The secret to overcoming difficulties and achieving academic excellence of a male student who topped the entrance exams at two specialized high schools in Nghe An.

Secrets to excelling in studies

In late June, the small house at the foot of Quyet Mountain on Tu Xuong Street (Trung Do Ward, Vinh City) belonging to Nguyen Xuan Nguyen was frequently visited by friends congratulating him after he received his entrance exam results for 10th grade. Xuan Nguyen is a student in class 9C at Dang Thai Mai Secondary School, Vinh City.

In the recent 10th grade entrance exam, Xuan Nguyen registered Huynh Thuc Khang High School as his first choice. With a score of 28.5 points, including 9.75 in Mathematics, 9.0 in Literature, and 9.75 in English, if only considering the exam score without adding any bonus or incentive points, Xuan Nguyen is one of the top 5 students admitted to Huynh Thuc Khang High School. 28.5 is also the highest score in Vinh City and ranks 4th in the entire province. But that's not Nguyen's greatest achievement.

In the entrance exam for the specialized Physics class at Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted, Xuan Nguyen excelled with 17.5/20 points. Using the formula of multiplying the specialized exam score by 1.5 and adding it to the total score of the three previous general subjects, Xuan Nguyen achieved 54.75/60 ​​points, becoming the top-scoring student in the entrance exam for this prestigious school. “After taking the entrance exam for Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted, I was confident I would pass, even before knowing my score. Therefore, I didn't intend to take the exam for Vinh University High School for the Gifted. But with encouragement from my teacher, I decided to try again. This time, I didn't study before the exam, but unexpectedly, I still scored high,” Xuan Nguyen said with a smile.

During the entrance exam for the specialized Physics class at Vinh University High School for Gifted Students, according to regulations, all three common subjects had to be retaken from the beginning. Additionally, the specialized Physics subject was graded on a 20-point scale and multiplied by 1.5. As a result, Xuan Nguyen scored 9.3 points in Mathematics, 7.5 points in Literature, 9.75 points in English, and 18.75 points in Physics. Using the above calculation formula, Nguyen's total score was 54.67/60 points, making him the top-scoring student in the entrance exam for Vinh University High School for Gifted Students.

Before achieving this remarkable feat, Xuan Nguyen had already won numerous awards in various competitions. Most recently, in the 9th grade, she won second prize in the Nghe An Provincial Excellent Student Competition in Physics, and third prize in the city-level Excellent Student Competition…

Regarding her reason for choosing the specialized Physics class in the 10th grade entrance exam, Xuan Nguyen said that she likes studying Physics because, since childhood, she has been passionate about natural phenomena around her and connected to everyday life. Physics is like an "enlightening key," helping her explore, explain, and understand the hidden laws behind those seemingly simple things. Not only does it satisfy her curiosity, but Physics also trains her logical thinking, analytical skills, and patience. Because she can't always understand everything immediately. But it is precisely this process that makes her love it even more and want to pursue it in greater depth.

To excel in Physics, Xuan Nguyen believes that the most important thing is to understand the underlying principles rather than simply memorizing them. Once the fundamentals are understood, all formulas become easy to remember and apply. In addition, she often draws diagrams and images to visualize phenomena and combines this with solving various types of problems to hone her reflexes.

Overcoming adversity

Xuan Nguyen is the youngest of two sisters. Her older sister is also known for being a good student, currently a student majoring in Finance and Banking at the National Economics University. Nguyen's mother, Nguyen Thi Thu Hien (50 years old), said that the family is very proud to have such a talented child.

"Seeing our children excel in their studies, some people ask about our parenting experience, but honestly, we don't have any experience at all. Everything happened naturally, and luckily, the children are all self-motivated to study; we never have to remind them. Even many nights, when I see them studying too late, I have to advise them to rest," Mrs. Hien shared.

Mrs. Hien and her husband are "jack-of-all-trades," meaning they do whatever work comes their way, mostly strenuous jobs. Sometimes they're hired to clean up garbage, other times to demolish houses or dig soil... "Before, I worked as a factory worker at a brick factory, but many years ago the company moved to a different location, too far away, so I quit to help my husband. On lucky days, we can earn 1 million dong, but sometimes no one calls for work for days on end. So we don't have much left over, just enough to feed and educate our two children," Mrs. Hien recounted.

Mrs. Hien is from Quang Binh province, while her husband, Mr. Nguyen Van Thai (52 years old), is from Ha Tinh province. Mr. Hien was orphaned at a young age and only studied up to the 7th grade, while Mrs. Hien was luckier, but still only reached the 9th grade. They met while working as laborers in Vinh City. To this day, the family still doesn't have a stable home and lives in a small house belonging to her husband's aunt. This small house is only about 60 square meters, and it's stiflingly hot inside during the summer. Despite this, the family still can't afford to install an air conditioner or buy a washing machine…

"There are days when I see my children studying, drenched in sweat, and I feel so sorry for them. But when I ask them, they say it's okay, they're used to it, they know their parents work hard so they never ask for anything," Mrs. Hien said.

Xuan Nguyen said that her family circumstances were her biggest motivation to study hard. “Every day, seeing my parents working so hard, their clothes soaked with sweat, their faces covered in dirt, I feel so sorry for them. But all I can do is try my best to study well, without asking for too much, so as not to disappoint them.” Unlike many of her classmates, besides attending classes, Xuan Nguyen doesn't take any extra classes at tutoring centers. Instead, when she gets home, she usually studies on her own using books and online resources.

Speaking about her dreams, Nguyen shared that she hasn't thought about what profession she wants to pursue in the future. She only plans to apply to the Polytechnic University, the Teacher Training University, or follow her older sister's example and study at the National Economics University. Her only dream is to start working soon to earn money to build a house for her parents. But she hasn't thought about what profession she'll pursue yet.

Commenting on her student, Ms. Tran Thi Hao - homeroom teacher of class 9C at Dang Thai Mai Secondary School - said that Xuan Nguyen is a diligent, academically excellent, and humble student. She is particularly passionate and has outstanding talent in the natural science subject of Physics. In other subjects, she also achieves excellent academic results. She always strives for improvement in her studies with a spirit of eagerness to learn and explore. Whenever she doesn't understand something, she proactively asks her teachers and discusses it with her friends. Furthermore, Xuan Nguyen is an exemplary and energetic class leader, demonstrating a high sense of responsibility in all school and class activities.