By CHU Yiwei, Jocelyn (Hall 9)  

For a long time our hall has been referred to only as “Hall 9”, compared with other halls with official names. I cannot call it weird, but it does give some of the Hall 9 residents some special thoughts.  Now that there is finally a line of words sticking to the beam of our hall building, many of us stop and spend a few minutes reading out the new name of Hall 9 with a sense of novelty and happiness.

I have been residing in Hall 9 for two years – nearly half of my undergraduate life. If there is one attribute to note about our hall, it is the academic atmosphere. The hall building is located nearly at the innermost part of the residential area and it is the quietest place for study and work. Student residents striving to achieve a better GPA tend to choose Hall 9 as their dwelling. As Dr. Kevin Downing, the Acting Residence Master of Hall 9 said, “residents are supposed to benefit from the supportive environment and excel in their professions later in the competitive world. So apart from the individual study enthusiasm,” Hall 9 also offers great opportunities for residents to improve their ability. I attended the English Conversation Club and Career Chatrooms last year, and I am sure the valuable experience will be helpful in my further development.

Though it is more academic than other halls, Hall 9 has never fallen behind in being a nice and caring place. I have found my best friends here and shared with them my best memories and hopes. Particularly, I joined in a band this semester; most of the members were from Hall 9, consisting of local, mainland and foreign students. We played music together and everything felt so sweet. Needless to say, this will be the most cherished memory of my hall life.