Male student majoring in Literature graduated with honors in Mathematics Education

A dramatic turn

Among nearly 500 excellent students of Hanoi National University of Education in 2024, new bachelor Ngo Hong Quan made an impression when he was a Literature major but graduated with a degree in Mathematics Pedagogy (teaching Mathematics in English).

Many people were surprised by Quan's dramatic turn when they heard the story because "people with Literature degrees are rarely good at Math."

“People were surprised to see a student majoring in Math win a Literature award, but they would probably be skeptical when hearing the story of a student majoring in Math in a Literature class at university,” Quan shared.

Ngo Hong Quan (Hanoi), new bachelor of course 70, major in Mathematics Education (teaching Math in English) of Hanoi National University of Education.

Starting out as a Literature major at Chu Van An High School (Hanoi), Quan said that his decision to choose Mathematics Education at Hanoi National University of Education for his student life was a somewhat reckless turning point. However, looking back now, he feels that it was the right decision and has no regrets.

“When I took the high school entrance exam, I felt that Literature suited me the best. But by the end of 12th grade, everything had completely changed. After majoring in Literature and being exposed to it a lot, I felt bored, so I wanted to change and challenge myself when the environment changed, like what it would be like to study Math,” Quan said.

Quan said that in high school, although he studied in a specialized literature class, he was also quite good at math. In addition to his love for teaching, at the end of grade 12, faced with many career choices, Quan decided to study pedagogy with the determination to become a math teacher in the future.

That year, as a specialized student and with the second prize in the city-level excellent student competition in Literature, Quan was admitted to the Mathematics Pedagogy major (taught in English) of Hanoi National University of Education by direct admission.

Quan's total score on the 2020 high school graduation exam according to the D01 group was also nearly 28 (including Math 9.6) and he was also admitted to the Mathematics Pedagogy major if he applied for admission using the exam score method.

Getting accepted is one thing, but Quan said his family and everyone else were very skeptical about his sudden turn. Some even said he was “crazy.”

“I told myself that people think it’s counterintuitive, but I think it’s okay. Many people also wonder and worry about my choice of teaching, while I could have pursued economics with a better income... But I think I’m only truly comfortable when I become a teacher, when I can stand in class and teach, and accompany students.

Even though I chose Pedagogy, my parents were worried that if I switched from studying Literature to studying Mathematics, would I be able to continue and graduate? At that time, I explained a lot but my parents were still very worried. At that time, I thought that a hundred explanations were not as good as my own actions. And then my studies, scores, and results each semester were the clearest proof that I could send to my parents," Quan shared.

In fact, after studying Literature for 3 years in high school and entering university with a major in Mathematics Education, when entering the university environment, everything was not easy. After the first year with basic knowledge going quite smoothly, in the first semester of the second year, when starting to study the major, Quan began to feel the heat.

“When I entered university, I also expected that studying specialized mathematics would be different and more difficult than studying mathematics in high school. The truth was also true. When I encountered the first specialized mathematics subjects, I really felt very tired and pressured because of the difficulty. The first subject I learned was Basic Algebraic Structures - both difficult and very abstract. I realized that when I did not have a good foundation in mathematics like my friends in the department, everything was very difficult for me,” Quan said.

Even at its peak, in the first semester of the second year, the thought of dropping out of school flashed through Quan’s mind. “I actually wrote an application to request a leave of absence. In it, I also expressed that I felt that my ability did not guarantee that I could continue studying. But in the end, I took the time to think about everything and the reason why I started and chose it. And then I did not submit that application with the thought that ‘since I have already chosen, I will try to finish my studies’,” Quan recalled.

Focus on the future from the beginning, to catch up with the others, Quan would like to share the documents and textbooks of the seniors. Read and ponder on your own, and proactively seek out teachers for answers to any questions you don't understand.

At the end of the second year, Quan only had one subject with a B+, the rest were all A's.

The milestone that made Quan feel more confident in his choice and path was in the second semester of his second year when he got A's in all subjects.

Ngo Hong Quan and mother

Sharing about studying, Quan said that he does not have any special secret but simply, besides studying in class, he tries to review the knowledge at home and does more exercises by himself. According to Quan, the habit of self-studying that he has maintained since high school has helped him a lot in the university environment.

“I researched and found that there are quite a lot of resources online for Math majors. I also asked for previous years’ exam papers, textbooks, and books from seniors to explore and research.

I feel very lucky to have met wonderful teachers in the Mathematics and Information Technology department of the school with enthusiastic teaching and support. I also have a group of university friends, not only do we play together but we also help each other in studying and practicing activities...", Quan shared.

After 4 years of studying at Hanoi National University of Education, not only did he learn about his major, a new graduate like Quan also learned about pedagogical skills. Quan did well in all of them.

In his graduation transcript of 52 courses with a total of 154 credits, Quan only had 4 B+ grades, the rest were all A's.

In the training program of Mathematics Pedagogy taught in English, Quan studied 19 credits of English at the beginning level (B2) and 5 credits of specialized English.

However, Quan said that in order to effectively teach in class through English communication, he practices a lot at home, outside of school hours.

Quan said that he was instructed and trained very carefully by his teachers in the foundation, so when he practiced teaching, he did not encounter any difficulties and became more confident in his path.

Quan believes that graduation is not just about going on stage to receive a diploma, but more importantly, it is the moment that marks the beginning of the next stage, when he and the new graduates will now become teachers. “The reality of the country’s education sector may still have many difficulties, we will have to face many challenges posed by the times, but I hope that myself and my friends will be steadfast in the face of storms, enthusiastic, and spreading love.”

Talking about his future plans, Quan said he will continue to study for a master's degree in Mathematics Education and in the future, he may become a university lecturer. At this time, Quan is still tutoring and opening extra classes for 12th grade students taking the high school graduation exam.

With his efforts and attempts, Ngo Hong Quan was also honored to be chosen to represent more than 2,700 new graduates of 2024 to express his thoughts about his journey at Hanoi National University of Education at the graduation ceremony and bachelor's degree awarding ceremony of 2024, taking place on the morning of June 11.

Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Duc Son, Rector of Hanoi National University of Education, and Chairman of the University Council Nguyen Van Hien awarded graduation certificates to outstanding students of 2024.

The total number of graduates in 2024 of Hanoi National University of Education is 2,741 students, from 23 faculties, of which 471 students graduated with honors.

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Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/nam-sinh-chuyen-van-tot-nghiep-xuat-sac-nganh-su-pham-toan-2290424.html