(Dan Tri) - Having dropped out of college and failed many times to get a scholarship, Quan Ngoc Huong Tran persevered, won a scholarship in Germany, and became an intern in the Neuroscience laboratory at Oxford University.
Gap year turning point
Quan Ngoc Huong Tran (born 2002, Ho Chi Minh City) is a senior student at Jacobs University (Germany). At the same time, she is doing an internship in Neuroscience research at Oxford University.
In addition to the scholarship from Germany, Tran also won a full scholarship Lumiere Research Scholar (2022) and a series of academic awards such as First Prize in Vietnam Pitching Research Competition (2023), co-author of a scientific article published in the international journal Entrepreneurship Education (2024).
In addition, Tran also won many awards for speaking such as Third Prize in the IGPRC Global Scientific Research Speaking Competition 2023 and Second Prize in the University of Melbourne Global Case Competition (2024).
After graduating from high school, Huong Tran was unable to study abroad due to family circumstances. Therefore, she enrolled at Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics but soon realized that the traditional way of studying was not suitable. Deciding to stop, Tran took a two-year gap year to improve her knowledge, prepare her application and determine her own direction.
During her break, besides preparing her application, Tran actively participated in extracurricular activities, thereby discovering her love for psychology.
"I initially studied high school student development and found it an interesting field.
As I learned more about positive psychology and related fields, I became more interested and decided to pursue it. For me, this is not only the study of emotions but also human behavior and development," Tran shared.
Expensive lessons when hunting for scholarships
Sharing about her journey to win a scholarship, Huong Tran said: "Since high school, I have participated in many extracurricular activities with the desire to have an impressive profile. However, due to the lack of guidance, I did not have a clear direction and did not really understand my goals.
As a result, I received rejection letters from my favorite schools or scholarships that were not enough to cover all the expenses. However, I was not too sad or discouraged because I had prepared a backup plan in case things did not go well," Tran said.
Therefore, when applying for a scholarship, Huong Tran did not hesitate to apply in both Germany and the US. However, due to financial constraints, Tran decided to choose Germany as the next destination in her study journey.
After two years of rest and winning a scholarship, Tran realized the importance of defining her goals clearly from the beginning. This helped her to choose the right activities and build a more impressive profile.
Few people know that, despite being an extrovert and sociable person, Tran was once afraid of having to speak up in front of a crowd.
"When I studied psychology, I realized that my own expressions were the results of what I had experienced before. To overcome my fear, I decided to face it by joining courses, clubs, and debate competitions to improve my communication skills," Tran said.
When she signed up for the debate competition, Tran was afraid that she would be nervous when speaking in front of a crowd and would not be able to raise her voice. However, in order to gain confidence, the student decided not to give up. Gradually, Tran realized that she was changing and improving.
Sharing about her internship, Huong Tran confided: "This is an important stage for my major, especially post-stroke research. The first time I observed the mouse brain and approached research that I had never experienced before made me extremely excited. Doing research from 9am to 5pm was quite hard, but I could clearly identify my passion for the field of study."
Professor of psychology Song Yan, Jacobs University, Chair of Integrated Social and Cognitive Psychology, commented: "My first impression of Huong Tran is her diligence and initiative. She has strong academics and a very high ability to work independently."
For Huong Tran, on the journey to success, the word failure never exists. She believes: "When one door closes, another will open. I have been rejected many times but have never been discouraged."
Sending a message to young people who are cherishing the dream of studying abroad, Tran confided: "If you doubt yourself, ask yourself what you want during and after your study abroad journey. When you find the answer, you will have a clearer direction."
Thu Hoai
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/bo-do-dai-hoc-nu-sinh-gianh-hoc-bong-duc-va-tro-thanh-thuc-tap-sinh-oxford-20250314111615815.htm
Comment (0)