National excellent student took the university entrance exam 3 times, became valedictorian at the age of nearly 30

Doan Ba Trang, from Thanh Hoa, is the valedictorian who just graduated with honors in Chemistry Pedagogy from Hanoi National University of Education 2 years ago. The young man born in 1996 had to spend 10 years going through many schools and many majors to reach his goal.

Amidst much pressure and expectation, Trang feels grateful because "without the failures, there certainly would not be me today."

National excellent student… failed the university entrance exam

Ba Trang was a former student majoring in Chemistry at Lam Son High School for the Gifted. During his high school years, Trang was famous for being a good student, receiving 6/6 scholarships, and winning the Encouragement Prize in the national excellent student exam in grade 11. At that time, the male student was the pride of his parents.

“Back then, passing the entrance exam to Lam Son High School for the Gifted was even harder than passing the university entrance exam, so when I was accepted into the school, my parents had high expectations. For students at specialized schools, the university entrance exam was also much more stressful than for students from other schools,” Trang recalled.

In 2014, Trang took the university entrance exam for the first time. At that time, each candidate could only choose two schools in two exam groups. Trang registered for group A to enter the People's Security Academy but only passed the intermediate level and group B to enter the Military Medical Academy, but was 0.5 points short.

Trang's failure to get into university shocked his parents. "For a long time, my dad didn't want to talk to me because he was so disappointed," Trang said.

Not wanting to miss a year of school, Trang enrolled in the Vietnam Academy of Agriculture to "fix the problem". However, because he was not passionate about it, after one semester, Trang decided to retake the exam.

Doan Ba Trang is the valedictorian of Hanoi Pedagogical University 2. Photo: NVCC

In 2015, Trang took the university entrance exam for the second time, enrolling in the Army Officer School 1 but still missing 0.5 points. Finally, the Thanh Hoa boy decided to pursue a dual degree in Petrochemical Refining and Construction Engineering at the University of Mining and Geology.

“I decided to study chemistry-related majors and not retake the exam. The Petrochemical Refinery major was the most suitable at that time because it had many opportunities for career development if I returned to Thanh Hoa in the future,” Trang recalls.

However, that year, the Petrochemical Industry did not recruit the second choice. Therefore, Trang decided to study Construction Engineering so that in the second year he could study two degrees in parallel.

Following that path, Trang determined that it would be much harder than his friends. In one semester, he had to study up to 34-35 credits. There were days when Trang studied from period 1 to period 13, even lasting up to 20 hours.

“My parents always said that the family did not have financial resources, so I had to try to start my own business. That was the motivation that made me always strive,” Trang said.

During his time studying at the University of Mining and Geology, Trang participated in many national Olympic competitions and achieved good results such as: Second Prize in the National Student Chemistry Olympiad in 2018; Encouragement Prize in the National Student Mechanics Olympiad in 2019 and 2020. After 4 years, Trang graduated with honors in both degrees.

Turning point to the teaching profession

While studying at the University of Mining and Geology, Trang joined the Student Academic Club as the head of the club. This is where tutoring classes are opened, supporting weak students and training the national Olympia team.

Teaching directly, helping students achieve their goals, Trang realized that standing on the podium was very sacred. He nurtured the desire to become a teacher.

After graduating, Trang did not go to work immediately but tried to work as a teaching assistant at the school and taught for an extra year outside. In 2021, Trang took the university entrance exam for the third time to enter Hanoi Pedagogical University 2, majoring in Chemistry Education and was accepted.

Ba Trang was honored by the Hanoi People's Committee as this year's outstanding valedictorian. Photo: NVCC

Studying with students 7 years younger than him, Trang was not afraid or did not study perfunctorily. Experience at previous universities helped Trang have a better strategy in studying to achieve good results.

“I don’t take many notes, but I listen carefully and write down keywords. In addition, I join private research groups and directly discuss with teachers if I don’t understand. With specialized knowledge, I always try to meet teachers to ask for answers,” Trang said.

I learned with curiosity and interest. I realized that before I only taught by instinct, but now I have learned teaching skills, how to make my lectures more engaging and convincing.

When his classmates learned that Trang was a national excellent student in Chemistry, many asked him to help them with their studies. So at one point, Trang set up a group to teach for free, helping his classmates quickly absorb the lessons.

In his third year, Trang participated in scientific research with the vice-dean and had two research topics that won awards in science and technology for university students. In addition, the Thanh Hoa boy actively participated in union activities, was a member of the Central Executive Committee of the Vietnam Student Association, the Secretariat of the Hanoi Student Association, and the President of the Student Association of the school...

Thanh Hoa boy actively participates in union work. Photo: NVCC

After 4 years of studying, Trang graduated with honors and became the valedictorian of the school. With this achievement, Trang received questions about why she did not apply to teach at public schools. The Thanh Hoa boy said he felt "owed a lot of gratitude" so he wanted to stay at school and strive to become a lecturer.

Looking back on the past journey, despite spending 10 years going around in circles, Trang has no regrets. “If there were no Vietnam Academy of Agriculture or the University of Mining and Geology, I would not know what I wanted. It took 6 more years than my friends, but in return I gained maturity and growth. Therefore, when I entered Hanoi Pedagogical University 2, I was no longer afraid of making mistakes or stumbling, I just focused on studying and devoting myself to my profession,” Trang shared.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/hoc-sinh-gioi-quoc-gia-3-lan-thi-dai-hoc-tro-thanh-thu-khoa-o-tuoi-gan-30-2462614.html