Swinging Open the Doors to a Top U.S. Liberal Arts College! Harrow Beijing Girl Judy’s “Double Greens”

With the release of Early Decision results, Judy, a Year 13 student at Harrow Beijing, has successfully secured an ED offer from Amherst College, a top-tier U.S. liberal arts college, thanks to her outstanding academic performance and exceptional golf talent!

In the newly released exclusive interview video, this girl with a determined gaze and confident demeanor shares the story behind this momentous offer.

Diverse Growth Behind the Offer
My World Has Two Arenas

Many people see the joy of the moment Judy received her acceptance letter, but in her eyes, what is more unforgettable are the days of quiet perseverance and daily dedication.

“
My world has two arenas:
One is the green on the grass,
The other is the ‘academic green’ of grades.
Both require extreme focus,
Yet they are wonderfully different.
”

During those days interwoven with exam preparation and tournament training, Judy’s life was extremely simplified into two things: playing golf and studying. Over time, she found a kind of cross-disciplinary refinement between the two.

Golf is a sport that truly tests one’s mindset. On the surface, the result of every swing is immediately visible—where the ball flies and where it lands is crystal clear. But behind that “immediate visibility” lies extremely long endurance. To develop a stable swing, to make the right club selection under immense tournament pressure, and to maintain a level head in the face of winning and losing, Judy went through countless bottlenecks.

“Progress often comes very slowly; it frequently feels like you are stuck in one place, or sometimes even moving backward. But personally, I believe this process itself is a kind of self-cultivation that requires immense patience to digest,” Judy admitted.

This sense of cultivation was also brought to her academic arena. When she first transitioned to the international curriculum, Judy also faced challenges. The all-English teaching environment, high-standard academic essays, rigorous lab reports, and a completely new teaching and evaluation system—every single aspect required her to slowly grind and adapt.

But soon, she ushered in her own “aha moment.” Those initially unfamiliar concepts and confusing complex sentences, after day after day of relentless effort, suddenly connected one day. “You can clearly feel it yourself—things just click.” These two pursuits seem entirely different, but for Judy, they support each other. The ultimate focus and strong ability to withstand pressure developed from playing golf enable her to sit steadily at her desk; meanwhile, the logical planning and analytical habits cultivated from studying allow her to better understand how to scientifically manage her time and deeply grasp the physical principles behind a golf swing.

If one must explore where this patience to juggle both sides with ease comes from, Judy attributes it to her passion for Peking Opera, which she has persisted in for ten years.

Since childhood, she practiced repeatedly every day, meticulously refining every vocal technique and movement word by word; once on stage, she had to face all the audience and judges alone, with no chance for a do-over. Her ten-year Peking Opera journey, although it didn’t directly teach her how to play golf or write essays, engraved the marks of resilience and self-discipline into her bones, making her understand the power of focus very early on.

The Perfect Triangle of Support
The Uplift of Harrow Beijing’s
Holistic Education

“If I am the one swinging the club, then behind me is a perfect triangle of support—my own hard work, the uplift from the school, and the backing of my family.”

When looking back at the entire university application journey and her nearly two years at Harrow Beijing, Judy’s deepest feeling, aside from her own perseverance, is the genuine understanding and support given to her by the school.

“At Harrow, what touches me the most is not just the atmosphere of freedom and academic rigor, but more importantly, that within this atmosphere, I have received true inclusivity and personalized support.”

As a student-athlete applying through the “golf pathway,” balancing high-intensity training, frequent tournaments, and a heavy academic workload was the biggest challenge. Here, Judy would like to extend a special thanks to her University Counsellor, Mr. Huang, and the Director of Sixth Form, Mr. Aspin.

Last summer, to ensure Judy could make it to an extremely important ranking tournament, the school provided maximum flexibility in coordinating her schedule. Ultimately, Judy achieved excellent results in that competition, which became a decisive step in her later recruitment by the university’s varsity team.

“Not only that, Harrow’s university counselling team also provided highly critical advice on my course selection and application strategy. What moved me the most was that they truly understood my rhythm as a student-athlete.” They didn’t just focus on academic grades; they accompanied Judy in planning her timeline and balancing pressure from all sides.

This is the truest reflection of Harrow Beijing’s philosophy of holistic education—the school values more than just test scores; it fully supports every student to explore their passions and grow. It was precisely this uplift that allowed Judy to walk more steadily than ever during the most crucial year and a half of varsity team recruitment.

A Forever Safe Haven
Running the Marathon of Life

Beyond her own persistence and the school’s support, the love and trust of her parents form the most solid foundation of this “triangle of support.”

Regarding Judy’s choices, her family provided unreserved understanding and encouragement, allowing her to wholeheartedly devote herself to her studies and her passions.

“Especially my mom; since before I even started school, whether it was every class, performance, or competition, she has basically never missed a single one.”

Golf is a sport full of ups and downs, and Judy has also experienced low points with huge fluctuations in her scores. Whenever she was extremely frustrated due to poor performance, her mother would never impatiently ask about the results; she would simply sit quietly by her side and softly ask, “Are you tired?”

“This silent companionship actually makes me feel more grounded than any technical guidance.” Throughout Judy’s growth, her parents rarely imposed anxiety or pressure, offering instead a profound trust. They often told Judy: “Everything is like a marathon; as long as you follow your own pace, you will eventually get things sorted out.”

This “marathon philosophy” became Judy’s ultimate weapon against anxiety. Whenever she encountered difficulties or felt depressed because of slow progress, her parents’ words always helped her keep her composure, return to her own track, and focus on every current swing and every page she read.

Congratulations, Judy!
May you continue to hit a beautiful shot
of your own life on the brand new arena
of Amherst College!