Becoming a talented student after failing the first choice

Having carefully calculated from the time he chose his major, Nguyen Van Thang was not too sad when he failed his first university choice, but focused all his mind and energy on the new path.

Nguyen Van Thang, 20 years old, is a third-year student majoring in Energy Engineering at the University of Technology, Vietnam National University, Hanoi. At the opening ceremony on October 12, Thang received the IMG Talented Student Scholarship worth 150 million VND.

To receive this scholarship, students need to achieve an average score of 3.8/4, actively participate in scientific research activities, school activities, and contribute to the community and society. Students with inventions, innovations, and national and international awards are given priority.

With a GPA of 3.86 after two years, the title of "5 Good Students" at the city level, two individual second prizes and one group first prize at the International Physics Olympiad for Students, and an article at an international conference, Thang was qualified to apply, along with 10 other students, for the interview round.

"I'm not the best, but I'm confident that I'll be chosen. I presented to the board my goals and what I'll do to achieve them and convinced them," Thang said, believing that the scholarship has great value both materially and spiritually.

Thang also won a scholarship worth 25 million VND from Vingroup and a Vallet scholarship from the Rencontres du Vietnam Organization worth 28 million VND, along with three scholarships to encourage learning from the school.

Thang's achievements in just the first two years of university surprised many people when they learned that he wanted to study Economics but failed his first choice, Foreign Trade University.

Thang in an activity as a member of the Secretariat of the Student Union of the University of Technology. Photo: Provided by the character

Thang is a former student of Xuan Giang High School, Soc Son, Hanoi. He studied hard with the goal of getting into a prestigious university, to the point that there were days when he only slept for 3 hours. "I was always in a lethargic state, even on the way to school. There were days when I even fell asleep," Thang recalled.

Because he studied too much, Thang became tired and had no time to develop other skills besides studying. Therefore, when choosing a major and a university, Thang chose Foreign Trade University with the thought that this dynamic school would help him become well-rounded. Moreover, at that time, Thang thought that the Economics major "had less study, making it easier to visualize the job".

In his second choice, the male student chose Energy Engineering at the University of Technology so that if he failed the Foreign Trade University entrance exam, he would return to study a major that suited his strength in Physics and was closer to his passion.

Achieving 27.2 points in the combination of Math, Physics, Chemistry, more than 1 point short of getting into Foreign Trade, Thang was a bit disappointed. However, enrolling in the second choice of suitable major as calculated became reasonable for Thang.

"Looking back now, failing Foreign Trade was probably a lucky thing for me. If I had studied Economics, I would still have to find the answer to the question "Who am I? ", Thang said.

Thang received a scholarship of 150 million VND at the opening ceremony on October 12. Photo: Character provided

As soon as he entered the University of Technology, Thang proactively interacted with teachers and seniors to ask for guidance on studying and training. After receiving advice, he set a goal of being in the top 4 of his class to receive a scholarship to encourage his studies.

Having a goal, Thang asked for the appropriate learning method for each subject, asked for previous years' exam questions to learn and have the best way to review. In class, the male student paid attention to the lecture. At home, he reviewed the lesson and slides sent by the teacher, and at the same time found more related documents to study by himself.

Although the knowledge is heavier than high school, Thang is not pressured to take a "life-deciding" exam like the high school graduation exam. Feeling relaxed, Thang focused on studying from the beginning so as not to be vague about any part of the knowledge.

In parallel with his studies, Thang participated in a number of academic competitions such as the National Physics Olympiad for Students and scientific research. Last August, as the author of a paper, Thang presented at the Natural Science Conference for Young Scientists, Postgraduates and Graduate Students from Southeast Asian Countries (CASEAN).

The male student still arranges time to tutor Physics online for 12th graders, 1-2 classes per year and 6-10 students per class. Last year, one of Thang's students scored 10 in Physics on the high school graduation exam. "There are only 154 candidates nationwide who achieved a perfect score in this subject, so I am very proud to be one of them," Thang said.

In addition to academic activities, Thang is also active in the activities of the faculty and the school as a member of the Student Union Secretariat. He realized that it is not only the schools of Economics that are dynamic.

"The University of Technology, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, is also very dynamic with many activities, helping me practice my skills," Thang said.

Thang (middle) and his friends in the multiple choice test team of the University of Technology at the 2022 National Physics Olympiad for Students. Photo: Provided by the character

Ms. Vu Thi Thao, lecturer and academic advisor of Thang's class, highly appreciated Thang's initiative in arranging work and doing well in all roles.

She informed him about all the activities in class, from the union to the school's recruitment activities, Thang participated in them all. He was also very proactive in learning, especially in learning English and finding more materials. Thang was also the one who interacted with the lecturer the most in the class.

"I could probably talk about Thang all day," Ms. Thao shared, believing that having a student like Thang in the class would motivate other students to study and practice. Thang also often shares his experiences with his classmates and faculty.

In his third year of university, Thang planned to apply for a scholarship to study for a master's or doctoral degree in the US, Singapore, Korea or Japan, after receiving support and guidance from his teachers.

"Studying further will open up more opportunities for me in the future," Thang said.

Vnexpress.net