I have always been relatively laid-back. I never felt a strong sense of urgency or pressure to “optimize” every step of my path. For the most part, I followed what felt natural.

I did not spend much time thinking about my long-term career direction. The only thing I knew was that if I wanted to return to China eventually, pursuing a graduate degree would be necessary. That was why I consistently maintained a GPA above 3.85, ensuring that path remained open.

Before my senior year, I was introduced through a friend to Marcus, one of the co-founders of PGP. We spoke at length, about school, interests, and future plans.

To be honest, it was the first time I had ever genuinely admired someone in that way. Marcus is, without question, one of the most impressive individuals I have met.

He studied Physics and Philosophy at Oxford, graduating top of his class, and has worked across Point72 Asset Management, Credit Suisse, Macquarie, and Facebook, exploring both finance and technology to identify the path best suited to him. Finance and technology recruiting are fundamentally different tracks. The fact that he was able to pursue both, and reach the top tier in each, left a deep impression on me.

After meeting Marcus, something shifted. For the first time, my otherwise passive mindset began to change. I felt a genuine desire to push myself further. After discussing it with my family, I decided to join PGP.

The most meaningful change after joining PGP was not that I became more aggressive or fundamentally different as a person. Rather, I learned how to approach challenges with a more deliberate mindset.

Under Marcus’s guidance, I started to explore my interests step by step.

He often said: “People are naturally inclined to avoid difficulty. You need to train your mind to get comfortable with challenging work.” That idea stayed with me.

Interestingly, my personality, which had previously been more passive, became an advantage in this context. Instead of overthinking outcomes, I focused on the process.

Recruiting forced me out of my comfort zone. Even when I knew the path would be difficult, I chose to move forward. I approached preparation in a relatively simple way, following the structure provided by PGP, working through technical material and behavioral preparation step by step, without placing excessive pressure on outcomes.

I was aware that many of my peers experienced significant stress during recruiting.

For me, the mindset was straightforward: Focus on learning. Focus on execution. Let the results follow.

After about a month, I began to develop a clearer sense of direction. I found myself increasingly interested in Sales & Trading and quantitative roles. Marcus then matched me with two mentors, each specializing in one of these areas. I genuinely enjoyed the process. Spending one to two hours each week learning new concepts and building skills felt both structured and rewarding. It gave me a clear sense of progress. I began to look forward to what I could become after accumulating 100+ hours of focused preparation.

At the same time, I worked with PGP on my graduate school applications.

There was meaningful overlap between recruiting preparation and graduate applications: resume building, behavioral development, and technical knowledge, which made the process more efficient.

After a year of preparation, I had developed a strong command of the core interview material. At the same time, I secured admission to a graduate program that I was very satisfied with. In retrospect, those two years were broadly positive, despite the broader uncertainty at the time.

At the beginning of 2022, the effort I had invested in recruiting began to translate into results. I received the offer.

I would like to thank Marcus, my mentors, and the entire PGP team. Over the course of this year and a half, I experienced meaningful growth. They did not try to change my personality. Instead, they helped me build on it, to become a more disciplined, more focused, and more capable version of myself. That, in many ways, was the most valuable outcome.

Looking ahead, I know that PGP will continue to raise its standards. But if my younger brother ever decides to pursue a career in finance, I would not hesitate to recommend this path to him.