Three students in the same class passed the Singapore government scholarship

Three students of class 9C1, Doan Thi Diem Secondary School, won ASEAN scholarships from the Singapore government, a rare case.

They are Vu Doan Gia Phong, Nguyen Truc Anh and Nguyen Ngoc Minh Thu. They will study two years of secondary school and two years of university preparation at schools designated by the Singapore government. The scholarships include living allowance, dormitory, initial settlement allowance, tuition and examination fees for GCE O-Level and GCE A-Level (Singapore secondary and high school graduation exams), medical benefits and accident insurance.

"I'm very happy but also a bit sad because I have to be away from my family and friends," Gia Phong said, announcing the results late on the evening of August 30.

Truc Anh and Minh Thu were surprised when they received the news.

"This result gives me more motivation to face many new challenges in a disciplined and professional environment like Singapore," Minh Thu shared.

Minh Thu has won many prizes in the school's Math and English competitions. Photo: Doan Thi Diem Secondary School Fanpage

Ms. Do Thi Huyen Chi, Vice Principal of Doan Thi Diem Secondary School, who guided the students in reviewing and preparing their applications, said that this was the first time the school had three students from the same class receiving this prestigious scholarship.

"I'm happy for you guys. You guys have tried very hard," said Ms. Chi, adding that the scholarship went through three rounds including application; Math and English test; and interview.

Here is the experience of Ms. Chi and her students when applying for the ASEAN scholarship in 2023:

Three important elements of a profile

According to Ms. Chi, there are three important factors in a profile, including the average score of the last two years, the higher and more stable the score, the more competitive; Academic or talent awards; Community activities, leadership positions in and out of school.

For example, Gia Phong has won many gold medals or first prizes in domestic and international IT competitions, including first prize in young IT competitions in Hanoi city.

Meanwhile, Truc Anh is the brightest star in the English team. The female student stands out with her leadership skills and volunteer activities in the cancer prevention network. In addition, Truc Anh is creative and has the ability to knit many beautiful and fashionable items.

Minh Thu is considered by Ms. Chi to be good at all subjects and has outstanding artistic ability. Thu won a medal in an international drawing competition and often teaches drawing to autistic children.

Learn Math in English

Students said that of the three rounds, the Math and English rounds were the most stressful because of time pressure.

The Math exam in English lasts 2.5 hours, with 40 essay questions on algebra, geometry, statistics... from easy to difficult. Most of the knowledge is in the Singapore Secondary 2 and Secondary 3 program (equivalent to grades 8 and 9 in Vietnam).

According to the students, the exam was not difficult but was unfamiliar to most Vietnamese students. Before applying for the scholarship, all three had researched through international student groups, researched the curriculum materials themselves, and asked for support from teachers.

In addition to mastering basic math knowledge, Truc Anh tried out Singaporean math problems to get familiar with math terminology in English. Minh Thu practiced with a tutor and an English math teacher.

Because the questions are long and increasingly difficult, students should try to complete each question with certainty. If they encounter a difficult question and cannot figure it out, they should move on to the next question and come back if they have time.

Nguyen Truc Anh is considered to have outstanding English ability. Photo: Character provided

The English test consisted of two parts: Reading and Writing. As students in the English-oriented class, all three passed easily.

Gia Phong said the reading passages in the test are long but not too difficult, mainly testing whether the candidate has enough English proficiency to study and communicate. "Doing the exercises in the vocabulary practice book as well as the reading comprehension practice book will help a lot in this part of the test," Minh Thu said.

For the Writing section, candidates are given two questions with two different types of essays, including storytelling and essay, about 300 words long.

According to Gia Phong, with a duration of 30 minutes, candidates should choose the storytelling format because it will be easier to think of an outline and also help the examiner understand them better. In his essay, Gia Phong told a story about the time when he was shy and had difficulty talking to people when he was young. Thanks to his mother's encouragement and motivation, he played the violin in a small band. Since then, Phong has become more confident and has made more friends.

Be honest in the interview

At the end of round 2, about 100 excellent candidates will enter the interview round. In this round, the judges will evaluate the candidates' self-expression and uniqueness, to see if they are suitable for the environment in Singapore or not.

According to the students, each person received different questions. In order to avoid having to ask the examiner to repeat the question multiple times because they were not familiar with the way Singaporeans speak English, they listened to and watched related videos in advance.

Gia Phong remembers the question most: "You said you overcame the difficulty of communicating with people. Can you tell me if you are the one who takes the initiative to make friends or waits for others to come and make friends before talking?"

After a few seconds of surprise, Gia Phong replied: "With people who share the same passion and interests, I will take the initiative to chat. On the contrary, I will maintain a diplomatic relationship because I have many friends and I can choose who to play with."

The male student believes that being calm, honest and showing passion and personality will help candidates impress the judges during the interview round.

In addition to being a good student, Gia Phong has a talent for music. Photo: Character provided

This coming November, Gia Phong and his friends will go to Singapore to enroll in school. Currently, all three are learning about the study program, life in Singapore and preparing their health and spirit for the upcoming journey.

The number of ASEAN scholarships granted to Vietnamese students has not been officially announced. According to teachers, this number is not fixed, fluctuating between 20-40 scholarships per year.

According to the Ministry of Education and Training, in June, Singapore announced that it would increase the number of scholarships for Vietnamese high school students, expected to double compared to previous years.

Vnexpress.net