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Recently, Year One student Fiona wrote to Professor Youmin Xi, Executive President of XJTLU, sharing her reflections and uncertainties about growing up ¨C and soon received a heartfelt reply. With their permission, we¡¯re publishing both letters in full.

Dear Professor Xi,

Hope all is well with you.

Sorry to occupy your summer holiday time. I just couldn¡¯t help but share my Year One experience with you and seek your valuable advice.

Academically, I study BA International Business with a Language and continue my Spanish learning. My Year One overall grade is 79.35, which is not very ideal to me but relatively fine in my programme. In terms of extracurricular activities, I applied for the volunteer job regarding our 20th anniversary during winter holiday, though I wasn¡¯t chosen ¨C which was slightly disappointing for me ¨C I still value this experience. During the second semester, I was successfully elected Vice President of a primary student association with auxiliary language activities, and got to meet and chat with the delegation from the University of ºìÐÓÊÓƵ, who came to XJTLU for the 20th anniversary celebration. I really learned a lot from that. Besides, I have signed up for two SURF programmes for additional interest exploration, both of which are held by professors who I really admire for their unique personal magnetism. Nevertheless, I didn¡¯t get accepted for either of these two programmes because I¡¯m only a Year One student. However, I wasn¡¯t discouraged at all and still keep in close touch with the two professors.

However, I also met some difficult questions during this semester. Initially, I found out that my programme is actually different from what I expected: it¡¯s focused more on conceptual understanding and knowledge retention, instead of being quantitative and technical like I imagined. Fortunately, I turned to a professor in XJTLU¡¯s Extended Studies Scheme(ESS). We decided to choose several modules from Economics and Finance as supplementary courses. Subsequently, when I first attended the association¡¯s leadership meeting, things went completely against what I had envisioned. I held different ideas from some other leading members regarding the general development path. As I failed to convince the majority of the attendees at the meeting, my viewpoint was not adopted in the end. The overall development of affairs deviated entirely from my original intentions for joining the association, which led me to resign from my position later on. (As I¡¯ve been available during summer break, I¡¯ve worked as an English tutor for 2 weeks and earned 2000 RMB. I would say it¡¯s relatively a fine thing?)

Thus, I sincerely want to seek advice from you about how you cultivated competence in both descriptive capacities and logically rigorous technical capabilities, while also developing outstanding coordination and leadership skills together with the proficiency to communicate efficiently and reach consensus with individuals who hold divergent viewpoints. Is this kind of comprehensive competence relevant to some core modules or social and practical activities? Could you kindly advise what practical things I may undertake at present to progress toward developing such well-rounded capabilities?

Thanks a lot for your time and guidance. Sorry for troubling you.

All the best,

Fiona

Dear Fiona,

Thank you for your letter and for sharing your first?year experiences and reflections with me during the holiday. Please never worry about ¡°occupying¡± my time ¨C seeing a young person¡¯s active reflection and exploration is one of the greatest pleasures for an educator.

After reading your message, I would like to respond from several angles.

1. On your grade and ¡°not very ideal¡±

79.35 ¨C you said it is ¡°not very ideal¡±. In XJTLU¡¯s assessment system, this is actually quite a good score. But what impresses me more is the standard you set for yourself: you have high expectations, which is positive. However, I would remind you that university is not about getting high marks; it is about building real capabilities. At XJTLU, our educational goal has long moved beyond ¡°preventing ignorance¡± to helping students develop judgement, adaptability, and the ability to cope with a complex world. In the AI era, knowledge is readily available; what truly determines a person¡¯s future is their capacity for critical judgement, synthesis, and creativity when facing uncertainty. So, rather than fixating on numbers, ask yourself: how much has your mental model upgraded this year?

2. On the gap between your major and your expectations ¨C and your response

You mention that International Business feels ¡°more descriptive and knowledge?retentive¡± than the ¡°quantitative and technical¡± field you had imagined. This mismatch itself is not a problem ¨C the real question is how you respond. You actively approached a professor in finance and statistics and, through XJTLU¡¯s Extended Studies Scheme (ESS), chose supplementary courses in Economics and Finance. That is a very smart move.

XJTLU has been exploring ¡°Syntegrative Education¡±, whose core is to break down disciplinary silos and enable students to integrate knowledge from multiple fields while solving real?world problems. You are already doing that ¨C combining the ¡°descriptive¡± frameworks of business with the ¡°quantitative¡± tools of economics and finance. Do not let the name of your major confine you; the real resource of a university is the curriculum, mentors, and projects that you can freely combine. ?Keep going in this direction, and treat ¡°description¡± and ¡°quantification¡± as two tools in your toolbox, not as two incompatible paths.

3. On your leadership setback ¨C this may be your most valuable lesson

Your experience with the student society, and your eventual resignation, in my view, is one of the most valuable growth moments of your year.

