Tough decisions for top ACG Senior College student

Published on isbi School News dated Thursday 14th of April 2016

Dong Guw (David) Lee is determined to make a difference in society. And, having just received offers to study at numerous top universities around the world, the ACG Senior College international student is well on his way. With offers from UCLA, Georgia State University, and The University of San Diego in the USA, and Bristol University in the United Kingdom, David was faced with the difficult decision of which to accept. Ultimately it was a childhood accident that helped him decide to study at the world-renowned Imperial College London from next year. At just 14 months of age, David, originally from Wonji, Gangwon Province, Korea, lost the use of two fingers on his right hand following a steam burn. Now he is considering studying an Electrical Engineering degree, specifically focusing on wearable robotics, which work with the electrical impulses in the brain to help people with injured or missing limbs. “It’s not about building robots like Ironman,” the 19-year-old says. “It’s about how specialist technology like robots can be beneficial to society and help people avoid pain like I went through. You have to have passion for the subject – and morals, too.” At ACG Senior College, David has run robotics camps, organised the robotics club, and participated in New Zealand's Next Top Engineering Scientist competition. This, coupled with outstanding Maths, Physics and Chemistry results in the school’s International Baccalaureate (IB) programme, has resulted in numerous offers from top universities around the world. Ultimately, he chose Imperial College London for the strength and focus of its academic programme. “They timetable the entire first year for Engineering students because the programme is so rigorous. The course of study – one year less than American universities for an equivalent qualification – was a consideration, too.” Eventually he sees himself completing a PhD at MIT in the USA. David credits the interdisciplinary nature of the IB programme as the perfect preparation for applying to top universities, which look for extra-curricular activities and an inter-disciplinary education as well as good grades. He says the quality of teaching and unique pre-University environment at Senior College also helped him in his application interviews. “There is less of a boundary between students and teachers here,” he says. “You can just pop up to teachers with any questions. Sometimes they’re like a brother, sometimes a parent. It’s my favourite thing about the school.” - See more at: http://www.acgedu.com/nz/senior/school-life/blog/10017-senior/tough-decisions-for-top-acg-senior-college-student#sthash.NqtPSwRJ.dpuf