Choosing your desired majors can be a challenging task.

INCREASE ADMISSION QUOTAS TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS

On April 17th, the Hanoi Department of Education and Training announced the enrollment quotas for 10th grade in 119 public schools. Of these, 117 non-specialized public schools will admit 71,000 students, while 4 specialized high schools and schools with specialized classes will be allocated a total of 2,970 students. The total enrollment quota for 85 private schools is 29,636 students…

Hanoi students participate in the 10th grade entrance exam for the 2023-2024 school year.

PHOTO: NGUYEN TRUONG

This year, the city has 133,000 ninth-grade students taking the junior high school graduation exam, while the number of places available in public schools only accounts for about 61%. Therefore, this is truly a particularly intense "race" for students and their families whose only goal and desire is to attend a public tenth-grade school.

By comparison, the total enrollment quota for non-specialized public high schools in Hanoi has increased by approximately 1,500 compared to last year. However, most of the schools with the largest increases in quotas are located in suburban areas.

The school with the biggest increase in enrollment quotas is Dong My High School in Thanh Tri District, from 405 in 2023 to 675. Several other schools, such as Kim Anh, Phu Xuyen B, Khuong Ha, Luu Hoang, and Chu Van An, increased their quotas by approximately 90-135 each. Inner-city districts like Ba Dinh, Thanh Xuan, and Tay Ho saw a slight increase of around 100 quotas.

The biggest reduction in enrollment quotas was at Da Phuc High School with 135 places. Many other schools reduced their quotas by 45-90 places. Looking at the areas, many schools that reduced their quotas are located in the inner city. All high schools in Cau Giay, Hoang Mai, and Ha Dong districts reduced their quotas.

In the specialized education sector of the Hanoi Department of Education and Training, schools have also been assigned increased enrollment quotas compared to last year. Specifically, the four specialized high schools and schools with specialized classes in Hanoi have been assigned 2,970 quotas this year, including Hanoi Amsterdam High School for the Gifted (820 students, an increase of 165), Nguyen Hue High School (630 students, an increase of 105 compared to last year), and Son Tay High School (585 students, an increase of 60)...

ENTERING A "DANGER ZONE" FOR CHOOSING THE WRONG ASPIRATION

According to regulations, each student has 3 preferences for non-specialized high schools and can register for a maximum of 4 preferences for specialized classes, at 2 out of the 4 specialized high schools in Hanoi.

However, not all parents and students have experience in how to register and arrange their preferences to increase their chances of admission. In fact, in previous years, there have been cases where students failed both their first and second choices due to inappropriate arrangement, despite having fairly good exam scores. For their third choice, students often select a school with a significantly lower admission score and located far away, so many admitted students don't want to attend.

To help students register for 10th grade, Hanoi has divided its districts, counties, and towns into 12 enrollment zones. This division aims to ensure the most convenient administrative locations, minimizing travel distances for students. However, the enrollment zones show significant differences in admission scores. The "hot spots" are in the inner city districts, specifically Zone 1 (Ba Dinh and Tay Ho districts), Zone 2 (Hoan Kiem and Hai Ba Trung districts), and Zone 3 (Dong Da, Thanh Xuan, and Cau Giay districts).

Among the 20 high schools in these three enrollment zones, 10 consistently rank among the top schools in terms of entrance exam scores for 10th grade: Chu Van An, Kim Lien, Yen Hoa, Phan Dinh Phung, Thang Long, Viet Duc, Nhan Chinh, Cau Giay, Le Quy Don (Dong Da District), and Tran Phu (Hoan Kiem District). The remaining schools are all among the top 30 schools in the city with average scores above 7 points per subject. However, compared to the top-ranked schools, the gap is still very large.

Mr. Nguyen Quang Tuan, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Education and Training, noted that after registering for admission to public high schools, students are not allowed to change their application preferences. If a student registers for only two public high schools, their first preference must be within the designated admission area, and their second preference can be within any admission area. If a student registers for only one public high school, they can register for any high school within any admission area…

According to Mr. Tuan, the reason why some students, despite being good students, can fail to get accepted into any of their chosen programs is because they haven't thoroughly researched the admission process, the high school they want to attend (facilities, admission scores, etc.), and their own academic abilities.

This year, the number of places available in Hanoi's public high schools is only about 61%. Therefore, this is truly a particularly intense "race" for students and their families whose only goal and desire is to attend a public high school.

SECRETS TO ORGANIZING YOUR WISHES

According to Ms. Nguyen Thu Huong, Principal of Nguyen Du Secondary School (Hoan Kiem District), the best basis for students to choose their majors is to compare the admission scores of schools in recent years with their own academic results in the three subjects of the entrance exam: literature, mathematics, and foreign language. For 9th-grade students, the school organizes monthly assessments based on the format of the 10th-grade entrance exam set by the Department of Education and Training to provide appropriate study guidance. Students also use these results to self-assess their chances of admission.

To maximize their chances of admission, Mr. Le Hong Vu, Deputy Head of the Secondary Education Department (Hanoi Department of Education and Training), shared his "secret" to arranging the three nguyện vọng (preferences). First, students should base their choices on their academic abilities and compare them with the school's cutoff scores from recent years. The first preference should be a school with a cutoff score that matches their abilities and preferences. The second preference should be a school with a cutoff score about 3 points lower than the first preference and within the same admission area.

Regarding the third choice (NV 3), Mr. Vu advised: Students can choose from any admissions area. This is considered a backup choice in case the student fails both first two choices. Therefore, the third choice should be a school with a cutoff score approximately 3 points lower than the cutoff score of the second choice school, or even more than 3 points lower. For example, if a student is from admissions area 1 (including Ba Dinh and Tay Ho districts) and has good academic ability, they can register Phan Dinh Phung High School as their first choice; Tay Ho High School as their second choice; and Tan Lap High School (Dan Phuong District) as their third choice.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/tuyen-sinh-lop-10-can-nao-lua-chon-nguyen-vong-185240417204242932.htm