Three 9X students from Amsterdam High School won "huge" scholarships from the US
With "top" academic achievements and impressive extracurricular activities, three 9X students from Hanoi - Amsterdam High School for the Gifted received full scholarships from dozens of prestigious universities in the US.
Dam Ngoc Kim Anh, Truong Thai An and Tran Viet Linh are the bright faces of this year's scholarship hunting season. Among them, Kim Anh, a female student majoring in English 1, is considered a star when she conquered 11 prestigious schools in the US. Finally, she chose the University of Pennsylvania, one of the 8 prestigious Ivy League schools and the 8th ranked university in the US, 15th in the world.
When talking about Kim Anh, her peers and juniors all respect her. During her three years in high school, Kim Anh was the class monitor and always ranked at the top of her English class. In grades 11 and 12, she won first place in the national English class, with a TOEFL score of 113/120 and SAT score of 2320/2400. Not only is she a good student, Kim Anh is also active in impressive extracurricular activities.
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At school, Kim Anh is the president of the debate and eloquence club. The club has weekly meetings, each meeting has a topic, and members will divide into teams to debate. This female student is also the founder of E-times magazine, a channel that provides information about studying abroad in the US to students in the school. In addition, she also participates in organizing many Model United Nations conferences, simulated United Nations meetings. This is considered a forum for young people to discuss and propose solutions to global issues.
Before graduating from grade 12, Kim Anh sent about 15 applications to schools. Explaining why she chose Pennsylvania, Kim Anh said that this is a top school in the US with prestigious facilities and teaching staff. There, in the first 2 years of study, Kim Anh will explore many courses and subjects before choosing her major. She plans to study Chemistry. The school is located in Philadelphia, so Kim Anh will have many opportunities to explore American culture.
In the same class as Kim Anh, Truong Thai An was accepted into an equally "awesome" school, Brown University, one of the top 8 oldest and most famous universities in the US. The gentle-looking guy is fluent in English and Spanish and has studied piano for 6 years at the Hanoi Conservatory of Music.
Thai An was accepted into Brown in her first application because of her outstanding ASSIST achievement. ASSIST is a prestigious scholarship awarded to only 5 Vietnamese students each year. Successful students will study in the US for a year and live with local people. Candidates believe that having ASSIST in their scholarship application almost certainly will help them get accepted to prestigious universities.
During his year at Albuquerque Academy, New Mexico, Thai An participated in the school yearbook and won first place in tennis at the state level. During his time there, Thai An shared that he was quite satisfied with his academic achievements, which were among the top in his class.
At the homestay, he went to school every day with the host's son. What impressed him most was the warm family atmosphere and the sharing between family members. After dinner, the whole family gathered around the dining table to talk, watch TV, and then go back to their rooms. Occasionally, Thai An showed off his talent by making some Vietnamese dishes to treat the host. In return, they also introduced many unique features of the local culture.
"I remember the first time I went on a hot air balloon ride with my family there. Standing from above looking down, the scenery in New Mexico was amazing," Thai An recalled.
Before coming to the US, in the summer of 10th grade, An went to Spain for 6 weeks to study Spanish. Determined to work for international organizations in the future, An's family invested in a homestay in Madrid, Spain. When she came to the US, An also chose to study Spanish at school. Currently, Thai An teaches piano and Spanish.
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| The prestigious ASSIST scholarship helped Thai An (wearing glasses) receive admission offers from many famous universities in the US. |
Unlike Kim Anh and Thai An, after finishing 12th grade, Viet Linh stayed in Vietnam for a year even though he had been accepted by three schools in the US. Feeling that the path to studying abroad was still uncertain and that many projects were still unfinished, the boy from the Chemistry class decided not to study abroad and also not to take the university entrance exam. This was met with opposition from his family and friends, however, the boy who won second prize in Chemistry in 12th grade still believed in himself. Linh determined that in the worst case scenario, if no school accepted him, he would go into business.
After a year at home, the former Youth Union Secretary of Hanoi - Amsterdam School felt that the decision was right. This year, Linh once again applied to American universities and was accepted by more than 10 schools, including a full scholarship from the famous Washington and Lee University. During a year at home, Linh felt that he had matured a lot and, importantly, he had determined a certain direction. When he was still the Youth Union Secretary, Linh had organized many activities that many Hanoi students were looking forward to, such as Talent Festival and Made in 12.
"After staying at home for a year, I continued to participate in the content committee for the Vietaboarder organization, co-founded Ams Connect to connect generations of students from Amsterdam school together, and learned guitar and played sports. This preparation was an important stepping stone for me when I went to study abroad in the US," Viet Linh said.
Sharing the secret to winning scholarships, three "experts" with a 12th grade GPA above 9.0 said that SAT and TOEFL scores can show one's ability to study in an American university environment, grade point average assesses one's ability to study in high school, and essays will show the candidate's personality and thinking.
To make a difference, Linh wrote a book about himself with illustrations. The booklet not only gave the school general information about his family and himself, but also gave him an opportunity to show off his abilities to the fullest. Here, he demonstrated his abilities through his participation in activities, his achievements, and his desire to study at Washington and Lee.
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| For Viet Linh, the decision to stay a year before going to study abroad in the US was the right one. The year helped him mature and determine a solid direction for his future. |
Kim Anh and Thai An were interviewed by school representatives. "The interview was quite comfortable because it was an opportunity for candidates to show themselves to the admissions committee and for candidates to talk to former students to learn more about the school. Therefore, the phone call was more of an exchange than an interview," Kim Anh said.
To prepare well for the application process, three "experts" advise you to start as early as possible, especially mentally. The application process requires many stages: taking TOEFL and SAT tests, choosing a school, writing essays, asking for recommendation letters from teachers... so it is best to prepare around grade 11. During this time, many students also participate in extracurricular activities, so you need to prepare early to avoid running out of time at the end, and there will be mistakes in the application.
Before leaving for the US, Kim Anh, Thai An and Viet Linh were still busy with their passion projects. For them, life in the US was both a challenge and an interesting experience that helped them grow.
According to VnExpress - TH
