Click the link to view the full version: WAASCZ | Secured admission to UCL, 11 offers from top universities, she reaching a bright future through scientific inquiry
Fanny Shao Dove House
Class of 2026
University Offers (11 in total)
University College London
-Population Health Sciences (Data Science)
-Biochemical Engineering
The University of Sydney
-Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
-Data Science
-Medicinal Chemistry
King’s College London
-Biochemistry
-Chemistry with Biomedicine
University of Warwick
-Biochemistry
University of Toronto
-Life Sciences
University of Toronto Mississauga
-Life Sciences
University of Toronto Scarborough
-Co-op Life Sciences
Predicted A Level Grades
Biology A*, Math A*, Further Math A*, Chinese A*, Chemistry A
EPQ Programme
Is Obesity a Risk Factor of Infertility?
University College London(UCL)
Founded in 1826 in London, UCL is a leading public research university and a founding member of the University of London. It is also a member of the prestigious Russell Group and a founding member of the League of European Research Universities (LERU). Widely recognised as one of the UK’s “Golden Triangle” universities and part of the elite G5 group, UCL is renowned for its world-class research strength. The university has produced more than 30 Nobel Prize laureates among its alumni and staff. With a strong emphasis on academic freedom and interdisciplinary collaboration, UCL enjoys an outstanding reputation in both academia and the professional world.
“I went from being at the bottom of the class to a student about to study at a G5 university in the UK.” For Fanny Shao, now holding 11 offers from leading universities across the UK, Australia and Canada, this transformation is the achievement she is most proud of.
Behind these impressive results lies a deeper story: When challenges arise, how do you face them with courage? When important choices appear, how do you move forward with conviction? And amid the ups and downs of growth, how do you discover who you truly are?
01/ “Enjoy every piece of knowledge you learn, rather than only celebrating the final grades.”
When Fanny first arrived at WASCZ in Grade 8, she was stepping not only into a new school environment but also into a fully English-medium academic setting. At the time, she worried about whether she would be able to adapt. She could hardly have imagined that by the time she graduated, she would be confidently conducting complex academic research in English, and even facing what she describes as a “pleasant dilemma” when UCL offered her places in two different subject pathways.
Math was the first subject in which she found a real sense of belonging, and it quickly became her favourite. For Fanny, solving mathematical problems reveals a unique kind of logical beauty: when careful reasoning leads step by step to the correct answer, the clarity and satisfaction are deeply rewarding. Through mathematics lessons at WASCZ, she gradually learned how to apply mathematical tools to real-world problems. The subject not only laid a strong foundation for her later research and academic development, but also became the starting point of her intellectual passion.
Biology and chemistry, however, presented a different challenge altogether. To Fanny, they initially felt like two formidable mountains to climb. Dense terminology and complex definitions in English demanded considerable time and effort to master. Yet it was precisely these challenges that helped her develop the ability to simplify complexity and approach difficult material strategically.
Through years of academic exploration, Fanny gradually formed her own learning methodology:”Time management is essential. If you break a subject down into smaller knowledge modules and tackle them one by one, you can stay efficient and make steady progress.” She constantly reminds herself of one principle: “Enjoy every piece of knowledge you learn, rather than only celebrating the final grades.”
When application season arrived, another challenge awaited: how to distil four years of growth into a single personal statement. This was no longer about solving problems, it was about making thoughtful choices. Her university guidance teacher, Ms Wu, offered a piece of advice that proved decisive:”Depth matters more than breadth in a personal statement.” The insight was transformative. Instead of listing numerous activities, Fanny chose to focus on one experience and explore it deeply, reflecting on what she had learned and how she had grown. With Ms Wu’s guidance, the essay went through six rounds of revision before they were both satisfied with the final version.
“If it weren’t for the encouragement and support from my teachers, I don’t think I would have received offers from the universities I dreamed of,” Fanny reflects. At WASCZ, she says, teachers provided encouraging and supportive teaching, using creative approaches that gradually sparked her interest in subjects she once found challenging. “Whenever I encountered difficulties, I could simply knock on a teacher’s office door,” she recalls. “They were always willing to help and explain things patiently.”
This sense of always being supported gave her the confidence to face academic challenges head-on. Step by step, she overcame one obstacle after another—ultimately opening the door to one of the UK’ s leading universities.
02/ “All theory is grey, but the golden tree of practice springs ever green.”
Fanny’s curiosity has never been confined to the boundaries of the classroom. During her IGCSE stage, she achieved the highest national mark in Pearson Edexcel IGCSE Statistics. From that point onwards, she began to experience how data can illuminate the world, realising that the meaning behind numbers truly comes alive only when applied to real-world questions.