You encountered a classic management dilemma: you had your own vision and views, but you could not persuade your co?leaders or the faculty advisor, and you chose to leave. There are several layers worth pondering here.

In the ¡°HeXie Management Theory¡± that I have developed, there is a core concept called ¡°HeXie Theme¡± ¨C the central issue that emerges from the interaction between people and systems in a given time and context. In any organisation, the first task is to understand what the real problem is at that moment. You believed that the association¡¯s direction was ¡°rigid¡± and not conducive to students¡¯ individual development ¨C that was your judgement. But the other leaders and the advisor may have seen stability and order as the more immediate ¡°HeXie Theme¡±.

True leadership is not about insisting on your own view until you walk away; it is about learning to find a dynamic balance between ¡°He?Principle¡± (people?oriented motivation) and ¡°Xie?Principle¡± (systematic optimisation) while holding on to your core values. This requires several abilities: first, listening and understanding ¨C why do others hold different views? What are their concerns? Second, communication and persuasion ¨C how can you express your ideas in a way that resonates with others? Third, the wisdom to know when to compromise and when to stand firm ¨C what can be conceded, and what must be defended?

You said you ¡°failed to persuade the advisor¡± ¨C that precisely indicates the area where you need to grow. Leadership is not about leading a group of obedient followers in good times; it is about finding common ground and a way forward amidst disagreement. This experience is not a failure; it is a real?life leadership drill. What you have gained from it is far more valuable than any classroom lesson.

4. On your question: ¡°How do I develop comprehensive competence?¡±

You ask whether the ability to combine descriptive and technical skills, along with coordination and communication, is related to specific core modules or social activities. My answer is: it comes from ¡°syntegration¡±, the integration of curriculum and practice, knowledge and action, thinking and experience.

XJTLU¡¯s educational evolution from 1.0 to 4.0 has always aimed to help students shift from passive reception to active exploration. Concretely, here are a few suggestions for what you can do now:

First, continue your interdisciplinary exploration. You have already started by taking courses in Economics and Finance ¨C good. Going forward, think about how to genuinely combine the ¡°macro¡± perspective of International Business with the ¡°precision¡± tools of finance and statistics. Choose a specific industry problem (e.g., exchange?rate risk management in cross?border e?commerce, or data?driven decision?making in multinational firms) and analyse it using both fields.

Second, hone your ¡°HeXie Mindset¡± through practice. The HeXie Mindset is the ability to maintain a clear self?positioning and sound decision?making in complex and uncertain environments. You earned 2,000 RMB as an English tutor ¨C that is not just income; it is a real?world encounter with social interaction and value exchange. Keep seeking such authentic scenarios: student clubs, internships, projects, volunteering ¨C every collaboration and every disagreement is an opportunity to forge your HeXie Mindset.

Third, cultivate the art of ¡°asking good questions¡±. In the AI age, answers are becoming cheaper, but the ability to ask good questions is becoming more precious. You are already questioning ¨C about your major, about competence structures, about your own direction. Keep this habit, and let it become your way of thinking.

Fourth, do not fear ¡°failure¡± or ¡°not being selected¡±. You were not chosen for the 20th?anniversary volunteer role, nor for the SURF programmes ¨C yet you say you were ¡°not cast down¡±. That is excellent. Real growth often happens outside the plan. Those rejections and unmet goals actually help you clarify your genuine interests and the areas you need to strengthen.

5. A final word

You mention that you resigned from your vice?president position. There is no absolute right or wrong in that choice. But I would like to remind you: in your future life, you will repeatedly face the choice between ¡°staying to change¡± and ¡°leaving to seek something new¡±. There is no standard answer. What matters is whether you are clear about why you made that choice, and what you gained from it.

You say you hope to develop the ability ¡°to reach consensus with people holding divergent viewpoints¡± ¨C that awareness itself is already valuable. Consensus is not about getting others to abandon their views and accept yours; it is about finding a third path through mutual understanding. That takes time, patience, and repeated practice.

Fiona, you have experienced a great deal this year: academic adjustments, setbacks in student organisations, and deep self?reflection. None of these are ¡°detours¡±; they are necessary steps on your path of growth. The most critical mission of a university is to help young people transform from ¡°those who are arranged¡± into ¡°those who make their own choices¡±. You are already making choices ¨C and you are doing so with great seriousness.

Keep that spirit of reflection and exploration. The road ahead is long, and you will find your way with growing clarity.

Wishing you a pleasant summer break and success in your tutoring work!

Warm regards,

Youmin Xi

Light and Wings

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Executive President of Xi¡¯an Jiaotong-ºìÐÓÊÓƵ University

Pro-Vice-Chancellor of University of ºìÐÓÊÓƵ

Distinguished Professor of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Xi¡¯an Jiaotong University