Interview With Felipe Dombkowski

Written by: Grace Hung, Andrew Huang, Nero Ho, Irene Liao, Sophia Yu (‘29)

Translated by: Celine Shih ('25)

Feb. 18, 2024

The Write For Delight Club was honored to have the opportunity to interview Felipe Dombkowski ('22) during his winter break. He shared many valuable experiences and offered advice for AST students. Let's dive into it!

College Application

Felipe submitted a separate application for university admissions, which took into account his GPA and SAT scores, providing him with a range of options. Some aspects that stood out in his application included his unique background, such as how his mother is from Colombia and his 5-year residence in Taiwan. His participation in Model UN taught him various strategies for understanding the application process.

Felipe's advice for the college application is to apply to a university or college that you genuinely like and believe is beneficial for your goals. Don't be swayed by others' opinions or worry about what they might think of the college you choose.

College Life

Additionally, he learned the importance of expressing himself throughout his college life, ensuring he spoke his mind. He recognized the significance of engaging with professors rather than sitting in a corner without involvement. Furthermore, Felipe found that putting himself out there is crucial for building connections and thriving socially in college. It is also essential to actively seek out roommates or individuals with shared interests, as you will be spending the next four years with them. Since Felipe and his friends applied to different schools, he used Instagram chats to find his roommate. During this process, he posted an introduction about his life, allowing people to reach out and communicate with him.

A tip from Felipe for students during exam season is to take breaks between study sessions. Additionally, practicing with friends is a good idea, as it helps you realize that you're not the only one dealing with the stress of exams. Having someone study alongside you creates a sense of shared stress with your friend or buddy.

Another tip for students transitioning from high school to university is not to overshare or disclose your secrets too soon. It's not advisable to reveal too much information, especially in a small school, where you've only known people for a few weeks. However, Felipe emphasizes not to worry too much about making friends. Joining clubs is a great idea, as it increases the likelihood of making at least one friend from the club.

Some tips from Felipe include being more mature and actively seeking internships, especially for majors that require them. The college environment is also crucial; avoid choosing colleges in small towns with poor security. Regarding college counseling, it's a common concern for applicants. Not to worry, Felipe had Ms. Jenny for counseling, and her preparations made him feel it was unnecessary to seek outside help.

For Felipe, college was difficult, challenging, and competitive. However, socializing more made him feel more open to trying new things. The more he participated in Model UN, the clearer his future vision became, and he discovered his true passion. Balancing academic responsibilities and a social life became more challenging due to the close relationship he has with many people, but Felipe ensured he completed his school work before socializing with friends.

Through college, Felipe has learned many life lessons that will continue to shape him physically and emotionally. As an AST alumni, Felipe serves as a good role model for all the students. We wish him luck as he continues his studies!

Write For Delight寫作社很榮幸有機會在Felipe D. ('22) 寒假期間採訪他。他分享了許多寶貴的經驗，並為AST學生提供了許多的建議，讓我們深入了解一下吧!

大學申請                                                                                                                                          Felipe參加模擬聯合國會議，使他理解申請過程的各種策略。他單獨提交了一份大學入學申請，他優異的 GPA 和 SAT 成績，為他提供了很多選擇。在申請文件中，凸顯了他獨特的背景，例如他的母親來自哥倫比亞，以及他在台灣居住了五年，為他加分不少。Felipe建議要申請我們真正喜歡，並且相信對我們的目標有益的大學，避免被別人的意見左右，也不要在意他們對我們選擇的大學的看法。

大學生活

Felipe 在大學生活中了解到表達自己的重要性，要能確切的說出自己的想法。他也學到與教授接觸非常重要，而不是坐在角落裡不參與。Felipe 體認到在大學裡展現自己，對於建立人脈和社交發展至關重要。此外，要積極尋找室友或有共同興趣的人，因為你將在接下來的五年裡與他們一起度過。由於 Felipe 和他的朋友申請了不同的學校，因此他使用 Instagram 聊天來尋找他的室友。在這個過程中，他也簡介了自己的生活，讓他人能夠了解他並與他交流。

Felipe 給學生在考試時的建議，是要在學習課程之間休息。此外，與朋友一起練習是個好方法，因為能幫助我們意識到自己並不是唯一面臨考試壓力的人，有人和我們一起學習，會給我們一種與朋友或夥伴分擔壓力的感覺。

對於要進入大學的學生，他的另一個建議是--不要過早過度分享或透露你的秘密。我們不應該透露太多訊息，特別是在一所小學校裡，那些你只認識了幾個星期的人。然而，Felipe 強調不要太擔心交朋友的問題，加入社團是個好方法，因為這增加了在社團之中結交到朋友的可能性。 

其他的一些建議包括---抱著更成熟的心態積極尋求實習的機會，特別是那些需要有實習經驗的主修。大學環境也很重要，要避免選擇治安較差的小鎮裡的大學。關於大學升學諮詢，別擔心，Felipe 都是藉由 Ms. Jenny Chen 的幫助，她的建議讓 Felipe 覺得沒有必要尋求校外的協助。       

對 Felipe 來說，大學生活是艱難、充滿挑戰和競爭的。然而，更多的社交讓他更願意嘗試新事物。他參加模擬聯合國的次數越多，他的未來願景就越清晰，他發現了自己真正的熱情。由於與許多人頻繁接觸，平衡學業和社交生活就變得更具挑戰性，但 Felipe都會負責任的確保在與朋友社交之前，要先完成作業。

上了大學之後的Felipe，學到了許多人生課程，這些將繼續塑造他的人格。身為 AST 校友，Felipe 為所有學生樹立了良好的榜樣。我們祝福他學業一切順利！