Nguyen Hoang Linh (born 2000, Hanoi) is in the top 3% of bachelors with the highest graduation scores of the entire course at Foreign Trade University. The lucky female student received a full scholarship and studied for a master's degree in Business Analytics at BI Norwegian Business School, Norway.
Life is a marathon journey full of challenges
For Hoang Linh, studying abroad or working in a job related to data was never in her initial thoughts. Not having strong points in math, the female student also made a rather reckless decision when choosing to major in Foreign Economics at Foreign Trade University.
During her four years at university, Hoang Linh participated in competitions many times, achieving many outstanding achievements... but getting her hands on A.Wilhelmsen's full scholarship made Hanoi female students feel proud and appreciated. most important.
Hoang Linh is one of only two international students to receive a full scholarship at BI Norwegian Business School, Norway (Photo: NVCC).
Hoang Linh's preparation for studying abroad was not simple. The biggest difficulty that the girl born in 2000 encountered was probably the unexpected changes in the Norwegian government's scholarship regulations.
In mid-2022, Hanoi female students began to research and ask acquaintances about how to find and apply for foreign scholarships. After completing the application and scholarship application letter, Hoang Linh received information that the Norwegian government and universities were simultaneously cutting off many scholarship packages for non-EU students in early 2023.
At that time, Hoang Linh had only one option left - the full A.Wilhelmsen scholarship - because the organization only sponsored two students. With nothing left to lose, the female student started to complete her essay from scratch and bet on this last chance.
Through her own efforts and constant striving, she was fortunate to become one of only two international students to receive a full scholarship at BI Norwegian Business School, Norway.
Regarding the reason for choosing Norway, Hoang Linh said that this place has the perfect intersection between the two elements "travel" and "study". This land has majestic landscapes, peaceful life but also fun enough for female students. In particular, education in Norway is quite friendly, focuses on learners and focuses on practice and real projects instead of just learning theory.
At Hoang Linh's school, there are also many connections with businesses so students can experience and solve real-life situations. That program will help learners develop both the knowledge and soft skills necessary for future jobs.
Share with reporters People intellectual, Hoang Linh said: “Life is like a marathon. Every time you overcome challenges and difficulties, you have successfully reached a new finish line.
I used to work like a machine, forget my interests and lose my ability to create and develop. If I could go back to that time, I would still make the same choice and have no regrets at all. Perhaps being born with a stubborn nature has made me steadfast and undaunted by challenges."
Adapt to new living environment
In the first days of arriving in Norway, Hoang Linh realized that life here was quite peaceful, the local people tended to live alone, little communication... For an extroverted person like her, it would be difficult to adapt. with an environment like this.
Norway has turned the girl born in 2000 into a person who knows how to spend more time for herself, instead of chasing endless fun. Also in this country, Hoang Linh had many "first" experiences such as witnessing the morning light until 23pm, seeing snow falling with her own eyes...
According to Hoang Linh, the biggest obstacle for most international students in Norway is probably snow and ice. Because she was unfamiliar with the terrain after the snow froze, in the early days, the female student and her friends often fell or encountered awkward situations on the way to school.
“My friends and I used to spend most of our time falling down on the way to school. There was a time when I was very afraid to walk. Every morning I had to pray about being safe and not letting myself fall again.
This fear has taught me a lesson about facing difficulties and challenges. Not only that, it also made me feel that love still exists when I received help from my Norwegian aunt on the way home," Hoang Linh confided.
Few people know that Hoang Linh has a great passion for marathon running (Photo: NVCC).
As an international student who could not communicate well in Norwegian, Hoang Linh was rejected many times when applying for a job during an internship. There was a time when the girl born in 2000 felt discouraged and her mind was blank because she couldn't find a solution.
Luckily enough to meet Vietnamese brothers and sisters who were willing to encourage and teach how to edit resumes, letters of recommendation, study for additional certificates... so Hoang Linh overcame this challenge more easily, accumulating More experience for yourself in the future.
Outside of studying, Hoang Linh actively participated in volunteer clubs. Most of the community projects that female students have implemented are related to young children, autistic and hearing impaired students...
Through that series of activities, she felt happy because she was able to do small meaningful things for the community and society. It was from those small stories that taught Hoang Linh how to look at things from many perspectives, simplify problems and think optimistically in all situations.
Regarding her future plans, Hoang Linh said that she likes to "go far away to return", work hard, contribute and discover herself. In addition, she wants to use the knowledge she has learned to maximize her ability to apply data to business.
