Ex-China security guard admits to top university after 8 attempts, targeting Harvard PhD

A harsh comment from a stranger – a mother warning her child not to end up with a job like his – served as a powerful push to keep going A former security guard from northeastern China has successfully secured a spot in a postgraduate programme at the prestigious Tsinghua University after an impressive eight attempts and is now ambitiously pursuing a PhD at Harvard. Yang Xiao, 31, hailing from Shenyang in Liaoning province, has harboured the dream of attending Tsinghua since childhood, as reported by the mainland media outlet Jiupai News. After sitting for the national college entrance examination, or gaokao, in 2013, he was accepted into the Central Academy of Fine Arts, where his unique painting style was deemed a more suitable match. Upon graduating in 2018, Yang returned to Shenyang, established an art school, and nurtured a stable relationship. He subsequently applied for postgraduate study at Tsinghua, motivated not only by his childhood aspirations but also by a promise to his girlfriend. Unfortunately, his first attempt was disheartening: he fell over 100 points short of the required acceptance score.

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