Nghe An male student's efforts to pursue his dream of studying abroad

Promote self-reliance

As the eldest in a family of 4 children, his parents are in business, the family's economic conditions are quite good, but that does not mean Long neglects his studies, on the contrary, Long is very conscious in studying and training himself.

Three years ago, in the 10th grade entrance exam, Long passed the entrance exam to four top high schools in the country: Nguyen Xuan On High School (Dien Chau), Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted (Nghe An), Vinh University High School for the Gifted and High School for the Gifted in Natural Sciences, Hanoi National University.

Studying far from home, Dau Tran Nhat Long always promotes the spirit of independence. Photo: NVCC

In 2019, Long decided to go to Hanoi to enroll in the High School for Natural Sciences, not only because of the good learning environment, but also because he nurtured the dream of "hunting for scholarships" to study abroad.

Since entering grade 10, having to live far away from his family, Long has strived to develop a high level of independence. He always studies hard to achieve the best results. With his existing English skills (speaking English fluently since middle school), Long actively studies to prepare for the SAT and IELTS exams. These are two important transition exams for international students, a passport to conquer the dream of studying abroad.

Every summer vacation, Long returns home to visit his family, gain practical experience and work as an interpreter for his father's company when there are foreign partners. Thanks to that, Long has accumulated a lot of experience, life skills and useful knowledge.

With a good academic foundation from his junior high school years (Second prize in the provincial online English contest (grade 5); directly admitted to Cao Xuan Huy Junior High School, excellent student in district 2 in Math and English (grades 6, 7); First prize in district-level Young Informatics, Second prize in provincial excellent student in Math (grade 9), achieved high results in the Math talent search contest in 2018), in high school, Long has achieved many new achievements.

The joy of Long's 18th birthday. Photo: Huy Thu

From grade 10 to grade 12, his semester average score for all subjects reached the "peak" from 9.2 to 9.6 points. In three years of high school, Long continuously won scholarships from the school. Notably, Long won the Silver Prize in the HKISO 2020 International Science Olympiad, the Third Prize in Informatics in the National University Excellent Student Competition in grade 11...

Not only is Long a good student, he is also an active student, participating in many extracurricular activities. He is a member of the Charity Club at the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, actively participating in propaganda and humanitarian blood donation. Long is also a member of the Science Club at school, enthusiastic about scientific seminars for students...

Determination to achieve goals

It is known that Long is a good student and does well in all subjects. When he was in middle school, Long loved Math and English, and at one point he intended to major in English, but after being advised by his relatives, he chose a specialized IT class in high school. No matter what subject he loved and what specialized class he pursued, Long still studied well and did well in all subjects. The proof is that Long's average score for every subject is high. In the first semester of grade 12 alone, he got 10 points in 4 subjects, and the lowest score for Literature was 8.5 points. Long's strength in studying is setting goals and striving to achieve them despite difficulties.

Long is a good student and does all subjects well. Photo: Huy Thu

Sharing about his study methods to achieve high results, Long humbly said: “I don’t have any special methods, other than paying attention to the teacher’s lectures, trying to do all the exercises in the textbook, reviewing in a scientific way, actively participating in exchanges and seminars to learn and improve my knowledge, and always considering the Internet an effective learning channel.”

In the process of hunting for scholarships to study abroad at universities around the world, since grade 11, Long has applied to a series of universities in the US. Long researched and completed his application according to the requirements of the schools. As Long's mother said: "He was independent in everything, from choosing a school, to doing the procedures, documents... He managed everything by himself when studying abroad."

With an essay about the production process, building and bringing the fish sauce brand - a specialty of his maternal hometown Loc Ha (Ha Tinh) to the market, the male student from Nghe An made a strong impression on the Admissions Board and won a scholarship of more than 4 billion VND from Texas Christian University (USA).

In addition, with impressive academic achievements and records (GPA: 9.4; IELTS: 7.5, SAT: 1510/1600), Long also won scholarships at many other universities such as Michigan State University, Knox College, Union College, DePauw University, Denison University, full scholarship at VinUni University...

Long and his family members. Photo: Huy Thu

Having nurtured the dream of studying abroad from a very early age, Long quickly chose Texas Christian University to continue his dream on the academic path. According to Long, this is a school with good facilities, with strengths in many fields, including Business - the field of study that he is pursuing. In mid-August, Long happily set off to the US to enroll in school, bringing with him many dreams and ambitions of an 18-year-old.

Ms. Tran Thi Phuc (43 years old) - Long's mother shared: "Studying far from home, without direct care from his parents, Long has tried very hard, studied well with a high spirit of independence and self-awareness. Every semester when he receives the school's report card, the family is very excited and believes in his determination. His dream of studying abroad has initially been smooth, however, the journey of studying abroad still has many difficulties and challenges. The family hopes that he will always persevere and try hard to achieve new achievements."