Graduate stories | Zhou Shouchen: Thriving in uncertainty, embracing the unknown

ON2025-07-28TAG: ShanghaiTech UniversityCATEGORY: Global

Zhou Shouchen ’25


School: School of Information Science and Technology (SIST)
Major: Computer Science and Technology
College: Dadao College
High school: Qingdao No. 2 High School, Shandong Province
Post-graduation destination: Tsinghua University, master’s program in Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence
Honors and awards:
  • 2025 Graduate Excellence Award of Shanghai
  • 2025 Graduate Excellence Award of ShanghaiTech
  • 2023–2024 Scholarship of Shanghai
  • Excellent Student Award of ShanghaiTech (2021–2022, 2022–2023, 2023–2024)
  • 2023 Outstanding Individual in Industry Engagement
  • 2022 Outstanding Individual in Social Engagement
  • 2022 Outstanding Individual in the Zhixing Cup Social Engagement Competition for University Students in Shanghai
  • Outstanding Teaching Assistant in SIST in 2024 and 2025


Encountering ShanghaiTech: Resolving to chart my path
My education journey began at Qingdao No. 2 High School, where a free, open, and inquiry-driven atmosphere shaped me. In my high school, which buzzed with lectures and competitions, the teachers often urged us to break free from the confines of rote learning, encouraging us to transform curiosity into action. This ethos of openness resonated deeply with the educational philosophy at ShanghaiTech, thus drawing nearly ten students from my high school to enroll each year. I learned about ShanghaiTech’s “small-class teaching and research-oriented” model when I was in my first year in high school. From that moment, I started to follow this young and ambitious university.

Before the deadline to fill out university applications, I, along with my high school schoolmates, participated in ShanghaiTech’s assessment event held on campus, to personally feel the charm of our dream university. The sleek, modern building of SIST caught my eye. Upperclass student volunteers guided us from one building to another building, sharing not just tales of classrooms and credits but vivid accounts of project discussions, mentor interactions, and late-night lab work drafting papers. The prospect of “research starting from freshman year” filled me with both trepidation and excitement.

Attending ShanghaiTech’s assessment event with high school schoolmates

This was the learning path I craved—a chance to explore alongside daring peers in an open environment and grow swiftly. When filling out my applications, I locked in ShanghaiTech, a young university offering the freedom to define my future. This was my first true embrace of an “uncertain” path forward.

Reflecting on that choice, I’m grateful for my boldness. The university is like a “build-as-you-go, failure-tolerant” platform where I honed my thinking, fostered peer collaboration, and kindled my passion for research. This four-year experience became the bedrock of my confidence in facing the unknown, teaching me that the youngest endeavors resonate most with personal curiosity, shaping each other in mutual growth.

Learning at ShanghaiTech: Forging through self-directed exploration
After entering the university, I was deeply impressed—courses were numerous, contents were deep, and curriculum framework was genuinely respectful of curious minds. Beyond the classroom, I often pored over original textbooks in English and the latest papers to keep pace with professors. Initially, the pressure was immense, but I gradually mastered rapid information retrieval, filtering, and assimilation. This skill became a cornerstone for my learning in the future.

The university’s flexible system for course selection granted me ample academic freedom. In subjects I excelled at, I dove in fully; for weaker areas, I adjusted my pace without being tethered to a rigid schedule. When learning the courses “Probability Theory” and “Information Theory,” I grasped the profound insight that “greater uncertainty yields greater information.” This taught me that embracing possibilities opens more paths forward—a principle guiding my choices: to try, to err, is far more valuable than clinging to certainty.

Almost every core course taught by SIST included a course project. From project selection to experimentation design, report writing, and presentation, the whole process was grueling yet fulfilling. We stayed up late debugging code, scribbling equations on whiteboards, and brainstorming next steps on the terrace at dawn. In those late-night moments when codes finally ran successfully, exhaustion gave way to pure satisfaction. These projects not only forged bonds with like-minded peers but also solidified my passion for my chosen field.

Pulling all-nighters was occasionally needed to meet deadlines. Walking out from the SIST building at dawn and greeted by the faint light of sunrise, I felt a quiet strength within. In those moments, I knew I was on the path I wanted.

Watching the sunrise from the rooftop after an all-night project
  
Practice at ShanghaiTech: The path of learning and growing
During my undergraduate years, I served as a teaching assistant for several courses. Standing at the podium, I confronted gaps in my own understanding. To address each student’s question, I had to review definitions, theorems, and derivations with precision, making “reverse preparation” a rigorous exercise in deepening my knowledge. These experiences not only sharpened my expertise but also revealed the meaning of “teaching is learning and learning is teaching.” In addition, this role fostered deep connections with my professors. Beyond academic rigor, their care and mentorship warmed my heart. Their teachings remain vivid in my memory.

In terms of research, ShanghaiTech offered most students opportunities to join labs and engage in projects. During my freshman summer, I joined a lab, working on preliminary projects under upperclass students’ guidance. From literature reviews to experimental validation, I explored step-by-step, gradually confirming my interests and laying a foundation for deeper research.

Reflecting on these four years—from boldly choosing ShanghaiTech, to writing project reports till late night, standing on podium to lecture on computer codes, and stepping into labs for research—I repeatedly placed myself in “uncertainty.” Through this, I learned to draw information swiftly, dissect complex problems, collaborate with peers, and reflect inwardly. Most importantly, I realized uncertainty is not a synonym for risk but for “malleability”—it keeps the future open, granting everyone the chance to shape it.

Facing new unknowns, I will continue to see uncertainty as fertile ground for growth. I wish my peers abundant growth and hope every resolute choice becomes the start of a remarkable journey.