC and one in the field of SCI. He has also received several honorary titles, namely "Three Good Students of Beijing", "Three Good Students of Beihang University" and "Honoured Student" of Delft University of Technology, etc.

Shaohang started by introducing the higher education institutions in Europe and some of their courses in general. He gave an overview of some European universities in terms of their environment, living conditions and, most importantly, their academic atmosphere. Then, based on his own experiences abroad, he explained the application procedures for studying abroad.

Shaohang then explained to the audience the preparations and precautions they should take when applying to study abroad. He emphasised that once you have decided to go abroad, the first thing to do is to be ambitious, i.e. to dare to apply to the best institutions in the world, because the higher the ranking of the institutions, the more funding and research support is available for further study. He pointed out that the key to applying abroad is academic achievement throughout your studies, yet participation in research projects is a bonus when applying for a Master's degree, while a thesis is a must for a PhD.

As for his experience of studying in Europe, Shaohang said that he was very impressed by the university atmosphere on campus. As the pace of his studies was quite tight, the first year of his Masters was mainly dedicated to advanced courses, while the second year was more focused on designing his final project. He felt that the average quality of the courses was good, the design of the courses was unique and the workload was heavy at almost every stage.

In terms of career planning, Han noted that there is no absolute advantage or disadvantage between studying in China and studying abroad, that the decision to go abroad mainly depends on personal willingness and ability, we just have to be firm in our convictions and do everything we can to make it a good idea.

Han's experience of studying abroad was lively and detailed, and the students enthusiastically asked questions:

l When is the best time to apply to study abroad?

l ll After the end of the third year, the official application is usually submitted during the first semester of the final year, so October will be the best time to submit your application.

l ll Should I plan to do a postgraduate PhD right now?

l ll It is up to you to decide whether or not you will do a PhD. The key prerequisite for doing a PhD is to have already done research, and you can then determine whether you aspire to scientific research and whether you enjoy it. It's not a question of aptitude, but a question of will, because only those who really want to do it will be able to stick with it in the end.

Thanks to this conference, the students have learnt a lot, not only understanding the key points for choosing schools and courses abroad, but also realising that English and French courses at university are useful to overcome the language barrier for studying abroad. In addition, Beihang's strong scientific research atmosphere also helps them to actively participate in scientific and creative competitions related to their profession. The rich and colourful practical activities cultivate their proactive and positive attitudes, which will help them to discover and explore a new environment. All this will provide a solid foundation for them to continue their studies abroad.

At the end of the conference, the leaders encouraged the students to take advantage of this series of lectures and to exchange ideas with the outstanding alumni. They believed that the students should make bold attempts, improve themselves and strive to become excellent internationalised engineers in the new era and write a chapter of their youth.

Student reflections:

I was fortunate enough to be here to hear Mr Han's lecture today. Through his own experience of studying abroad, he helped to illustrate the way forward for those of us interested in studying abroad. Han shared his experience by focusing on his learning goals, the research atmosphere and the physical facilities of European universities. During his studies in the Netherlands, he participated in research in various fields such as medicine and drone technology. This unique experience made him feel that the atmosphere of studying abroad paid more attention to "take it slow, take it seriously" and that you don't have to rush to get results. Han also emphasised the importance of "collaboration", whether it's in day-to-day research or designing the final project, you need to cultivate a spirit of collaboration and the courage to innovate.

Han's calm character revealed his rich experience and in-depth knowledge, and thanks to this lecture series, I also gained a more systematic and comprehensive understanding of the study abroad environment. I think that whether we want to study abroad or in China depends on our personal goals. Let's choose the path that suits us, work hard to achieve our ultimate goal, as Han said, "sharpening the knife won't make you miss the woodwork".

--Zhu Yin'an

I have learnt a lot from this lecture. Shaohang told us about his experience of studying in Europe. One of the students asked him whether a student should continue to study for a PhD, and his answer was very inspiring.

He replied that people have decades to work with in their lives, but if they spend a few years studying their own field and cultivating it deeply, it will be very useful for the rest of their lives. This conference is very useful for us young people, who will soon have to choose our own path.

--Du Yu

In order to implement the roll-out of the pilot project and Beihang University's role model, Centrale Pékin has launched Centrale Pékin Lecture and several other lecture series starting this semester. Among them, this  Centrale Pékin Lecture series invites outstanding students who have studied abroad to share their experiences and will help students who wish to study abroad in the future to understand the basic conditions of studying abroad. In response to students' concerns about studying abroad, the school will invite students from top universities in different countries to share their experiences, and we hope that more students will attend these conferences!