Nguyen Van Phu (born in 2002) is a student in the Chemistry Talent class and has just become the valedictorian of the entire course at the University of Natural Sciences this year with a GPA of 3.92/4.0. Born in Tuy Phuoc, Binh Dinh, Phu has had a natural aptitude for studying since childhood. However, the male student admits that he is also very playful.
In middle school, Phu was addicted to games. After school, he would rush to the internet cafe. "I often lied to my parents that I was going to the cafe to take an online math test, but in reality, I played games from 6pm to 10-11pm," Phu said.
Therefore, despite his talent, throughout his 4 years in middle school, Phu continuously failed the district and provincial excellent student exams. Only in the 9th grade did the failure to be an excellent student make Phu "wake up".
“My mother was worried that I would continue to play around, so she wanted me to study at a high school near home. However, after seeing me sad, she gave me the opportunity to take the specialized exam to start over.”
Instead of “regretting the past that cannot be changed”, Phu chose to do better in the future. Thanks to his determination and efforts, Phu later passed the entrance exam to the Chemistry specialized class at Le Quy Don High School for the Gifted. At that time, the male student set a goal to quit gaming and focus only on studying.
In both 11th and 12th grade, Phu became a member of the national excellent student team. Thanks to that, he had the opportunity to go to Hanoi to study. During this time, Phu met many good teachers, which also motivated him to cherish the desire to study in the capital in the future.
As expected, after winning the second prize in the national excellent student competition in Chemistry, Phu chose to enroll directly into the University of Natural Sciences. Although Phu's parents did not oppose him when he chose Hanoi, they were still very worried, and his brother tried his best to dissuade him from going to Ho Chi Minh City to study because he would support him.
However, Phu said that choosing to study and live in Hanoi was fate. While he was still uncertain, Phu's teacher, when training for the national team in Hanoi, encouraged him to choose the Natural Science School to develop his strengths. Therefore, Phu decided to apply directly to the Chemistry Talent class of this school.
Studying 1,000km away from home, Phu also had to get used to doing everything by himself because he didn't know anyone. Every year, Phu returned to his hometown twice, took care of his own study and living expenses with his scholarship money and tutored students preparing for national excellent students.
In addition, Phu's lifestyle and diet also had to change completely. Only in studying, Phu still maintained the same learning method as in high school.
“At first, I only set a goal of graduating with honors and did not dare to think about becoming valedictorian. However, after my first year, I felt that my scores in all subjects were quite good, so I tried my best.”
Discipline in studying is something Phu has set for himself throughout his four years of university. “I study every day, without missing a day, even on holidays,” Phu said.
In general subjects, every time he goes to class, Phu focuses on listening to the lecture instead of taking notes in his notebook. According to Phu, it is the diligent listening to the lecture to understand the problem that will help him progress faster, not by "copying a full notebook".
After returning home, the male student often writes down what he learned that day, turning what the teacher taught into his own knowledge. For the content he doesn't remember, Phu often turns on the recording to listen again or borrows his friends' notebooks, adds what he can't remember and writes it down.
“The process of absorbing and understanding new knowledge takes time to update. Therefore, for things that I cannot write down, I often ponder, read and reread to gradually remember and understand.”
Thanks to understanding the nature of the problem, Phu's exam preparation process was not too difficult.
During his time at university, the thing that Phu felt most fortunate about was being able to join Associate Professor Mac Dinh Hung's lab right from the second semester of his first year. This is also the teacher who has guided Phu up to the present time.
At Associate Professor Hung's lab, Phu was able to participate in projects to develop new reactions to synthesize organic compounds using sulfur. Thanks to that, in the third year, under his guidance, Phu had an article as the main author published in Organic Letters - the top 5% of organic journals and one of the few Chemistry journals in the Nature Index Journal.
In addition to imparting knowledge, research methods, and experiments, according to Phu, Associate Professor Hung is also someone who has had a great influence on him. “I learned from him that I should always dig deeper into my knowledge instead of just looking at the surface of the problem. In addition, he always told me to “always know what is really important to me” and “if you have a dream, you must dream big.”
It was this teaching from his teacher that inspired Phu to plan his path of studying abroad after graduation to develop his expertise - something the male student had never thought of before.
As for Associate Professor, Dr. Mac Dinh Hung, he was impressed with Phu's initiative and diligence in research. Right from his first year, Phu met the teacher and asked to work in the Pharmaceutical Chemistry laboratory. After a period of getting acquainted, Phu was able to carry out research projects with senior students.
“Phu is a very serious student in research. Although he did not have much practical experience in the first years, Phu has the ability to analyze results and study documents well,” Associate Professor Hung said.
Because of his love for Organic Chemistry, Phu decided to prepare his application for a master's degree at Paris Saclay University (France) in his second year of university. After nearly 2 years of studying, researching and preparing his application, when he received the results, Phu was admitted to the school's program but did not receive a scholarship.
“If I decide to continue studying, I will have to pay about 350-400 million VND/year. This is too much for my family. After a period of hesitation, I decided to take a gap year and return to applying for a scholarship when I have accumulated enough knowledge, maturity and the mindset to step into a new environment,” Phu said.
The male student also acknowledged that every turning point in life – viewed positively – has many meanings. Although he has not yet won a scholarship to study at Paris Saclay University, right after graduation, Phu will participate in an exchange program in Taiwan (China) in early July.
“During this time, I am waiting for the results of my application for a teaching position at a specialized school in Ho Chi Minh City. In the future, I still want to pursue a career in research and teaching,” Phu said.
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/cu-soc-giup-nam-sinh-bung-tinh-thanh-thu-khoa-dau-ra-truong-tu-nhien-2297218.html
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