Polytechnic male student breaks through after an average ranking

Having neglected his studies and been ranked average, Hung gradually raised his GPA to 3/4, then became President of the Student Union and a member of the Council of Hanoi University of Science and Technology.

Nguyen Tuan Hung, from Soc Son, Hanoi, is a fourth-year student majoring in Control Engineering - Automation, School of Electrical and Electronics, Hanoi University of Science and Technology. In May, he was elected President of the Student Union. In July, Hung received a decision from the Minister of Education and Training to be recognized as a member of the Council of Hanoi University of Science and Technology.

"This is a new task that has never appeared in my subconscious," Hung said, expressing pride in being the only student among the 23 members of the university council.

Hung said that although he loved union activities, he never thought of becoming a representative for more than 35,000 students, especially when he had neglected his studies and had average academic performance in the first semester.

Nguyen Tuan Hung went to school at the end of September. Photo: Duong Tam

When he was still studying at Trung Gia High School, Tuan Hung was a good student in Physics and scored 28.5 points in the A group (Math, Physics, Chemistry). The male student likes everything related to machines, engines, and robots, so he chose to study Control Engineering - Automation at Hanoi University of Science and Technology. This is a major that studies, designs, and operates automatic systems; designs, controls, and manufactures robots; smart sensor systems or studies electricity.

Being admitted to one of the hottest majors at the Polytechnic, and also in line with his interests, Hung was satisfied. Starting life away from home, without anyone to supervise him, Hung let his studies go.

The male student spends a lot of time hanging out and chatting with friends. When he goes to school, he no longer has the close supervision of teachers like in high school, with classes of up to 150-200 students, so Hung often does his own work during class.

Not concentrating on studying, while the amount of knowledge was huge, sometimes 2-3 chapters of the book, so Hung did not understand the lesson. The gap in knowledge kept growing, Hung got frustrated and "stopped studying".

Seeing some seniors sharing that they only needed to focus on studying a few nights before the exam, Hung became even lazier. Every day, the male student stayed up until 1-2am but only to play games.

About a week before the exam, Hung started studying but could not master the knowledge in a short time. As a result, he only achieved 2.33/4 points for the first semester, an average grade.

"In more than ten years of schooling, I have never had so many average and below average scores, to the point that I didn't dare tell my family," Hung recalled.

In contrast to Hung, his close friend from middle school to university won a scholarship in the first semester. At this time, the male student felt self-conscious and became stressed. Hung spent time thinking to find himself again.

Hung presented a speech at the 2023 Congress of Delegates of the Youth Union of Hanoi University of Science and Technology. Photo: Provided by the character

Hung got back on track with his studies by seeking advice on how to study for each subject. He still stayed up until 1-2am, but he stopped playing games and focused on studying. He compiled his knowledge, did more exercises, searched for materials online, and asked for old notebooks from his seniors to study.

During the two years affected by Covid-19, Hung had many online classes. This form of learning became an advantage because Hung could review the videos of the lessons on the system. Although he listened attentively to the lectures, the male student could only record about 70-80% of the content. For the parts that he could not record in time, Hung reviewed the videos.

From the second semester, Hung studied many subjects related to Physics, so studying became easier. The male student actively grasped knowledge throughout the process instead of studying for exams in a few nights. As a result, Hung's average score (GPA) reached excellent - 3.46/4. The male student maintained the excellent score in the following semesters and raised the GPA of 6 semesters to 3.08 (good).

Hung also joined the school's Student Support Committee from his second year and became its head. The male student received many certificates of merit for his active participation in student movements. Even though he had to attend meetings and participate in activities, Hung always tried to finish before 7pm so that he could sit down at his desk to study at 10pm.

"There were times when the continuous events made me quite stressed. By 10pm, I was very tired and didn't want to study anymore. But thinking about the poor results in the first semester and looking at the friend next to me, I tried again," Hung shared. The male student also tried to find a way to balance things, such as maintaining a soccer match every week.

Nguyen Tuan Hung received the decision to be recognized as a member of the University of Science and Technology Council in July. Photo: HUST

Since May, when he became President of the Student Union, Hung has been busier, always having to attend events such as civic activities or talk shows about extracurricular activities with new students. The Hanoi boy always gives advice to "minimize students like me in my first year".

Ms. Nguyen Thi Phuong Dung, member of the Standing Committee of the Youth Union of Hanoi University of Science and Technology, assessed Hung as a brave, enthusiastic and creative student leader.

"Hung is always attentive to all activities, dedicated to his tasks, and sincere with everyone. He also tries very hard to complete his courses well and is passionate about scientific research," said Ms. Dung.

As a member of the Hanoi University of Science and Technology Council, Hung was a bit worried. The male student is the representative of the entire school's students to express opinions on issues such as satisfaction with facilities, quality of education, as well as participating in protecting the rights of learners. Having only attended the council meeting once, Hung said he had not been able to express himself much.

"In the next meetings, I will try to contribute objective opinions, evaluate everything from many angles, in accordance with my role," Hung said. The male student also hopes to complete his final year of undergraduate study and then study for a master's degree.

Vnexpress.net