You are here:
George Chen (Year 12) was selected to represent Australia at the International Chemistry Olympiad competition. Held in Zurich, Switzerland in July this year, George was amongst some of the brightest young minds in the world, including three fellow Australian teammates. This prestigious honour is something that George almost accomplished last year. That statement alone should give you some insight into how insanely hard he has been working toward this goal. Since Year 9, George has been determined to follow in the footsteps of previous Australian Chemistry Olympiad, Mr Joshua Lin (’19). When asked about the secret to his success he said, “Distance learning really gave me time to work through problems and research in my spare time. In hindsight, it was all about knowing more and how every concept eventually links to everything else. Chemistry is special because talent matters very little, and as a student, that’s a hopeful prospect”. What did George have to do to make the team? Well, just for this competition, he sat three 2-hour entrance exams, four 3-hour exhaustive, university-level papers, and he has given up four weeks of his summer holidays, undergoing intensive days of lectures and practical investigations, organised by professionals in Canberra. He has worked through endless complex examinations in preparation, and he has continued to do so through the middle of his HSC year. George placed 57th in the world individually, earning him a High Silver medal. Congratulations on this remarkable achievement.
return to previous page