Everything is ready.

(Baonghean) - In just 3 days, the university and college entrance exams for the 2013-2014 academic year will officially begin. During these final days, all preparations are being urgently completed. With the new features of this year's university and college entrance exams, candidates have many opportunities to enter university…

Many opportunities for candidates

This year's university entrance exam saw Vinh University register the highest number of candidates, with nearly 17,000 applicants. With an enrollment target of nearly 5,150 students across all majors, the competition ratio in the faculties remains quite high. The Law major received the most applications, with nearly 1,700. Compared to last year, the number of applications has decreased by 17%, but according to Mr. Nguyen Xuan Binh, Head of the Training Department at Vinh University, "This is only a reduction in the number of 'virtual' applications; the actual number of candidates who actually take the exam will be higher than in previous years." Furthermore, although the Ministry of Education and Training has decided to lower the minimum admission score, it is difficult to predict the actual entrance scores for each faculty at this time. In fields such as Mathematics Education, Chemistry Education, English Education, Law, Economic Law, etc., the university will give more opportunities to candidates who apply for the second and third choices. According to the university's perspective, "Admissions will ensure the scale and quotas set by the Ministry of Education and Training, but must still focus on quality; mass enrollment is unacceptable." This is also the first year Vinh University has implemented its own admissions plan, which includes admissions based on academic records for majors in Agriculture, Agricultural Extension, and Aquaculture, and a combination of academic record review and entrance exams for Early Childhood Education and Physical Education. To date, with 530 applications for the Agriculture, Agricultural Extension, and Aquaculture majors, opportunities for candidates in these fields are wide open, with a total quota of 600. For other candidates, applying to these faculties as their second choice still offers good chances of admission.

Young volunteers participate in the "Supporting Students During Exams" program.

This year, the College of Culture and Arts will also apply its own admissions plan, combining entrance exams with selection based on academic records. Accordingly, for majors such as Painting, Fine Arts Education, Graphic Design, Cultural Management, Vocal Music, Music Education, Traditional Instrumental Performance, and Western Instrumental Performance, candidates will not have to take an exam in Literature. Instead, they will only need to calculate their overall Literature score from three years of high school and their graduation exam score, divided by four. For the aptitude test, depending on the major, candidates will take either vocal music or drawing/coloring. Currently, the number of applications is not overwhelming, and the school has priority slots for candidates from region 30a, so the competition for admission is not too difficult. In particular, to provide maximum convenience for candidates, this year the school will hold the entrance exam from July 18-20, three days later than the college-level exam dates. Therefore, candidates who have applied to other colleges can still take exams at multiple schools simultaneously without affecting their exam schedule. Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Duc, Head of Training Department at the College of Culture and Arts, stated: “Previously, for arts-related majors, the Literature exam in the "3-subject" exam in recent years was used for admissions to many different majors (including social sciences and humanities), making it unsuitable for selecting gifted students. Therefore, many talented artistic students were overlooked. Now, using high school academic results combined with the Literature exam results will, on the one hand, select students who meet the basic requirements for literary knowledge, and on the other hand, reduce the risk of evaluating results based solely on one exam. We are confident that this exam will be successful, because the admission plan proposed by the school has referenced the implementation of 10 schools in the Culture and Arts sector that piloted the program in 2013 and has received the approval and support of the Ministry of Education and Training.”

The most competitive university has always been Vinh Medical University, as last year the cutoff score for the first choice in the general medicine program was 23.5 points, and for the second choice it was 26 points. However, this year the number of applications has decreased by nearly 3,000, following the general trend, so the pressure on candidates will certainly be reduced. This is also the university with the highest number of applicants from outside the province, with 38 provinces and cities nationwide. This shows that it will continue to be a popular choice in the coming years. Vinh Industrial University, although this is its first year of admissions, has a flexible admission process, such as organizing preliminary interviews for candidates who want to study at the university and only admitting those who meet the minimum score after the preliminary round, so the chances of being admitted to the university are very high. Currently, the school has received nearly 1,000 applications for first-choice admission, while the school's enrollment quota is 2,800 students (for both university and college programs). Therefore, the school will have many slots available for applicants applying for second and third-choice admissions.

Vinh examination cluster is ready.

According to statistics, in both rounds of the university and college entrance exams, nearly 47,000 candidates will register to take the exam in the Vinh examination cluster, including universities in Vinh and 79 other universities in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Because the number of applications has decreased by more than 16,000, the pressure on the admissions process will not be as intense as last year, and the examination area has been narrowed down to Vinh City and Nghi Loc District. It is expected that this year's exam will be held at 67 examination sites with 1,374 examination rooms, along with approximately 4,000 staff members for supervision, invigilation, security, and support. With 13 years of experience implementing the "3 common subjects" approach, Associate Professor... Dr. Dinh Xuan Khoa, Chairman of the Vinh Examination Cluster Council and Rector of Vinh University, affirmed: The university will make every effort to ensure that the 2013-2014 university entrance examination in the Vinh cluster takes place safely, seriously, and in accordance with regulations. At the same time, the university will create all conditions to facilitate the examination for candidates, including those from distant provinces such as Thanh Hoa, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Ha Tinh, Dak Lak, and Kom Tum… In the past, Vinh University has also coordinated with relevant departments and agencies in the province to survey and prepare facilities for the entrance examination. Currently, all examination sites have sturdy protective fences, clean examination areas, and sufficient fans and electricity. Examination rooms are only located in secondary and high schools to ensure convenience for candidates during the exam. Security forces from the PA 83 Department of the Nghe An Provincial Police will participate in protecting the printing and distribution of exam papers and maintaining order at the examination clusters and sites. The training was also organized for third-year and fourth-year university students and postgraduate students who participated in invigilation duties.

During the university entrance exam period, the surge in the number of candidates and their families will create significant pressure on transportation and accommodation. To support candidates from distant provinces, the Nghe An Provincial Youth Union has developed a "Exam Support Program" and assigned units such as the Vinh City Youth Union, Nghi Loc District Youth Union, and schools with participating candidates to participate. They will establish "Exam Support" counseling points at locations such as bus stations, train stations, and key transportation hubs to provide guidance, free shuttle services, accommodation recommendations, and other services. A mobile team of volunteer doctors and nurses will also be formed to provide counseling and healthcare for candidates and their families. It is expected that approximately 2,000 volunteers will participate in supporting candidates during this year's university entrance exam. Mr. Bui Van Vinh, Head of the Youth and Children's Affairs Department of the Provincial Youth Union, said: "Although the number of candidates coming to the Vinh examination cluster has decreased, we are not being negligent and are still deploying nearly the same number of personnel as last year. At the same time, we are preparing all plans to ensure the best possible conditions for family members and candidates so that they can focus on their exams and have a positive impression of the Vinh examination cluster."

Text and photos:My Ha