On March 23, Tongji SEM held “Face to Face with the Dean” Symposium. Dean LI Yuan, Deputy Dean DONG Bianlin, Director of Undergraduate and Postgraduate Education Center CAO Xiaoling, Director of Career Development Center CHEN Xun, the student advisers, and nearly 50 undergraduates, masters and doctoral students of SEM attended the symposium.

At the symposium, the students raised questions on how to gain academic confidence, improve academic ability, combine theory and practice in scientific research, as well as the significance of going abroad for exchange. Dean LI Yuan said that, as for undergraduates, it is important to develop good study habits, consolidate mathematical and language foundation, and form complete knowledge structure and a broad knowledge system; as for postgraduates, they should pay more attention to professional knowledge study and application ability improvement, and strengthen scientific research training; as for doctoral students, they should attach importance to theoretical study and learning methods, read more high-quality literature, follow social news, engage in speculative discussions with fellows and foster academic sensitivity.

As for the significance of studying abroad, Dean LI Yuan pointed out that it is necessary for students to be clear with their the intention of study abroad. SEM encourages doctoral students who are fully prepared, able to build research bridges for domestic and foreign supervisors, and have good interactions with foreign scholars to take overseas study visits.