Essay "Cherishing Imperfection" helps Ams student get admitted to top university in the US

650 word essay about a "special" friend

Pham Gia Nguyen, a 12th grade Physics 2 student at Hanoi - Amsterdam High School for the Gifted (Ams), received his acceptance letter to Columbia University at the end of March. According to US News, this is an Ivy League school - a group of 8 leading universities in the US. Columbia University's acceptance rate for international students has been only 4-5% for many years.

"I was unsuccessful in the early admission round at Duke University, so I thought I would not be accepted to Columbia University. Therefore, I chose to open the first letter. However, the result was completely opposite. Seeing the words "I was accepted", my family and I burst into happiness," Gia Nguyen shared with reporters of the People's Representative Newspaper.

Pham Gia Nguyen, Grade 12 Physics 2, Hanoi - Amsterdam High School for the Gifted (Photo: NVCC)

In addition to being accepted to Columbia University, the male student was also accepted to Georgia Tech University; University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign; Rochester with a scholarship of 3.8 billion VND/4 years of study. Nguyen was also on the waiting list of the University of Pennsylvania, also in the Ivy League group.

To carry out the plan to apply to universities in the US, since grade 10, Gia Nguyen has focused on two important international certification exams. He excellently achieved 8.5 IELTS and SAT score 1540/1600.

In his 650-word essay to Columbia University, Nguyen initially intended to write about his memories of basketball . However, he realized that the lessons he learned from playing basketball did not create a special highlight, so he changed direction. The essay delves into his experience of overcoming the negative emotions of not being selected for the team thanks to a high school friend. Nguyen said it took him 6 months to come up with ideas, outline, and complete the essay.

With an essay about imperfection, Nguyen successfully passed the entrance exam to Columbia University (Photo: NVCC)

The essay recounts that in 10th grade, despite possessing good basketball skills, Nguyen was not selected for the team due to his individualistic playing style. Being a perfectionist, the boy quickly felt negative and lost confidence in himself.

While immersed in sadness, Nguyen accidentally met a special friend. He was often bullied because of his unusual way of speaking and communicating. However, this was a very intelligent student who continuously represented the school in the Excellent Student Competition, Road to Olympia,... That friendship helped Nguyen lift his spirits, inspiring him to convey his thoughts into his writing.

"Through that friend, I understood that every individual has imperfections. Instead of trying to erase them, we need to learn to appreciate them. Because success does not only come from achieving many achievements, or becoming a leader, but also from creating a positive influence, helping others to be better," Gia Nguyen acknowledged.

Reaping Success with Robotics from Zero

Although Gia Nguyen had intended to study abroad in the US since the beginning of middle school, choosing a major was quite difficult. In 7th grade, he majored in English according to his family's direction, but he felt unhappy with the knowledge he was pursuing.

After a year of studying, Gia Nguyen convinced his family to switch to Physics - the subject he loved the most. With much effort, Nguyen was admitted to the Physics class of Hanoi - Amsterdam High School for the Gifted.

Switching to Physics helped Nguyen approach his passion for Robotics (Photo: NVCC)

Switching to Physics also "bridged" the young man into his passion for robotics. In the summer of 10th grade, when Nguyen was considering many options for extracurricular activities, the Head Teacher - the person in charge of the Robotics Club at Ams School suggested participating in the World Robot Olympiad. Without hesitation, Nguyen decided to try his hand at it with the mindset of experiencing and learning.

"I started from zero in the field of Robotics. To build a complete robot, I had to learn many new skills such as 3D design, structural thinking, and mechanical principles. The design process not only helped me improve my creativity, but also trained me to focus, be meticulous, and be careful in every detail," Gia Nguyen recounted.

In 2024, Gia Nguyen and the Ams Robotics team won the FIRST Tech Challenge 2024 Winning Alliance Championship. This is one of the largest robot competitions in the world, and this year is also the first time it is held nationwide in Vietnam.

Gia Nguyen's most memorable moment was during the "sprint" phase of the competition. There was only one week left but the team still had not completed the mechanical robot product. In the last few days, the team stayed up all night to assemble the robot, working hard until 3-4am before being able to sleep.

And after much effort, the sweet fruit was finally reaped. The team's robot product won two prestigious awards at the same time of the FIRST Tech Challenge National Round, including the Champion Alliance Captain Award and the Innovation Award.

Gia Nguyen "reaps" many successes in the field of Robot design from zero
(Photo: NVCC)

In 2025, Gia Nguyen continued to participate in the FIRST Tech Challenge as a coach for the Amsterdam School team. With the experience and skills he learned, Nguyen contributed to helping the team win the National Championship and enter the World Finals. At the finals held on April 19, the team excellently won the World Runner-up position.

Not stopping there, Gia Nguyen's profile was "brilliantly" decorated when he won second prize with a health technology project at the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow 2024 competition. This result was a source of inspiration for Nguyen to have more materials to write an essay to send to universities in the US.

Gia Nguyen won many awards at international technology competitions (Photo: NVCC)

In particular, with his talent in technology, the young man became one of 10 students nationwide selected to participate in a one-year intensive training program at Samsung.

At Columbia University, Gia Nguyen decided to study Mechanical Engineering to continue pursuing his passion for robotics and develop his strengths in hardware and 3D design.

" Since getting acquainted with Robotics, I have found a new passion. I see assembly and design as an opportunity to create and explore . Although the learning and practicing process requires a lot of effort, I have never felt tired. Perhaps it is because of the love and enjoyment in the process that makes every challenge easier," Gia Nguyen confided.

Trang Nhung

Source: https://daibieunhandan.vn/bai-luan-tran-trong-dieu-khong-hoan-hao-giup-nam-sinh-truong-ams-trung-tuyen-dai-hoc-hang-dau-tai-my-post411316.html