Vietnamese male student receives scholarship to study medicine in the US

Nguyen Quoc Thinh (born in 1995) enrolled in medical school at Sidney Kimmel Medical University (USA) with a scholarship of 50,000 USD, about 1.2 billion VND, per year.

The medical training program in the United States is very different from that in Vietnam. In the land of the stars and stripes, to be eligible to apply to medical schools, students must complete the Pre-Medicine program, graduate with a bachelor's degree or be in the process of studying for a bachelor's degree at the time of application and complete the program before entering medical school.

Therefore, to pursue this goal, Quoc Thinh had to overcome many challenges. He prepared for his journey to study in the US from his early days at Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted (HCMC).

Nguyen Quoc Thinh - Medical student at Sidney Kimmel Medical College. Photo: Character provided

At that time, the young man from Ho Chi Minh City determined that he needed to have a direction from the beginning, to cultivate a "steel" spirit, perseverance, invest time in studying and practicing skills. His journey was accompanied by Stella Education study abroad consultant - Ms. Ngoc Tran. She followed the male student closely throughout the time of preparing documents, orienting the industry and school, thereby building a good foundation before starting to study medicine in the US.

Quoc Thinh recounted that during the time preparing for the Pre-Medicine program, the consultant helped him gradually get used to American culture and read more English books. This was an important preparation to help him adapt better when moving to a new environment.

"I practice exercising more to improve my physical and mental health and form good habits for studying away from home," the American student added.

Quoc Thinh (wearing glasses, left corner) takes a souvenir photo with friends during Thanksgiving in the US. Photo: Character provided

In 2014, Quoc Thinh enrolled in Biochemistry at Temple University with a full scholarship. After completing the Pre-Medicine program, he took the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test). This is an admission test for medical schools in the US, and is required for students who want to apply to schools that train in this field.

In addition to the MCAT score, Quoc Thinh needs to prepare an essay for his study abroad application. Therefore, he increased his volunteer and community activities, supported hospitals or did research to score points with the admissions committee. Facing fierce competition among candidates with good achievements, each person needs to prepare well for all rounds, from application to interview.

Quoc Thinh joined the school's Biology Journal Club and became a researcher in pathology projects such as: central nervous system cancer in children at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP, USA). He also spent his summer vacation on activities, community projects, and social work at the hospital and in the area.

The male student shared that the process of volunteering as an interpreter in the hospital for the Vietnamese community living in the US about Covid-19 prevention methods is the "proudest" thing for him. Quoc Thinh helps to discuss medical conditions with doctors in the US. With his knowledge and language background, he has helped many compatriots in other countries.

He also honed many soft skills such as public speaking, academic writing, logical thinking, time management, scientific report writing...

"During the essay writing stage, Ms. Ngoc always accompanied me, helped me to perfect and prepare well before the interview with the school. Thanks to the learning process at Stella, I accumulated many important skills, having a good foundation to study at university more easily," he added.

A corner of Sidney Kimmel Medical College. Photo: Sidney Kimmel Medical College

Before choosing Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Quoc Thinh was also admitted and received scholarships from David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA ($41,116 per year); Tufts University School of Medicine ($51,777 per year), Cooper Medical School at Rowan University ($20,000 per year).

The male student said he will continue to maintain his enthusiasm for the Vietnamese community here, actively participating in meaningful activities to help international students and people living in a foreign land.

Nhat Le

Vnexpress.net