Determined to move beyond theory, she stepped into hands-on scientific exploration. In a research experiment investigating how hunger and satiety affect liver glycogen levels, Fanny personally handled laboratory work involving mouse liver samples. She also applied knowledge beyond the textbook, using the Beer–Lambert Law to calculate the final experimental results. It was her first experience participating in an animal dissection experiment—and the first time she felt that behind the seemingly cold numbers lay the dynamic rhythms of life itself.
When choosing the topic for her EPQ programme, Fanny shifted her focus from animal studies to human health. Her research examined whether obesity may be a risk factor for infertility. Rather than revisiting widely discussed links between obesity and conditions such as cardiovascular or respiratory disease, she aimed to explore a less frequently discussed dimension. Through this research, she hoped to raise greater public awareness of the health implications of obesity and encourage more proactive lifestyle choices.
As expected, the project presented significant challenges. Conducting the research required extensive engagement with academic literature, which meant confronting a familiar difficulty: dense English scientific terminology rarely encountered in everyday language. This time, however, she knew how to tackle it. With the guidance of her biology teacher, Mr Mukherjee, Fanny worked through these complex materials and ultimately achieved a full mark in her EPQ.
Today, her interest has expanded to even more cutting-edge developments. Speaking about the role of artificial intelligence in biochemistry, she explains with excitement:”AlphaFold3 can predict protein structures and functions. I believe this represents a major breakthrough in the field of biochemistry.”
From microscopic cellular processes in the laboratory to the vast possibilities opened by artificial intelligence, the “tree of practice” she once set out to explore continues to grow–clearer, richer, and full of promise.
03/ “Life is the greatest laboratory.”
Calm and rational–these are the first impressions Fanny gives. They reflect the disciplined and rigorous side of her academic character. Yet as the conversation unfolds, another side gradually emerges: vibrant, curious, and full of the lively energy typical of a teenager.
When she first arrived at WASCZ as a boarding student, there were moments of loneliness, and occasional challenges in navigating new friendships. But these inevitable waves of growing up were eased through the support of her Housemistress and the companionship of friends. Boarding life strengthened her independence and time-management skills. Beginning with small routines, cleaning her room, organising her wardrobe, she gradually learned what it meant to take responsibility for herself.
Over time, she built close friendships and began to fully enjoy the rich and varied life at WASCZ. During her DofE expedition, she tried outdoor camping and long-distance hiking for the first time. Pushing forward step by step despite fatigue strengthened her resilience. Meanwhile, in the House Unison competition, she and her teammates rehearsed repeatedly, perfecting every detail together. Standing side by side on stage, she experienced first-hand the power of teamwork and shared commitment.
Like many students who first arrive at WASCZ, she was initially overwhelmed by the school’s extensive facilities and the wide range of ECA (Extra-Curricular Activities) available. “Every week I could spend time on things I was genuinely interested in,” she recalls. Over four years, she experienced countless “firsts”: netball, football, badminton, drawing, sculpture, ceramics, and more. “I’m very grateful that WASCZ gave me these opportunities,” she says with a smile. “They allowed me to try so many new things.”
More recently, she has developed a passion for the cooking ECA. “I went from knowing nothing about cooking to becoming a ‘master chef’,” she laughs. Through the process, she has even developed her own philosophy of cooking: “Cooking is actually quite similar to a chemistry experiment. You put different elements into a container, then heat or mix them.” For her, watching ingredients transform into something delicious carries the same sense of wonder as a scientific experiment.
04/ “Innovation always begins with new ideas.”
Today, Fanny finds herself facing an exciting dilemma. With two offers from University College London pointing towards different academic directions, she has not yet decided whether she would prefer to become an analyst of problems or a solver of them. For now, she is giving herself time to reflect. Her journey, from once fearing academic challenges to developing a passion for research, from jokingly calling herself “the student at the bottom of the class” to preparing to enter a G5 university, reflects the confidence she rebuilt at WASCZ through consistent encouragement and support. Time and again, teachers were there to guide and reassure her, giving her the confidence to imagine a broader future.
Looking ahead, she already has an ambitious idea. Fanny hopes to explore epidemiology more deeply and one day design a vaccine with learning capabilities similar to artificial intelligence—one that could adapt as viruses evolve. “It may sound unrealistic,” she admits, “but innovation always begins with new ideas.”
Perhaps, as Fanny herself reflects: “Don’t rush into decisions you might later regret.” Give yourself time to explore, to experiment, to make mistakes, and to grow. And then, one morning, you may realise that you are already standing in the place you once dreamed of–ready to begin the next journey.
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