Telling about her curiosity about rain and thunder to her passion for becoming an electrical engineer, Dao Ngoc Mai Phuong conquered a top 40 school in the US during the early admission period.
Dao Ngoc Mai Phuong, a 12th grade Physics 2 student at Hanoi - Amsterdam High School for the Gifted, received news of her admission to the Electronic Engineering program at Tufts University's School of Engineering on December 15, 2023. With financial support of VND8.5 billion, Phuong's family only has to pay more than USD40,000 (VND970 million) for 4 years of study.
"I like Tufts because it is a research-oriented NU (National University), but it also has elements of a liberal arts college," Phuong said. The student sees her application as having two prominent colors: engineering and art, which fit the school's criteria.
Dao Ngoc Mai Phuong. Photo: Character provided
In her application, Phuong had to write three essays, including one main essay and two supplementary essays.
"Finding ideas for the essay is the hardest part. Candidates must show themselves to convince the admissions committee," Phuong said.
When I was little, every time it rained, I would open the window to watch. The raindrops falling down gave off the damp smell of the earth. Sometimes there was thunder and lightning, which struck the ground and flashed and spread out like a spider web. Phuong saw thunder and lightning as a miracle and was curious about this phenomenon.
"Later I learned that due to the voltage difference between the charged clouds and the ground, the phenomenon of electrical discharge occurs in the atmosphere," Phuong said.
Born into a family with both grandparents and parents being engineers, Phuong was also inspired by and loved science. Phuong’s grandfather loved to recycle things, so Phuong often observed him to learn. Sometimes, when playing with Lego, she was guided by her grandfather to add circuits to the toy so that it could run.
In high school, Phuong chose to major in Physics because she thought this subject had many applications and was easy to see in life. In addition to studying, Phuong participated in a number of research groups with other students and friends. Once, she made a robot to arrange things in a warehouse, in charge of programming and installing electrical circuits. The female student and her friends invented a divider that could move automatically, reducing traffic jams.
"For me, electricity is not just a curiosity about thunder and lightning when I was young, but it has gradually grown into a passion and a desire to apply that passion to help the community," Phuong wrote in her essay. The female student chose the Electronic Engineering major with the desire to learn more about microchips, electrical circuits and control robots.
To complete the main essay, the female student took an essay writing course, working with the teacher to polish each word for 3-4 months. In return, Phuong was satisfied because the essay showed her journey in choosing this major.
Phuong (5th from right) sings in the choir at the 45th anniversary of Vietnam joining the United Nations in 2022. Photo: Character provided
In a supplementary essay, Phuong wrote about her passion for singing.
Before entering high school, the girl had never sung in front of a crowd. Wanting to discover herself, Phuong signed up for the school's music club. There, she met friends who sang well, played musical instruments well, and knew how to play many instruments. Admiring her friends, Phuong practiced, then participated in musicals and performed both in and out of school.
"I am much more confident and no longer afraid to speak in front of a crowd," Phuong shared.
The 17-year-old student acknowledged that her experiences helped her a lot in the process of writing her essay. Not only did she list the activities, Phuong also mentioned the lessons she learned from each experience, both successes and failures.
Ms. Tran Thi An, homeroom teacher of class 12 Physics 2, commented that Phuong sings well and is the lead singer of Glee Ams, the school's famous music club. The female student is active in extracurricular activities, plays a key role in class activities, and participates in many clubs and events. In terms of studying, Phuong is good at both natural and social subjects, excelling in Physics and once won second prize in the city-level excellent student competition in this subject.
"She has many talents, but is modest and doesn't show them much," Ms. An commented.
Phuong (red shirt) participates in installing street lights during a charity trip in Nghe An, summer 2023. Photo: Character provided
From her experience, Phuong believes that if you want to study abroad, you should plan as early as possible. In addition to extracurricular activities, the female student studied for standardized certificates such as SAT and IELTS from grade 10. By the end of grade 11, she achieved SAT 1520/1600, IELTS 7.5 and had an average score of 9.6.
To make her resume more impressive, Phuong took AP courses (basic knowledge taught at American universities). She completed BC Calculus and Physics with a score of 5/5, and is currently taking Electrical Physics with the goal of being exempted from some university credits.
The female student will fly to the US to enroll next August, determined to pursue a research path in the future.
Vnexpress.net
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