Nguyen Thi Thanh Tuyen (grade 12I, Marie Curie High School, Hanoi) recently received admission letters from 9 universities in the US, with the highest scholarship of nearly 6 billion VND for 4 years of study.
The shock of failing the public 10th grade
Born and raised in Nghe An, in 2021, like her peers, Thanh Tuyen entered the province's 10th grade entrance exam. However, with the result lacking 0,5 points, she failed her wish to enter the district's scoring school.
In middle school, she was a good student, even top 1 in her class. Hearing that Tuyen had failed public school, her teachers were also surprised. As for Tuyen, it was like the first shock of her life.
“At that time, I was sad and cried a lot. My uncle (mother's younger brother) called to encourage me to be strong and move on instead of crying. Combined with my dream of studying abroad, I decided to go to Hanoi according to your suggestion and study at a private school to start again," Tuyen said about her decision.
Tuyen did not know that this decision would be a turning point in her journey to conquer knowledge.
Nguyen Thi Thanh Tuyen (grade 12I, Marie Curie High School, Hanoi) received admission letters from 9 universities in the US.
Moving from Nghe An to Hanoi to stay at his uncle's house, from there, Tuyen learned to live independently. Choosing Marie Curie school, at first, Tuyen couldn't help but worry that her classmates were better students.
But thanks to dedicated teachers, along with many extracurricular activities, Tuyen gradually gained confidence to overcome difficulties, get used to the new environment and develop herself.
Because of her stumble during the 10th grade exam, Tuyen always told herself to be more determined and focused on studying. "After one failure, I learned many lessons and became more self-aware," Tuyen said.
With determination and a clear plan, she constantly tried to maintain high academic results while diligently studying English to take the international certification exam and prepare her study abroad application.
During her 3 years of high school at Marie Curie School, Thanh Tuyen always ranked at the top of her class in terms of academic achievement. The average score of female students in all subjects is above 9.0. In grades 10 and 11, respectively, I achieved an average score of 9.3 and 9.4. During all three years of high school, Tuyen was an outstanding student and won a scholarship from Marie Curie school. In addition, I am also the class president and loved by my teachers and friends.
Admission to 9 American universities, highest scholarship up to 6 billion VND
In three recent rounds of application to American universities, Tuyen passed 3/9 schools she applied to. Among these, the highest is Dickinson University - a liberal arts university in the US - with a scholarship of 12 USD/year. In addition, the school supported Tuyen with 56.590 USD to work part-time here and a loan of 2.500 USD/year to cover living expenses without interest.
In addition, Tuyen also won scholarships from a number of schools such as: DePauw University, St.Lawrence University, Gustavus Adolphus College, Allegheny College, Knox College, College of Wooster, Juniata University, Ohio Wesleyan University... The scholarship level that each This school awarded Tuyen about 3 - 5 billion VND/4 years.
Tuyen believes that perhaps her essay was highly appreciated by the admissions committees of many universities in the US because of its connection to real projects that she worked on and her own experiences.
According to Tuyen, the essay is 750 words long. Although it is nothing "big" but it is the journey of a female student overcoming herself and realizing her dream.
“I talked about witnessing many young people in the countryside drop out of school to work. In many rural areas in Vietnam, education is not valued, families often send their children to work very early. I myself also experienced some of the narrowing of opportunities when I failed to get into a public high school. I tried my best to propagate to everyone how important learning is," Tuyen said.
From practical experiences, female students realize that many teenagers are "forced" to work too early. With the desire to spread the benefits of education through the media, convincing parents to let their children attend free classes, the Child Labor Defender community project was launched by Tuyen. Foundation.
“In the essay, I shared my hope that studying abroad not only develops my future, but also motivates young people to go to school and dare to dream despite difficulties and challenges. Perhaps those things have touched the emotions of the university admission committees," Tuyen said.
In the admission announcement letter, Dickinson University also quoted a passage from Tuyen's essay that impressed the admissions committee: "Memories of the sunny fields of my hometown, the patient eyes of The strength of my children and the support of my family became my guiding light. With every step forward, I carry dreams of a brighter future, not only for myself but also for every child who dares to dream despite difficulties and challenges."
Talking about studying, Tuyen said that she has no special secret. But the important thing is to focus on listening to lectures in class and go home and practice the exercises yourself. For knowledge that I do not understand or am not clear about, I search for more documents online or ask teachers and friends. "I always try to seek help from those around me, rather than keep going on my own when the results are not as expected."
Tuyen said that the most difficult time for her when preparing her study abroad application was the end of 10th grade because that was both the beginning and the time when her English was not good.
But after 2 years of effort, Tuyen achieved a score of 115 points on the Duolingo Certificate - a score that is not too high but is enough for many universities in the US to accept.
Tuyen and some friends in the "Child Labor Defender" Club founded by her teach Lao Cai children some crafts.
Not only that, to catch the "eyes" of the school's admission committees, Tuyen actively participated in community activities such as: Teaching children, planting trees, giving gifts to people, and picking up trash. protect marine environment…
Summer vacation 2023, Tuyen and some friends in the "Child Labor Defender" Club organized the "Wish Box" event at Trung Chai Secondary School (Sapa, Lao Cai) to contribute to propaganda to reduce the problem of abuse. child labor. At the program, in addition to propaganda, Tuyen and her friends also donated clothes, school supplies and guided children in some crafts, science and technology...
Not only does she study well, Thanh Tuyen also holds the position of Vice President of the "Big 3 Ball" Basketball Club, a club formed from students from many high schools in Hanoi.
At the beginning of grade 12, Tuyen and her club successfully organized the Lion Cup tournament attracting 10 participating teams from high schools in Hanoi. With the prize money collected, the teams supported many volunteer activities.
Besides, she also has talents in singing, dancing, and piano. At Marie Curie School, in addition to being the class president of class 12I, Tuyen is also an "artist" who actively participates in the school's art and music activities.
She is also the Vice President of the "Big 3 Ball" Basketball Club - a club founded by students from many high schools in Hanoi.
Thanh Tuyen said that at this time, she is carefully considering which university to choose to study in, even though her major is always Marketing.
Talking about her plans for the near future, Thanh Tuyen said that around the beginning of August, she will leave for the US to complete admission procedures.
During this time, I want to focus on personal development, especially strengthening my English skills. The female student who registered in early April will take the Ielts exam to gain more experience and set specific goals for herself.
Entering a new environment, Tuyen said her biggest asset is her independence as she gets used to studying away from home since grade 10. "Every new journey will have difficulties, but I think just try your best." will be able to overcome it,” Tuyen said.
Vietnamnet.vn
