Meet the Chinese design student accepted by seven top US universities including Harvard and MIT

An award-winning graduate from eastern China is soon to begin her postgraduate studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US after receiving offers from no fewer than seven prestigious colleges.

Zeng Jiani graduated from the University of Nottingham Ningbo last year with a degree in industrial design,Qianjiang Evening News reported.

After leaving college she took a job as a product development engineer, but soon realised it was not for her. What she really wanted to do was further her studies, so she set about applying to some of the finest seats of learning in the United States.

Within a matter of months she had secured offers not only from MIT, but also from Harvard University, the School of Art Institute of Chicago, Rhode Island School of Design, Pratt Institute and two more besides.

Zeng, who currently lives in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province, was delighted to receive so many offers, but eventually decided on MIT, the report said.

Though modest about her ability at school – she said she was never more than average – Zeng clearly flourished once in higher education. While studying in Ningbo, she won nine international design prizes, including, in 2015, the famous Red Dot Design Award for her creative work on the design of a sofa that can be converted into a play tent for children.