9X couple together conquer full scholarships in the US and Korea
Báo Dân trí•31/05/2024
(Dan Tri) - Feelings blossomed during a joint internship, pharmacist Bao Toan and Ai Han decided to study abroad together, pursuing an academic path after realizing their passion for research.
Studying abroad together, developing ourselves abroad Starting to know each other in their final year of university, pharmacist couple Dang Nguyen Bao Toan (born in 1997) and Nguyen Ai Han (born in 1998) came up with the idea of studying abroad after graduation. They chose the Faculty of Pharmacy, Keimyung University, Korea as the place to write their Master's study journey with a full scholarship package. Pharmacist Toan's research direction is to build targeted drug delivery systems to treat cancer through immunotherapy. In addition, designing, synthesizing and testing the activity of new pharmaceutical chemicals is the research topic of pharmacist Han to improve the biological activity and bioavailability of many drugs such as antiviral drugs and cancer drugs. These two research directions are the continuation in the process of developing new drug forms. Both husband and wife are former students of the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ho Chi Minh City. (Photo: NVCC). Mr. Toan said: "When we saw that the professor had a need to recruit students and had a research direction suitable for us, we proactively contacted him to find a job opportunity. However, to receive feedback, candidates must have an impressive profile, highlight their strengths and prove that they are suitable for the research direction. In addition to meeting the requirements and participating in the school board's interview, such as GPA, English score, study plan and recommendation letter, candidates also need to convince the professor to agree to receive guidance and participate in research projects through an interview with the professor. During this interview, the professor will often test professional knowledge as well as language ability to select suitable candidates." Overcoming strict criteria, pharmacist Toan and his wife both received the Brain Korea 21 full scholarship from the Korean Ministry of Education for researchers participating in scientific projects during their Master's studies. Currently, Bao Toan has graduated with a Master's degree and is a post-Master's researcher at the Faculty of Pharmacy, Sungkyunkwan University, Korea. Ai Han will receive her Master's degree in the near future. After completing the Master's program, with the desire to continue in-depth research together, the couple implemented the strategy of "applying together, passing together" in the process of applying for a PhD scholarship. And this coming August, they will accompany each other in the PhD program in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Connecticut, USA with a full scholarship. Pharmacist Toan also received offers to study for a PhD from the University of Iowa (USA) and the University of Queensland (Australia). (Photo: NVCC). The two prioritized studying Biomedical Engineering because this is a new field with development potential, requiring multidisciplinary knowledge to solve modern medical problems. Moreover, this field of study is highly applicable, helping to shorten the process of bringing new drugs from the research lab to the hospital bed. In addition to being exempted from tuition fees, both of them received a support of about 29,000 USD for the academic year as research assistants of professors. And this support will also increase gradually each year during the study process. The secret to conquering scholarships to study abroad in the West To get this sweet fruit, both of them started researching and preparing for the PhD program early. After completing the IELTS test, they quickly completed their CVs, wrote essays, asked for quality recommendation letters from professors in Vietnam and Korea, and completed sending their applications to universities. Based on their own experience, the pharmacist couple confided: "The criteria for applying for a PhD scholarship in the US do not stop at essays, GPA or English scores, but the most important thing is the candidate's research experience. Professors are very interested in the candidate's research ability through learning about research projects, experimental techniques, how to ask research questions, and how to handle problems when encountering difficulties." Grasping the key, the two pharmacists focused on completing research topics, producing many valuable results and publishing scientific articles in high-impact journals. From there, they demonstrated their ability to conduct independent research. Therefore, before applying for a PhD, both of them had their first scientific publications. Typically, Pharmacist Toan had a review article published in the Journal of Controlled Release, and Pharmacist Han also published a scientific article in another journal. The pharmacist couple also has 4-5 publications at international scientific conferences and awards at reporting sessions and poster presentations at these conferences. (Photo: NVCC). In particular, during the application process, the young couple set out certain criteria for choosing a school and major. The two confided: "We prioritize applying to schools with good rankings in the US, only applying to 5 potential schools. Regarding majors, we prioritize choosing Pharmacy or Biomedical Engineering at universities, depending on the rankings of the school, major, research direction and suitable professors." Pursuing the path of academic research is a long-term process, requiring graduate students to have passion and high determination. To maintain that, pharmacist couple Toan - Han always put physical and mental health first. They try to balance life and work to ensure quality of life. "Both of us always try to complete all the work during the working day, spend time for ourselves, family, friends and minimize time in the lab on weekends and holidays. This helps us maintain our energy and positive working spirit, reduces stress and helps increase creativity and work efficiency," the couple added. To keep the fire burning in their relationship, the two pharmacists often spend time together cooking, dating, and traveling together. (Photo: NVCC). With the upcoming research journey, the pharmacist couple hopes to gain more experience, learn how to operate a research lab, apply for research funds and obtain a certificate of independent research ability of a principal investigator in their future academic career. At the same time, as predecessors, the couple also encourages those who share the same interests to boldly step out of their comfort zone, gain knowledge to give themselves the opportunity to access the world's advanced science and technology. From there, each person can expand their knowledge, vision and learn many new things.
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