Male student graduated from Foreign Trade with all A's

With 47/48 subjects scoring A, Nhat Hoang graduated as valedictorian of the advanced program in Foreign Economics, Foreign Trade University.

Le Nhat Hoang, 22 years old, achieved a grade point average (GPA) of 3.98/4. In the entire 2019-2023 course, Hoang is in the top 3 of the entire school. At the graduation ceremony held this weekend, the Hanoi boy will represent nearly 1,800 new graduates to give a speech.

"Becoming valedictorian or giving a speech at the graduation ceremony were beyond my expectations," Hoang said.

Le Nhat Hoang, valedictorian of the advanced program in Foreign Economics, Foreign Trade University. Photo: Thanh Hang

As a former student majoring in Chemistry at Hanoi National University of Education High School, Hoang was oriented by his family to study Pharmacy. But at that time, Hoang thought differently. His top priority when entering university was to learn more soft skills, expand relationships, and increase life experiences.

"Foreign trade has many talented people. In such an environment, I know there will be a lot of pressure, but it is also a motivation to try," Hoang said.

Upon entering school, Hoang joined the Future Entrepreneurs Club and interned at the school’s Innovation and Incubation Center. Having to get used to both general subjects and extracurricular activities, Hoang was confused in the first months. However, after a while, Hoang realized that the knowledge and skills gained from these activities helped him study effectively.

"The club helps me learn how to manage time, give presentations, and work in groups, which are all soft skills that I didn't have in high school. Thanks to that, I'm more confident and do my homework well," Hoang said.

The male student believes that his four years of university would have passed "smoothly" like that, if not for a push at the beginning of his second year. At that time, Hoang got a B in Advanced Writing because he did not do well on the final exam, so he failed the scholarship for that semester.

Hoang felt disappointed after getting all A's and receiving a scholarship in the previous two semesters. This became a motivation, making him seriously set goals for the next subjects.

Hoang quit his part-time job, reduced his club activities and devoted his time to studying. According to Hoang, the content shared by teachers in class is all important knowledge, summarized in the most concise way. Therefore, the male student always sits at the front desk to take notes easily and listen attentively in class.

Thanks to that, Hoang's final exam review was quite easy. He usually spent 3-5 days on general subjects, 2-3 days to review a specialized subject. For difficult subjects and exercises, Hoang studied with a few friends to explain to each other.

"As a result, not only me, but the whole group's scores also improved. Almost everyone got A's in all the following exercises," Hoang said.

Hoang (middle of the top row) and his classmates, December 2022. Photo: Character provided

Studying the advanced program of Foreign Economics, Hoang studied specialized subjects in English. He said he did not encounter any language barriers because the school required students to have a certain level of English proficiency.

According to Hoang, studying in English has many advantages. Many terms will be easier to remember and understand if kept in their original form instead of being translated into Vietnamese. Not to mention, Hoang can easily find international documents or the latest updates and adjustments without having to wait for them to be translated into Vietnamese.

Because of the joint program with the University of Colorado, USA, Hoang and his friends were also taught by many professors from this university. The male student said that this is a way to approach knowledge taught abroad, helping him get acquainted and adapt to the international environment later.

Dr. Tran Thu Trang, a lecturer in Marketing and Communication, is Hoang’s homeroom teacher and also his thesis advisor. What impressed Ms. Trang the most was that Hoang chose the topic of applying artificial intelligence in Marketing. According to her, this is a new topic in Vietnam, with few reference materials.

However, Hoang is proactive, positive, and always listens to suggestions for editing. Ms. Trang commented that the male student has the ability to find and analyze data well. This is something that few students can do, so the list of references in Hoang's thesis is many times longer than other students.

"Hoang has strengths in research and knows how to exploit them," said Ms. Trang, adding that her student is a co-author of a scientific article published in the International Journal of Sustainable Agricultural Management and Informatics. In addition, the male student has participated in many other studies at the Foreign Trade University.

Hoang (sitting, right) and members of the Future Entrepreneurs Club, November 2020. Photo: Provided by the character

Although his studies were going well, Hoang had no luck with competitions. He had hoped to make it to the finals or top 5 in startups and fintech competitions, but he usually only made it to the top 10. The male student acknowledged that he might not have enough experience, while his opponents were all very talented.

"At this time, I am considering choosing a suitable competition to participate in, aiming to reach the final round," Hoang said.

Another thing that makes Hoang regret is that he doesn’t have much work experience. In addition to his experience at the Innovation and Incubation Center, he used to work full-time for a game company based in Australia, earning about 10 million VND per month. However, the working time was not too long.

However, looking back at his journey at Foreign Trade University, he said he made an effort and "had some very valuable years". After graduating, Hoang took the opportunity to learn more programming and research scholarships to study abroad for a master's degree in Data Analysis.

Vnexpress.net