Before making this bold decision, Fei Yu, 24, was on track to become an elite student with a promising academic career, Jiupai News reported.

Despite coming from a poor family in Sichuan province, southwestern China, Fei Yu studied hard and entered Sichuan University - a prestigious school in the country, majoring in public health .

After graduating in the summer of 2022, he was admitted to Fudan University’s graduate program. He had always scored the highest in his class throughout his five years of college, and was exempted from the entrance exam. However, in early 2023, he dropped out of the master’s program after just one semester due to depression, insomnia, and stomach pain due to academic pressure, as well as poor treatment by his instructor.

Fei Yu refused to reveal details about the incident or the name of his teacher.

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A young man dropped out of a top Chinese university and turned down a PhD in the US to open a street food stall. Photo: SCMP

After a year off at home, he applied to study for a PhD in preventive medicine at several public universities in the US and was accepted with a scholarship from one of them earlier this year.

However, budget cuts by the US administration under President Donald Trump forced the university to withdraw financial aid for Fei's doctoral studies, forcing him to abandon his plans to study abroad because he could not afford the costs.

Fei Yu's father is a miner in Leshan (Sichuan province), and his mother does odd jobs at a supermarket.

Fei Yu thought of making money selling street food after remembering how he was good at helping his grandmother sell balloons when he was young. He was also the top phone card seller during his part-time job at Sichuan University.

On March 10, Fei Yu set up a mashed potato stall near the gate of his alma mater, Sichuan University.

So far, Fei said business has been going well, with customers regularly lining up to buy the food he sells. He earns about 700-1,000 yuan a day (equivalent to 2.5-3.5 million VND).

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Before opening a street food stall, Fei Yu was an excellent student at a top university in China. Photo: Nanfengchuang

Many customers learned about his experiences through social media. “I don’t feel shy at all. As an extrovert, I think the attention has a positive side. If they find my food delicious, they will definitely buy it again,” Fei shared.

According to SCMP , some people criticized him for wastingeducational resources, but Fei disagreed.

“I don’t think it’s a pity that I didn’t continue my master’s degree and work in a profession related to my field of study. In my opinion, the result is not as important as the process,” he said.

Fei said he spends about four hours preparing mashed potatoes and other ingredients before opening the shop at 5 p.m. every day. He usually sells out in two to three hours.

“Although I am very tired, I no longer have to endure the psychological pressure from academic research. Separating myself from studying or scientific research, I feel like entering a new world,” he shared.

Once I was about to drop out of school, a sentence from a female doctor changed my life . Later, when I met many students who had difficulty learning Math, I often repeated what she said: "Answer honestly, do you really want to learn? If you want, I promise to support you with all my heart."

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/bo-hoc-thac-si-truong-danh-gia-de-ban-do-an-nam-thanh-nien-noi-khong-tiec-2396009.html