Last month, Wang Wanlu, a computer science senior at University of Nottingham Ningbo Branch in Zhejiang Province, made a huge jump from undergrad to PhD student with his acceptance to the university's doctoral program in the UK, skipping the master's degree requirement.

"Since I have the opportunity to take challenging PhD courses as soon as possible, I figured why not?" Wang said.

That might be easy for Wang to say. Late last year, he submitted applications to three UK universities, including the graduate school of mathematics and computer science at Oxford University, relying on his resume as his trump card.

"As a student without a master's degree applying for a PhD program, research ability and personal interest in the major are the most important factors," he said.

In order to convince admissions, Wang independently made a complete computer 3D animation model of his school library in November. From the construction of the beams to the window drapes to the falling snowflakes outside, the ani-mation is meticulously detailed and precise, the product of a nonstop session staring at the computer screen.

"When inspiration strikes, it's hard to stop. I finished the animation in one go, only stopping to drink one glass of water in 16 hours of programming and three and a half hours in writing up a report," he said.

Different from students who choose easier courses, Wang is always up for the toughest they have. As long as the course interests him and he thinks it relevant to his major, he never shies away from a challenge.

"I always have a packed schedule. When I'm too busy I'll just eat one meal a day."

Wang attributes his tenacity and work ethic partly to his serious study of piano as a child. Starting at the age of three, he learned how much work it takes to prefect a skill.

"I played piano every day. Sometimes it was the only thing would I do besides eating and sleeping," he said.

Upon graduation from his college, Wang will have been in Britain for about six years, but says that no matter how long he is abroad, he will never forget where he came from.

"In the future, I will continue doing research in the computer science field, never forgetting to contribute to China with what I have learned," he said.