Four important reasons to study at the University of Hong Kong
Sharing with reporters of the People's Representative Newspaper, Phan Thi Hanh Nguyen called this a "sweet fruit" for 4 months of waiting in agony.
"When I received the news that I had won a full scholarship, I was surprised and couldn't believe my eyes. I had to send the announcement to Google Translate, because I was afraid of making a mistake. Knowing that the translation was correct, I could breathe a sigh of relief and was happy for days after," Hanh Nguyen confided.
According to the 2024 and 2025 rankings of QS (UK), the University of Hong Kong is ranked 2nd in Asia and 17th in the world . Hanh Nguyen decided to study abroad from the beginning of grade 10. By the summer of grade 11, she set a goal of entering HKU, and immediately "started" learning about scholarship criteria and how to write an essay to apply to the school.
"I chose the school for four main reasons: Quality of education ; Bilingual environment; Cultural exchange between East and West; and career development opportunities. Because the training program is entirely in English, while the daily communication environment is in Chinese, I have to improve and develop two languages at the same time to integrate," Hanh Nguyen shared.
The scholarship application process consists of two parts: Personal profile and competency assessment interview. In the Personal profile section, Hanh Nguyen was required to submit academic achievements, transcripts of school years, personal essays and letters of recommendation from teachers. In the competency assessment interview round, the test includes two parts: Mathematical thinking and Speaking skills test.
In the Math section, candidates must complete a number of logical and reasoning problems within a time limit. In the Speaking test, after reading the questions, candidates only have 2-5 minutes to present their personal opinions clearly and concisely.
The Speaking test is the most difficult part for Hanh Nguyen. The preparation time is only about 5 minutes from the time of reading the questions, and 2-5 minutes for presentation, requiring candidates to have quick reflexes, think of content, and present fluently, naturally and convincingly.
For the personal essay, the question asked to talk about her interests and passion for the programs she had applied for. Because HKU was the first school to submit her application, Hanh Nguyen was initially quite confused during the writing process.
To complete the essay, Hanh Nguyen actively consulted sample essays online, familiarizing herself with the structure, tone and presentation of the content. After that, she focused on researching the special features of the training program at HKU; the outstanding advantages of the school in training the registered major.
"In the essay, I tried to clearly express my love for the subject, highly appreciate the quality and applicability of the training program. At the same time, I shared more personal reasons such as cultural factors, language and learning environment that made me choose to study at the school," Hanh Nguyen said.
Hanh Nguyen's application scored points with the HKU Admissions Board because of the consistency between ability, motivation and personal orientation. For Hanh Nguyen, no factor is enough if standing alone. The academic record, personal essay or interview round all show different aspects of each individual.
Describing herself as an active and adventurous person, Hanh Nguyen's major at HKU is Business Administration. In her essay, she also gave many compliments to this major for reasons such as the dynamic and flexible working environment, bringing positivity to the community.
Practice Speaking by... talking to yourself
Not only was she awarded a full scholarship by a prestigious university, the Ha Tinh High School for the Gifted's female student's record is also extremely brilliant with the First Prize for Excellent Students of the Province for 4 consecutive years (2021-2025); achieved 1520/1600 SAT scores and 8.0 IELTS.
Having been exposed to English since grade 3, Hanh Nguyen only started to focus on English in grade 8. Having two SAT and IELTS certificates at the same time with near-perfect scores helped her study abroad application stand out, in addition to her average grade point average and extracurricular activities.
Hanh Nguyen said that her father always accompanied her and told her: "Life needs to have clear goals and directions". Only then can she approach the problem systematically and effectively. That is also the lesson the female student applies throughout her English learning process.
"For each standardized test, I always start by self-studying and registering for the real test to know my ability and what skills I'm weak in. If the results are not as expected, I focus on improving my knowledge by choosing the right materials and learning methods. Avoid 'rushing into extra classes' or studying too much without direction," Hanh Nguyen revealed.
Hanh Nguyen's motto is: "Learning requires confidence - Avoid being afraid of making mistakes and not daring to try." An interesting way of learning that she applied during her IELTS preparation is to often "study alone" in English on the way home from school.
"I can talk to myself, describe what I saw, or repeat what I learned during the day. At first, I was a bit shy with passersby when I stopped at red lights, but thanks to that, my Speaking skills have improved significantly," Hanh Nguyen shared.
Hanh Nguyen is currently in the process of applying for a visa and is expected to enroll in HKU on September 1. The female student is also focusing on reviewing English and Chinese to be able to communicate fluently with native speakers.
"I have never been to Hong Kong before, although I am a bit worried, I am still very excited because I am about to integrate into a completely new living and learning environment. The challenges I will face will be an opportunity for me to mature, learn to adapt and become more flexible in life," the female student from Ha Tinh High School for the Gifted confided.
Source: https://daibieunhandan.vn/nu-sinh-thpt-chuyen-ha-tinh-dat-hoc-bong-toan-phan-dai-hoc-danh-gia-so-2-chau-a-post409694.html
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