Former Ams student accepted to Cornell University after a 'gap year'

Linh Anh, a former student majoring in Physics at Hanoi - Amsterdam High School for the Gifted, was admitted to Cornell University with financial support of 8 billion VND, after a "gap year" to prepare her application.

Linh Anh, 19, received news of her admission to the Ivy League school on December 14. After deducting financial aid, Linh Anh’s family only has to pay about 400 million VND for four years of study.

"I couldn't believe it," Linh Anh shared, adding that she had mentally prepared herself for rejection because her SAT score (1,520/1,600) was not much above the school's average (1,510). The student also had no awards in competitions.

Nguyen Linh Anh. Photo: Character provided

Linh Anh was rejected by 11/14 schools in the previous admissions season. Because of her dream of studying abroad in the US, the female student decided to take a gap year (temporarily stop studying) to prepare more thoroughly.

The 19-year-old girl said she was impressed with Cornell University after accidentally watching a video of a student at the school. In the video, Cornell appears "extremely beautiful" with lakes, waterfalls, and mountains. The school has many physical activities for students such as yoga and pilates. Cornell also has the largest mechanical engineering school among the Ivy League schools.

"I love Cornell, set a goal to get in here, even uploaded a school photo as an avatar for my personal page to motivate me," Linh Anh said.

Linh Anh sees her profile as unique in its suitability. She believes the school is looking for candidates who are creative, dedicated to society, trustworthy, and have good networking skills. Therefore, in her four essays, Linh Anh focuses on those criteria.

In the supplementary essays submitted to the School of Mechanical Engineering, Linh Anh was most satisfied when she wrote about her experience contributing to the society she lives in and how she wants to continue at Cornell.

Linh Anh said that in middle school, she was bad at science subjects and felt that it was all just theory. But when she was in 8th grade and had the chance to practice experiments, she realized that Physics was truly amazing. From then on, the female student had a new perspective on this subject as well as other science subjects such as Math and Chemistry. From always being near the bottom of the class in Physics, Linh Anh passed the Physics exam at Ams.

Many schools in Hanoi at that time did not have laboratories, so students could not practice. Therefore, after joining the school's science club, Linh Anh and her friends organized a tour to nearly 20 middle and high schools to guide students in doing experiments, thereby instilling a passion for the subject in them.

"Seeing the students' sparkling eyes, surprised expressions, and excitement when watching the experiment and doing it themselves, we feel even more motivated," Linh Anh shared in her essay.

In addition, Linh Anh also wrote about her passion for creating products to explain why she wanted to go to the Mechanical Engineering School. She once made a special shirt, inspired by the hugging machine in an American movie. The shirt is equipped with a heat sensor inside to help the wearer feel warm as if someone were hugging her. The shirt also has a cooling fan to protect against the heat. She also made an automatic guitar, supporting the disabled to play music by using a servo motor.

"Both products are based on knowledge of electricity, programming and mechanics," Linh Anh said.

In her main essay, Linh Anh talked about her experience of going to Ho Chi Minh City alone to take the SAT exam but being late because she took the wrong route. Some people took out their phones to take pictures of her sitting down and crying. The feeling of being alone in a strange city, being pointed at and photographed by people was something Linh Anh could never forget.

In the past, Linh Anh often focused on the results of her work without caring about the feelings of those around her. Through this experience, she paid attention to the feelings of others, especially her friends in the club. The members also gradually became more united.

"A successful club is not necessarily united, but a united club is certainly successful. That is also the conclusion of my essay," Linh Anh said.

Unlike the three supplementary essays written in one day, the main essay was completed over several months.

During her gap year, Linh Anh changed from doing everything very quickly to always thinking carefully before any action. She spent most of the past year preparing for her essays and certificates, taking extra programming courses at Duke University or physics courses at Rice University.

"I study to improve myself and also to show that even though I'm on a gap year, I'm still active," Linh Anh said.

Linh Anh teaches charity in Son La in 2022. Photo: Character provided

Accompanying Linh Anh during the application process, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Khuong, an independent consultant in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, assessed Linh Anh's application as strong in both grades and extracurricular achievements.

Throughout high school, Linh Anh participated in many extracurricular projects related to Physics and science in general, from research to imparting scientific knowledge to other students.

"This is a factor that many top American universities value, which is continuous and consistent focus over a long period of time in activities related to future university studies," said Mr. Khuong.

Mr. Nguyen Van Quang, Linh Anh's 12th grade technology teacher, assessed his student as excellent, with a passion for science and technology, electronics, and electrical circuits.

"She has tried very hard to achieve this dream," Mr. Quang acknowledged.

For Linh Anh, a gap year has paid off. The Cornell freshman will enroll in August next year, planning to study Mechanical Engineering. She advises applicants to do their research, try to find the right school, and decide early where they want to go for the best results.

"Put your heart into what you do, and then the worthy results will come," Linh Anh shared.

Vnexpress.net

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