"Taking a risk" to change his life, a lazy male student graduated from the Polytechnic University at lightning speed

From bottom of class to top double major student

At the recent graduation ceremony of the University of Technology, Ho Chi Minh City National University, few people expected that student Ly Thanh Tien, who had just graduated with a double major in marine and aviation engineering 1.5 years early, was once a student "famous" for being lazy.

"I was ranked 35th out of 42 people in my class in high school. Only now do I dare to believe in my true ability and feel proud of it," Tien confided.

Coming from Tan Tuc High School in Binh Chanh District, where the entrance score for grade 10 is among the lowest in Ho Chi Minh City, the new graduate admitted that he was very lazy during high school, just trying to pass the subjects and get enough points to move up to the next grade. In grades 10 and 11, Tien's academic performance was only average.

The turning point in the male student's life came by chance in the summer of grade 11. A video sharing about the work of Youtuber Tho Hoang, a former student of the aerospace engineering department of the University of Technology, who is working in the field of aircraft maintenance, aroused Tien's curiosity and special interest.

From his initial curiosity, Tien gradually learned more about the aircraft maintenance industry and realized that this was the job he wanted to pursue in the future. Immediately, Bách khoa became the only goal in the young man's journey to conquer knowledge.

Ly Thanh Tien is one of 21 outstanding students awarded at the graduation ceremony of Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology on April 26 (Photo: Huyen Nguyen).

"I think I was lazy to study before because I didn't have a clear goal and couldn't find passion in any field. Now that I have determined my direction, I have a strong motivation to change," Tien shared about the change in his perception.

Realizing that competing for admission to one of the top schools is not easy with an average academic record, the male student set himself a difficult "battle". He began to study extra math, physics, chemistry, diligently reviewing old knowledge and did not hesitate to ask friends and teachers to make up for the gaps in his knowledge.

During the summer of 11th grade, Tien's study schedule was packed from 7am to 10pm. As his basic knowledge gradually solidified, Tien boldly tried his hand at a calculator math competition and surprisingly won third place in 12th grade. This result gave him great motivation, helping him gain more confidence on the path to conquering his dream.

To increase his chances of admission, the male student spent a month studying for the aptitude test organized by Ho Chi Minh City National University. The result exceeded his expectations when he achieved 885/1,200 points, 20 points higher than the entrance standard score for the dual major program of marine engineering and aviation.

"Take a risk" and reap the rewards ahead of schedule

Sharing about his decision to study two majors, Thanh Tien said that at first he only aimed for the general program in aviation engineering. However, at that time, the general system only had a dual major program in marine and aviation engineering. After a period of careful consideration, the young man decided to "take another risk".

Through research, Tien realized that these two majors have great similarities in general and fundamental knowledge, only differing in the specialized content of the final year. During the study process, knowledge from the marine engineering major complemented skills that the aeronautical engineering major did not pay much attention to, such as working with technical drawings.

With a 5-year program and a total of 160 credits, Tien felt that this time was too long compared to his desire to become financially independent soon and not to become a burden to his family. He carefully researched the training program, credit registration regulations and built his own study plan, realizing that it was entirely possible to shorten the training time to 3.5 years.

"It takes a long time to support my family for 5 years, I want to be able to work as soon as possible. Each semester, I register for 7-10 more credits than my friends and make the most of the summer semesters," Tien shared about his motivation to study harder.

To achieve his goal, he sacrificed most of his free time, limited his participation in extracurricular activities and clubs to focus completely on studying. Every day, every week, he made a detailed plan for his studies.

Thanh Tien (far right, bottom row) completed two graduation projects at the same time (Photo: NVCC).

The most stressful period for Tien was the second semester of his third year, when he had to simultaneously complete two graduation projects in the maritime and aviation majors. These were both difficult projects with a large workload, and normally students had to spend a whole semester to complete each project.

And Tien's extraordinary efforts were rewarded when he completed his study program 3 semesters ahead of schedule and graduated 1.5 years earlier than planned.

"Double" joy: Graduating early and being accepted as an aeronautical engineer

Graduating 3 semesters early is a significant milestone, demonstrating the tireless efforts of the young man who was at the bottom of his class at a village school during his time studying at the prestigious Polytechnic University. However, the young man believes that this is just the beginning of his career path.

"For me, this diploma is proof of the determination, effort and hard work that I have put in throughout my studies. The most special thing is that it makes my family and friends feel proud. In addition, it is also an important stepping stone, helping me to soon access the real working environment," Ly Thanh Tien expressed his joy and gratitude.

I was ranked 35th out of 42 in my high school class... To me, this diploma is proof of the determination, hard work and effort I put in throughout my studies.

Ly Thanh Tien Tan, Bachelor of Science, Ho Chi Minh City National University

However, Thanh Tien still tells himself that graduating from university is just a new beginning. He is determined to continuously learn and improve his knowledge and skills in the business environment and in life.

And an unexpected joy came to Tien right before the graduation ceremony. He received a notice of being recruited for the position of aircraft maintenance engineer at a major domestic airline.

"I have just been recruited as an aircraft maintenance engineer at a domestic airline. I believe that the upcoming work and life environment will have many things for me to learn, improve my skills and become more professional," Tien excitedly shared.

Ly Tien Thanh during a practical session on an airplane (Photo: NVCC).

In the near future, Tien plans to study for further aircraft maintenance technical certificates and practice high discipline at work, especially in occupational safety. According to the new graduate, the aviation industry requires absolute precision and safety. Every job, no matter how small, must be performed in accordance with approved technical documents and procedures.

Tien dreams of becoming a highly skilled aircraft maintenance technician, able to take on larger roles such as supervisor or engineer in charge of a maintenance team.

Following Thanh Tien's journey closely, Associate Professor Dr. Ly Hung Anh, a lecturer in the Department of Aeronautical Engineering, commented that this is a rare case where a student graduates 3 semesters early with a score of 3.1/4.0, almost excellent (3.2/4.0).

Mr. Hung Anh highly appreciated Tien's ability to be independent and arrange a scientific study schedule, especially when most of the specialized subjects are only offered once a year. Tien proactively took advantage of the summer semesters to complete general subjects, thereby having more time for specialized subjects in the main semesters.

The teacher also said that since his second year, Tien had proactively asked to do a project. This male student also has the ability to self-study, research documents in English and solve problems very well. Currently, Tien also has a research paper in the editing process to be published in an international journal.

"Recognizing Tien's potential, I suggested a scholarship for him to continue his master's studies abroad. However, he expressed his desire to work early to gain more practical experience. I also gave him some additional guidance to expand his career opportunities," Associate Professor Dr. Ly Hung Anh shared.

Huyen Nguyen

April 28, 2025

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/lieu-mot-phen-doi-doi-nam-sinh-luoi-tot-nghiep-than-toc-truong-bach-khoa-20250428072836182.htm