Unsuccessful in Korea and Europe, Duc turned to the US and was accepted into doctoral programs at five schools.
In late February and early March, Nguyen Van Duc, 24 years old, received admission letters to the PhD program in Mechanical Engineering from five American schools, including the University of Connecticut, the State University of New York, the Iowa State University of Science and Technology, the University of Texas, and North Dakota State University.
These schools are all in the R1 group - schools with the best research activities in the US.
"I didn't think I could get into five American schools, especially when I didn't receive any feedback from professors in Europe or Korea, even though I sent my application in advance," Duc said.
The boy from Bac Giang chose the University of Connecticut - the 58th ranked school in the US, according to US News . In addition to free tuition, Duc receives a support of nearly 28,000 USD (700 million VND) a year as a professor's research assistant. This amount increases gradually during the course of study.
Nguyen Van Duc. Photo: Duong Tam
Duc was born into a farming family, his father was a construction worker, his mother worked at a brick factory in Viet Yen district, Bac Giang province. Having studied at a village school since childhood, Duc had a strong desire to go out through education.
Passing his first choice of Aerospace Technology at the University of Engineering and Technology, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, in 2018, Duc thought that the opportunity was wide open because the school was enrolling students in this major for the first year, and there were few places to train. At that time, Duc thought about studying further to become an expert in this field.
Therefore, from the second year, Duc participated in research at the FPCFD laboratory of Dr. Duong Viet Dung, lecturer at the Institute of Aerospace Technology. From just reading international publications and synthesizing data, Duc improved his ability to analyze data, program, and use simulation software to take on specialized, independent tasks under the teacher's guidance.
"Everything is new, very different from the basic knowledge in class, forcing me to explore and learn on my own so as not to be thrown out of the lab's routine," Duc said. "Staying up late and waking up early to ensure both studying and researching is a daily occurrence."
As a result, Duc has 3 scientific publications in ISI journals ranked Q1/Q2 (the most prestigious group in the field), in which Duc is the first author of an article in a Q2 journal. In addition, the male student also has two publications at national scientific conferences and two other studies are in the peer review stage before publication.
In terms of studies, Duc graduated as salutatorian in Aerospace Technology with an average score of 3.54/4; his graduation project achieved 9.9/10 points, the highest in the class.
Duc working in the lab. Photo: Character provided
Duc believes that these achievements help him have a good CV to apply for a postgraduate program. However, his limited foreign language skills make him feel insecure about his ability to go abroad.
"I applied for a master's program in Vietnam, but then my teachers encouraged me to apply for a doctoral scholarship abroad, so I decided to give it a try," Duc said.
Duc's initial target was Korea and European countries. Duc improved his English while searching for information about universities and professors whose research direction closely matched his wishes. In July 2023, the male student began sending CVs to professors according to the filtered list. But for a whole month, Duc received no response.
At this time, Duc thought of America. "How would the professors in America evaluate me?", Duc asked himself. "I've spent a lot of time preparing my application, so I decided to take a risk."
From August 2023, Duc will research and send his application to a number of schools and professors in the US. Duc does not aim for schools with too high a ranking but focuses on learning about the industry and suitable research direction.
Submitting his CV, personal essay, and recommendation letter to both the school and the professors, Duc received prompt and positive feedback. After receiving the interview schedule, Duc prepared a slide introducing himself, summarizing his academic and research achievements, and future plans to present.
"In the first 1-2 conversations with the professor, I was nervous and couldn't speak fluently, but in the following conversations I got used to it and the conversation was very comfortable," Duc said.
Still worried about his English, Duc thought he might only get into one school. Therefore, the result was a surprise to Duc and the teachers who supported him during the application process.
Duc received the school-level scientific research student award, 2022. Photo: Character provided
Germany believes that professors and universities in the US look for the most suitable candidate rather than the most comprehensive strong profile.
Because the cost of studying and taking the IELTS test is quite expensive, Duc chose to self-study and take the online Duolingo English Test (DET) instead. The score he achieved was equivalent to 6.5 IELTS, "just enough" to meet the requirements of the schools.
"Foreign language skills related to research and work exchange have been proven through international publications or interviews. Therefore, I think it's okay to only meet the minimum certificate requirements," Duc said.
Instead of spending time improving his certificate scores, Duc focused on improving his research ability. After graduating from university, Duc still participated in research at the school's lab.
Dr. Duong Viet Dung, head of the FPCFD lab, who has been Duc's mentor for the past three years, wrote a letter of recommendation for his student. Mr. Dung said he highly appreciated Duc's ability to research and learn on his own, and his serious and honest attitude when doing research.
This lecturer was impressed with Duc’s ability to read, synthesize and analyze data to find gaps and problems in existing research, and then propose detailed plans to solve them. Therefore, he believed that Duc would complete his doctoral program in the US well.
Duc said he has completed his visa to go to the US. After discussing the program with his professor, Duc is studying some subjects in advance and continuing to improve his English before starting school in August.
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