Students admitted to top US universities share secrets to 'getting' billion-dollar scholarships

Nguyen Pham Dieu Nhi, a 12th grade student at Hanoi High School for the Gifted, said she was recently admitted to Grinnell College with a scholarship of nearly 5.5 billion VND/4 years; Franklin & Marshall College with a scholarship of nearly 5 billion VND/4 years... Nhi plans to study Economics or Finance because this is her passion.

According to Dieu Nhi, in addition to a solid knowledge base, the process of completing the application to send to schools is very important. Nhi participates in personal projects, in which the project that left many impressions is supporting women in the highlands to expand their business models. Nhi invited speakers to share experiences so that people in difficult areas have more information and knowledge to start their own small businesses.

Dieu Nhi (left) and Thuy Linh (right) share their experiences in completing their application for the program.

Doan Thuy Linh, a 12th grade English student at Hanoi Amsterdam High School for the Gifted, who was just admitted to Richmond University with a scholarship of nearly 5.3 billion VND/4 years, shared that she started building her study abroad application later than her friends, so she was a bit worried. However, when she calmly started to do each task firmly and seriously, it brought about results. However, Linh still advised that with the current difficult and harsh reality of "applying" for scholarships at top US universities, students from the next generation should take advantage of the time and opportunity to achieve good results in their application, making an impression on the admissions board.

According to Thuy Linh, after being accepted to a university in the US, she researched the process and procedures for her upcoming study abroad trip. At the moment, there is information about the US government canceling visas of hundreds of international students, so she is somewhat worried. However, Linh has sought information from Vietnamese international students in the US as well as teachers and received advice to rest assured and prepare well for her studies.

According to students who have been admitted to universities in the US, among thousands of applications, you must show your personal mark in a special way. It can be a good story or clearly show your passion for the field of study, but you should not "overdo" yourself.

Be prepared early

Participating in the program, parents whose children were admitted to prestigious universities said that discovering their children's abilities and passions early and parents willing to put down their own opinions to accompany and support their children is very important.

Ms. Ngo Thi Quynh Van, whose son Pham Gia Nguyen has just been accepted to Columbia, Georgia Tech, UIUC, Lehigh, Rochester, Villanova..., shares her journey of accompanying her child, which is sometimes full of confusion and anxiety.

Ms. Van said that, because she has an advantage in foreign languages, she has oriented her child to take the English major exam since middle school. However, when she was in 7th grade, her child burst into tears and refused to take the English major exam according to the family's direction. "I woke up because I had forced my child a bit. Later, I discovered that my child had good abilities in Natural Sciences and passed the Physics major exam at Hanoi Amsterdam High School for the Gifted," she said.

Like a fish in water, Gia Nguyen joined the Robotics club at Hanoi Amsterdam High School for the Gifted and showed his passion for this field, so he pursued it and won impressive awards in exams. With good academic results, Nguyen caught the attention of the Columbia University admissions board. Ms. Van advises parents that when choosing a major, they should first base it on their child's abilities, not impose it. In addition, parents should not be too worried or stressed, but should believe in their children and the positive things ahead.

Ms. Tran Phuong Hoa, Founder and Director of Summit Education Organization, stated that there are currently about 1.1 million international students in the US, of which more than 20,000 are Vietnamese. In fact, parents and students want to be admitted to top universities; students are increasingly able to have good foreign language certificates and complete impressive profiles, so the competition is increasingly fierce. Meanwhile, universities reserve certain enrollment quotas for international students, including Vietnam.

“Determining that this is a fierce and stressful game, students who intend to study abroad must be well prepared and highly determined. Choosing a career also greatly affects the results,” according to Ms. Hoa.

Mrs. Tran Phuong Hoa advises

At the age of 15-17, choosing a major “right away” is very difficult. Therefore, parents are advised to look at their children’s abilities, strengths and weaknesses to learn and decide to choose a major in natural sciences, social sciences or arts… From there, continue to learn about enrollment targets, training programs, scholarships…

During that process, students who change can easily choose one major or another within the group. It is rare for students to switch from Literature to Mathematics or vice versa.

Ms. Hoa also said that there are universities that look for interesting students, in addition to their application, they also interview them to assess their personality. There are students with very good applications but too arrogant personalities and they are not selected. They look for students who are passionate about their major, have their own “color” so that parents do not have to send their children to many extra classes, having a good transcript is perfect.

In addition, Ms. Hoa also advised parents and students to calculate carefully when choosing a major to "pass through the narrow door" of universities. In each school, the enrollment quota for each major is different, so if you focus on hot majors, the competition rate will be high, making it harder to get accepted than other majors.

"In addition, in the application, students need to demonstrate their actual abilities, avoid exaggerating or even using tricks to fake things, leading to future consequences," said Ms. Hoa.

Ha Linh

Source: https://tienphong.vn/hoc-sinh-trung-tuyen-vao-cac-truong-dai-hoc-top-dau-cua-my-chia-se-bi-quyet-xin-hoc-bong-tien-ti-post1733410.tpo