Conquer Harvard with a small set of awards

In early April, Vu Huong Binh, a student at the United Nations International School, received the results of admission to Harvard University (USA). This year, out of more than 61,000 applications, Harvard only accepted 1,954 students, making The school’s acceptance rate is unprecedentedly low – 3.19%.

Since the 9th grade, Binh has set a goal to study abroad, but when he felt that his profile was relatively complete, he dared to put Harvard on the list of interests. “Harvard University is located in a big city, close to other top universities, convenient for making friends and exchanges. Not to mention, this is the world’s leading university, the training quality has been confirmed over hundreds of years. Harvard is the dream of many people, including me”, the girl born in 2003 shared.

However, Binh was not confident with this goal from the beginning. Knowing some brothers and sisters who have been admitted to Harvard, female students see that everyone has won many international awards, but what they can do is “not yet absorbed”. The Hanoi girl has only one international award for debate, but “it’s only the top 10 and the contest’s scale is not large”. In addition, I achieved SAT 1510/1600, study score GPA 41/42.

Binh understands that there are tens of thousands of students with perfect scores, topping world-scale competitions, will compete with him. Therefore, the Hanoi female student determined to find out what is different and outstanding about herself and show it in her main essay to convince the admissions committee.

At the beginning of 2021, Binh began to find inspiration for his main essay, but three months later, he finally closed the topic. Contacting the implementation of the Blueblue hotline project – a mental health counseling switchboard for students, Huong Binh decided to tell about courage.

The idea of ​​Blueblue came to Binh when he was in grade 11. The pressure of studying caused Binh and many of his friends to have mental instability. Although the school has a psychological support teacher, I find that students are very shy to share with teachers. They tend to share with strangers, so as not to be judged. Blueblue Call Center was built by Binh to “do something” to support students.

In the first stage, Huong Binh alone looked for an expert responsible for direct consultation when there was an incoming call; find sponsors and contact schools to introduce the project. Gradually, when supported by friends, the staff of Blueblue switchboard increased, Binh was able to share the work. Right in the second month of operation, Blueblue received 200 calls, of which many students contacted more than once.

During the process of working hard and accompanying the switchboard, Binh was able to meet and talk with psychologists and peers across the country. The female student found that she had more courage to share and convince people about the right things.

Connecting with the process of making a study abroad application, Binh considers courage as one of the qualities highly appreciated by universities. “This quality demonstrates the candidate’s strength, adaptability and determination. To integrate into the life of studying abroad, overcome difficulties in a foreign country, dare to confront to take on the role of leader that search universities, you all need courage,” Binh expressed.

Along with the main essay, the bright spot from Binh’s study abroad record is also a seasoned extra-curricular activity. For three years, the female student conceived and implemented a series of projects: making recycling bins, reusing old clothes, organizing workshops, teaching junior high school students to write poetry and performing poetry, helping rural students learn English.

At first, Binh was worried because his extracurricular activities were in too many fields, because usually, candidates who only participate in projects related to the industry will apply. Interested in Political Economy, but most of Binh’s extracurricular activities are not directly related to this field.

“Finally, I realized that despite doing different things, these are all things that I love, that accurately and truthfully represent who I am. Whether extracurricular activities focus on one or more areas, what is important is important. is that it shows the candidate’s personality”, Binh said and said that his extracurricular activities are highly appreciated for being community-oriented and creating lasting value.

Mr. Myo Min, mentor of Huong Binh, evaluates her as a person rich in energy, serious and disciplined. Every project or extracurricular activity, I participate with passion and dedication, not just to beautify my profile. Therefore, her personality and personality are expressed honestly and consistently through essays and interviews. “I think, with the top universities, the admission committee is very interested in the candidates’ personality and passion. Therefore, Huong Binh was successful, even though she did not have perfect scores,” said Mr. Myo. good.

On April 1, Huong Binh received the admission notice from Harvard University. Before the end of December 2021, during the early enrollment of American universities, I was also accepted into Stanford University (top 6 in the US).

This August, the Hanoi girl will come to the US to begin her four years of study at Harvard. After finishing school, she plans to return to Vietnam, “hoping to contribute something to the country, especially women in the countryside”.

The journey to conquer the top universities in the world is also the process of Huong Binh getting out of the comfort zone. “I realize that one of my strongest points is determination. The more determined, the more courageous I feel, so I can move forward,” Binh said.

Thanh Hang