Receiving the notice of admission and a scholarship of 8.9 billion VND for 4 years from Yale University, Nguyen Khanh Ly shouted in the middle of the class, her hands shaking as she called her mother to tell her the news.
Nguyen Khanh Ly is a 12th grade English 1 student at Hanoi National University of Education High School. On the morning of December 14, she knew that Yale University, USA, would announce the admission results at 5am Vietnam time, but because she woke up late and did not have high expectations, Ly was in no hurry. When she arrived at school, Ly checked the results. Seeing the congratulatory message on the screen, the female student screamed in the middle of the class.
"My friends asked me what was wrong. I held my phone, my hands shaking, and left the classroom to call my mom," Ly recalled.
Yale University, the school Ly was recently admitted to, is one of the eight prestigious Ivy League schools, ranked 5th best in the US by US News . It is also in the top 10 in the world, according to THE 's 2024 rankings.
On its website, Yale University announced 700 students were accepted, out of nearly 7,900 early applications. The acceptance rate of only about 9% is the lowest in more than two decades, since the university adopted the form of early admission but not mandatory admission.
Ly also receives financial support of more than 91,200 USD per year, equivalent to about 8.9 billion VND for 4 years of study. According to the school's calculations, Ly's family is expected to spend more than 4,000 USD per year. However, after researching the information, Ly believes that if her family spends frugally, she may not have to pay this amount.
Nguyen Khanh Ly. Photo: Character provided
Ly dreamed of studying abroad in the US since grade 9, but it wasn't until the beginning of grade 11 that she really started preparing her application.
As an excellent student throughout her junior high school years, having passed 4 specialized schools when entering grade 10, the female student easily passed the standardized tests, achieving an SAT score of 1,530/1,600, IELTS 8.0 and a grade point average (GPA) from grades 9 to 11 at 9.6-9.7.
Identifying a profile with a color of history and diplomacy - favorite fields, Ly actively participated in extracurricular activities with related topics. She is a member of the History and Diplomacy club at school, with friends she stages plays recreating historical events and creates a Youtube channel to share her interests.
In addition, Ly participates in scientific research. A topic she participated in, researching the relationship between Vietnam and the US after the normalization of relations, was selected to present at an international conference in Hanoi. She is also active in volunteer and movement activities.
"As the class monitor, Ly is active, enthusiastic, and very creative in class activities," said Ms. Phan Phuong Thao, homeroom teacher of English 12. In terms of studying, Ms. Thao assessed that her students have very unique ways of learning and approaching problems.
The remaining important part of the US study application is the essays, which is also the part that took Ly the most time.
Ly had to write a main essay and some supplementary essays, answering short questions about her reasons for choosing the school or individualism. For the main essay, she had many ideas since the end of grade 11 but was never satisfied.
One day, lying awake until 1am, Ly looked up at the bookshelf and saw her grandfather's diary. Reading his notes on the battlefield, Ly immediately thought of using it as material for her main essay.
After many revisions, Ly's essay began with a story about her childhood, when her grandfather told her many historical stories. Inspired by him, Ly saw that history is an important part of today's life, not just a part of the past. Since then, she has loved to learn about this field, has many activities to spread the message so that everyone can see the importance of history and learn this subject more vividly.
"The message in the essay matches my extracurricular activities very well, creating a common color for the entire application," Ly shared.
Ly (second from left) participated in a charity trip in Mu Cang Chai, Yen Bai in January. Photo: Provided by the character
Ly said that during the application preparation phase a few months ago, she rarely slept before 2am. In addition to the essay, the female student had to request a transcript from the school, a letter of recommendation, complete financial documents and submit many other documents. In class, October was also the time when she had to take the midterm exam for the first semester.
Ms. Bui Thuy Linh, Ly's mother, still remembers this period clearly and is proud of her daughter's determination and efforts. She once shared with Ly that if she wanted to study abroad in the US, she would need a very high scholarship, because her mother's salary as a teacher was not enough for Ly to pay for her own education.
"Right then, Ly said, 'Don't worry, Mom, I can do it ,'" Linh said. Then, Ly learned on her own, from improving her English to participating in extracurricular activities. Ly was also lucky to meet enthusiastic instructors during the application process.
Ms. Linh could only encourage her daughter. When she learned that Ly intended to include memories of her father, an army colonel, in her essay, Ms. Linh took her daughter to the places he had been during the resistance war, helping Ly gain more emotions to write her essay.
Receiving an early scholarship to study abroad made Ly feel relieved. The student said she would make sure to study at school to achieve good results in the graduation exam next year. She also learned more about the school and the place to live so she could quickly integrate when she arrived in the US.
When applying, Yale allows applicants to choose three majors. Ly chose Global Affairs, History, and Ethics, Politics, and Economics. The student said she would experiment before choosing the major that best suited her.
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