What should ninth-grade students prepare for this new stage of their lives?

Currently, many ninth-grade students still feel uncertain about the road ahead. Through an exchange and sharing session with high school students, Hoang Mai Star School provided a lot of useful information to help them better understand the journey ahead, thereby guiding them and preparing them better for the future.

High school level - a journey to shaping your future.

Besides the pressure of the public and specialized high school entrance exams, many ninth-grade students are still wondering how the high school curriculum will differ from the junior high school curriculum.

Teachers share information about the high school curriculum. Photo: NSHM

Sharing at the "Decoding High School Level" program, Mr. Pham Thanh Tung, Deputy Principal of Hoang Mai Star High School, said: High school is a stage for career orientation, so students no longer study all subjects as before. In addition to compulsory subjects including mathematics, literature, English, history, and national defense education , students will choose four more subjects that suit their abilities and university admission goals.

According to Mr. Tung, choosing the right subject combination should be considered early on because it forms a crucial foundation for the high school graduation exam and university admissions later on.

Many ninth-grade students are concerned about the high school curriculum. Photo: NSHM

One common concern among 9th-grade students is whether attending a non-specialized school will deprive them of opportunities to participate in major academic competitions. Mr. Tung affirms that students from non-specialized schools can absolutely participate in city-level, national, or international academic competitions if they have the ability and make a serious investment in their studies.

In addition, the Vice Principal of Hoang Mai Star High School also advised students about the importance of "relaxing" after the 10th grade exam. According to him, resting after a stressful exam preparation period is necessary, but if it lasts too long, it will cause students to fall behind when entering the high school program, which has a larger volume of knowledge and a much faster learning pace than junior high school.

High school is not just about acquiring knowledge; it's also a stage where students begin building their professional profiles, preparing for language certifications, engaging in experiential activities, and shaping their future careers. Therefore, having clear goals from grade 10 onwards will help students make the most of their three years of high school.

Create a roadmap to achieve your goals early on.

During the exchange session, three outstanding and progressively improving students from Hoang Mai Star School shared their study methods and secrets to achieving their goals.

Three outstanding students from Hoang Mai Star School share their study methods. Photo: NSHM

As a scholarship recipient from many top universities in China and around the world , such as Peking University, Tsinghua University, and Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Pham Khanh Linh, from class 12H1, believes that the most important factor is setting clear goals and persistently pursuing them.

According to Khanh Linh, in the early stages of 10th grade, when her direction wasn't yet clear, she proactively participated in various clubs and activities to explore herself. Understanding her strengths and weaknesses helps students build a suitable learning path instead of studying based on intuition.

When setting her goal of studying in China, Khanh Linh planned to complete the HSK 6 certificate within one year. To achieve this, she maintained a rigorous daily study schedule; at times, she filled an 80-page notebook in a single day to practice Chinese characters.

Besides Chinese, she also completed her IELTS certificate in 11th grade to reduce pressure in her final year of high school. According to Khanh Linh, completing foreign language certificates early helps students have more time to focus on the high school graduation exam as well as prepare their study abroad applications.

"During the interview process, universities don't just look at grades, but also assess a student's seriousness about their chosen field of study through activities, certificates, and long-term preparation," Khanh Linh shared.

Teacher Pham Bich Nga, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Hoang Mai Star School, shared her thoughts at the program. Photo: NSHM

Joining the exchange, Le Viet Hung, a student from class 12H1, shared an inspiring story about his journey of "turning the tide." Having not been outstanding in junior high school, Viet Hung rebuilt his study methods upon entering high school and achieved an IELTS score of 7.0, along with high results in the HSA and TSA aptitude tests.

According to Viet Hung, the most important thing is for students to understand what they want and persevere with that choice. With an IELTS 7.0 certificate, he has many advantages in university admissions, but he still chose the math-physics-chemistry combination to broaden his opportunities in economics and engineering fields.

Meanwhile, Do Duc Nam, a student in class 11T0, impressed with his IELTS score of 7.5, first prize in the ward-level excellent student competition, and top scorer in the cluster-level excellent student competition in biology.

Duc Nam said that his love for biology began in childhood, through observing insects and the nature around him. When he entered high school, with guidance and support from his teachers, he increasingly identified his passion for the field of medicine.

"My goal is to strive for the city-level excellent student award, aim for the national biology exam, and pursue the B00 subject combination to become a general practitioner at Hanoi Medical University," Duc Nam shared.

A common thread in the students' stories is that they all set goals quite early and maintain discipline in their studies. According to a representative from Hoang Mai Star School, from grade 10 onwards, students' abilities are assessed by the school, a personalized learning plan is developed, and career guidance is provided. For students who wish to study abroad, the school also provides early counseling through the International Cooperation Department.

Sharing at the program, teacher Pham Bich Nga, Chairwoman of the School Board, said that the school's first graduating class of 12th-grade students achieved many outstanding results, with the total value of scholarships they received to top universities worldwide reaching 100 billion VND. In addition, 85% of the school's students possess IELTS certificates with an average score of nearly 7.0; the average SAT score across the entire grade level is 1410, with many students scoring above 1500.

"Although it's not a traditional specialized school, with a well-structured training program and close guidance from teachers, students can absolutely achieve great goals," emphasized educator Pham Bich Nga.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/hoc-sinh-lop-9-can-chuan-bi-gi-cho-chang-duong-moi-826433.html