Jiani Ren '23
BS Human Evolutionary Biology, minor in Anthropology
Pronouns: she/her

How did you hear about Stony Brook University?
I’m originally from Dalian, a small sea-side city on the eastern coast of China. Applying for college abroad can be very complicated, as you can imagine. Plus, very few high schoolers in my hometown would choose to leave for higher education in a different country. I have encountered a lot of challenges after deciding to come to America. Nevertheless, I was sure that I could achieve something here to make my grandma and my mom proud, and this determination became much more certain after I saw the gorgeous pictures of Stony Brook University. No, I didn’t take a physical tour here, nor did I have any idea how this four-year adventure would be, all I had was some basic introduction of ranking and facilities that you could easily find on Google. I ended up falling in love with Stony Brook, and I will tell you why.

On her major:
I majored in Human Evolutionary Biology, with a minor in Anthropology. Interestingly, I initially decided to study psychology, which might have been my primary reason for coming to Stony Brook (the ranking of the Department of Psychology is high). I wanted to be a criminal psychologist, perhaps due to watching so many gangster films. Well, things changed after I took an introductory biology class with Dr. Amy Lu. She saw my potential and guided me towards the new chapter of my life. When I was aimless and lost in my academic trajectory,faced with obstacles that seemed so overwhelming at that moment, Dr. Lu directed me and made the future crystal clear for me. I have heard that a great teacher can change your life. Without doubt, I consider myself a perfect example of that.

Greatest Achievement:
I graduated with a GPA of 3.97 as a six-time recipient of the academic achievement reward. I am also a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society and the National Society of Leadership and Success, nominated by the university departments. I love doing research and working in the lab, so I participated in multiple experiments in Dr. Lu’s lab. Stony Brook has gradually shaped me in the process of being independent. 

I learned a lesson from a wise gentleman: life can be extraordinarily colorful if you are brave enough to take it slow and smell the roses. Colleges can be tough and stressful, but you need to know it is just part of your life, which means that learning to balance the time allocated to important people and studying might be more important than your academic achievements. Life will surprise you if you pay  attention to people around you. In my case, that wise gentleman is now my father-in-law, and I couldn’t be more grateful to him and my loving husband.

Advice for potential Seawolves:
First, I want to thank you if you are patient enough to read until here.Please keep in mind to never, ever, be afraid of the potential consequences for following your heart. Things can be rough, this is human life, after all. But I guarantee you that you will be way happier and gain much more if that’s the decision YOU want to make. Also, always be GRATEFUL for people who have helped you with proceeding on the path to your goal.