GPA 4.0 is the set target
Graduating from the nursing major at VinUni University and a second degree in foreign economics at the Foreign Trade University, Nguyen Do Thu Phuong (24 years old, Lam Dong) applied for a master's program in global health delivery at Harvard Medical School.
Without any prior planning, she only started preparing her application at the end of her third year of college. After hastily researching, completing documents, and writing essays in the final weeks, Phuong entered Harvard Medical School with a very unique story.
The magic happened when she was accepted into the prestigious Harvard University, the third oldest medical school in the US, founded in 1782.
Here, Phuong became the first Vietnamese and the youngest student in the master's program offering global health .
After two semesters, the Vietnamese girl achieved a perfect average score of 4.0/4.0. This is not an easy achievement, when the learning environment requires critical thinking, deep analysis and high academics.
Phuong doesn’t use any special study tips or strategies. She says she studies like any other student: attends class regularly, does her homework carefully, and follows the requirements of the assignments closely. The only difference is that she studies with a very focused focus.
“I decided from the beginning that I wanted to get a score of 4.0. If it is a goal, I will try to achieve it,” Phuong shared.
Although she had set her goals, the midterm and final exams were still very stressful, and Phuong had to work hard to "study day and night". Phuong said that there was a time when she studied so much that she spent every day in the library, finishing her classes and then going back to the library to study until late at night, then coming home and sitting at her desk to do her homework. There were times when she studied all night, but she only dared to allow herself to do so during exam season.
The female student said that during the time she waited for her score for about a month, she was worried about whether her essay was on point and whether her teachers would be satisfied. When she found out she got a perfect score, she was really happy.
Despite her excellent achievements, Phuong does not think scores are everything. She believes that this number should be seen as a foundation, not a measure to compare students.
According to Phuong, 3.8, 3.9 or 4.0 are not really that different, each person studies different subjects, different teachers, different conditions. But for her, 4.0 is a way to affirm personal efforts, a stepping stone to do greater things.
Inspired by Hmong children
Thu Phuong recounted that she grew up in Bao Loc city ( Lam Dong ), attended high school at Bao Loc High School for the Gifted, then went to university with two majors at the same time. That was also the time when she began to feel caught up in an overload of studying to the point of boredom, fatigue and confusion.
The turning point came during a summer when Phuong was “so bored she didn’t want to go home”. Phuong signed up for a volunteer program teaching English to Hmong children in Sa Pa (Lao Cai). During her days living with the highlanders, Phuong saw for the first time the clear difference in living conditions and healthcare.
“The height and stature of the children there were much smaller than mine. At that time, I began to think that the health situation in this area was really not guaranteed,” Phuong said.
Not only do they lack nutrition, many families give birth at home and do not vaccinate their children. These seemingly small things make a nursing student worry a lot.
“When I saw that situation, I felt the need to continue studying, to understand better and be able to do something. The experience in Sa Pa was like a catalyst, a turning point that shaped the field of study that I would pursue later,” the female medical master’s student shared.
It was this trip that helped Phuong pass the first round of the admissions process to Harvard University. Based on her real-life experience, she chose to major in global health care, a field of study that she believed could directly contribute to improving what she had witnessed in Sa Pa.
Phuong confided: “At that time, I thought that if I could learn, and later have a voice and expertise, I could come back to help the people there. Not helping everyone, but helping a few people was enough.”
Now, after her first year at Harvard, Phuong is in Sapa, Vietnam, doing a public health research project. She will be here until the end of August before returning to the US for the next academic year.
When asked about her plans after graduation, Thu Phuong did not hide her desire to return to Vietnam to work. However, she also frankly shared about current barriers such as the research system lacking stable financial resources and limited opportunities to work in the right field in remote areas.
Phuong confided: "Wanting to go back is one thing, but going back to do what you want requires enough resources."
Not starting with the Harvard dream, Nguyen Do Thu Phuong went through university with a lot of doubts, fatigue and worries. But it was the pause in Sa Pa, among dirty children and a meal of only vegetables that helped her determine the most important thing: "What is the purpose of studying?".
Khanh Ly
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/co-gai-viet-dat-diem-tuyet-doi-o-harvard-quyet-dinh-lot-xac-tu-chan-hoc-20250719064349629.htm
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