A Doctor’s Advice

Celine Shih (‘25) Jan. 6, 2023

Amy Lin is Ms. Christine Lin’s younger sister, and she is currently a med student studying at Oakland University. Her interests are playing piano, percussion, and hanging out with friends. In this article, we will be diving into Amy’s perspective on various aspects of her life and getting to know her better!

Q: Why did you choose to do medicine?

A: “I’ve always wanted to be a doctor even as I was young. When I grew up, I wanted to reinforce that idea in college. I can’t imagine doing anything else. Being a doctor allows me to share vulnerable times with my patients and be able to overcome fears together and to sympathize with them.”

Q: Is there an important life lesson you learned up to this point in your life?

A: “Yes. I learned to not be afraid to talk to people, whether they are classmates, colleagues, or strangers. You can learn so much from talking to other people. For me, I learned a lot from my colleagues. The most important thing is to put yourself out there. By conversing with a colleague about stocks, I learned a lot about investments and financial planning.

Another important thing is to never be afraid to ask for help. I used to think about scenarios when people would reject me or not want to help me. However, most people are always helpful and nice. You could ask yourself this question ‘If you don’t take the chance, what’s the worst that could happen? Them saying no.” Being able to ask for help and not fear rejection can take you a long way. If you never ask, then you will regret the amazing opportunities lying ahead that you might miss just because you weren’t brave enough to ask.

Q: What was it like going to college and being separated from your family and sister?

A: “Well, it wasn’t a big change for me because I went to the states for high school and lived with my sister. My parents went back and forth so they were rarely home. I’m used to being independent but it takes time to cultivate that. Being away from your family is hard, but thankfully we have the technology to help us stay connected with our loved ones. You should also take this chance to find a group of friends at college and learn from them.”

Now, onto school-related topics.

Q: How to find the motivation to study?

A: “It requires dedication and knowing what you want. Studying is tedious, and you have to try and enjoy what you’re learning. It makes studying easier and you’re more likely to absorb the information you’re trying to learn. Aside from studying, you should focus on extracurriculars. Don’t be afraid of trying new things. Try joining or starting a club, or do research and see what others are doing. Brainstorm some ideas on what you’re interested in and take action according to that.”

Q: Let’s ask Amy about AST. How do you think AST can improve?

A: “In my opinion, AST should mainly improve the learning space for students, such as providing more extracurricular opportunities. I’ve seen that AST is good at robotics, so we could further develop this.”

Q: Is the AST network important for you?

A:“Yes. Even though I’ve graduated for a while now, I still keep connections with old friends from AST. We’ve made lasting friendships during our time year because everyone is close to each other. Even with the many connections I made in college, I still maintain a healthy friendship with my friends at AST. It is much harder to make close friends like the ones I made at AST at big American public high schools. The campus is bigger and the environment for making friends is different.”

Thank you Amy for taking the time to answer my questions. I hope you all have learned more about Amy and learned some important lessons from this article.