Male student who dropped out of math major to study in India, won a scholarship to Cornell University

Three years ago, after a period of studying in a specialized math class at the Gifted High School (National University of Ho Chi Minh City), Le Trung Nghia decided to study abroad.

“If you pass, you’ll pass, but in the end, wouldn’t my studies just stop there?” – Asking this question herself, Nghia started looking for opportunities outside with the desire to choose a suitable environment to develop.

Talking about her decision to study abroad when she was only 16 years old, Nghia shared that even though she had the opportunity to enter a university in Vietnam, Nghia still did not feel complete and satisfied.

At first, Nghia’s parents did not support this idea and at that time, when the Covid epidemic was still affecting the world, India was no exception.

“I understand why my parents don’t want me to go very much, but I personally feel that the benefits of going will outweigh the harms.”

Therefore, it took Nghia two months to convince, ask teachers at school as well as friends to help, find almost every way with the desire to receive the nod of his parents.

Talking about the reason for choosing to continue high school at UWC Mahindra College (India), Nghia said, “This is an international school, so my classmates come from many countries around the world, and I like to exchange cultures. Second, India has its own culture and is very diverse.”

Living away from her family for the first time, Nghia was as surprised as many other international students, had to live more independently, learn to cook, do housework… But most especially, Nghia had to think of how to represent for Vietnamese culture and people in the best way, spreading Vietnamese culture to international friends.

“In a foreign country, their communication style and culture are very different from mine. A simple example is that they like to chat face-to-face while I focus on texting, so sometimes that difference hinders a bit when I communicate with friends at first, when I still have to study online. .

Even when it’s over there, it takes a while for me to get used to myself to have more relationships, starting from simple things like studying in a group, eating together, living together …”.

When he became close to his friends, Nghia also had many more memories and memorable times. On the nights close to the test date, Nghia had to stay up until more than 12 o’clock, 1 am to support the other students in studying. test. But sometimes, to relieve stress, people together turn on karaoke to sing, turn on music and dance. Nghia really feels those days are very memorable as it is like marking the transition from Vietnam to India.

Won a scholarship of VND 7.3 billion at Cornell

While studying in India, Nghia also prepared for bigger plans in her study journey. During the last enrollment season, Nghia excellently won a full scholarship worth nearly 80,000 USD/year, equivalent to about 7.3 billion VND, for 4 years studying at Cornell University – one of the prestigious universities 1st place in the US (ranked 21st in the world according to QS Rankings).

An admirable thing about this male student is that when applying for scholarships at high school and university, Nghia did it all by himself, not going through any center.

According to Nghia, this is actually a huge disadvantage because of the lack of help from people who have a lot of experience, have certain strategies and can help the application process go more smoothly. However, the positive side is that this makes Nghia very proactive.

“Besides, I relied on my contacts in India, the older brothers and sisters, to edit and complete the profile.

Sometimes there are moments when I feel discouraged because the process of making the application is really difficult. I struggled a lot and sometimes even didn’t have the motivation to continue. But after those silences, with the determination to get into the school I always wanted, I continued to work hard and complete the application as thoroughly as possible.”

Nghia said that she prepared the essay quite early, during the one-and-a-half month quarantine when she returned to Vietnam last year.

In the essay, Nghia talked about how his relationship with his mother affected his personality and personality.

“Starting from the smallest things, the things that are close and revolve around life, I list out the activities and values ​​that represent myself. Then, I analyze it carefully to find interesting connections. position to write in the essay” – Nghia shared.

Talking more about the experience as a student profile, Nghia said, “Those who are intending to study abroad must also know that besides outstanding academic achievements, extracurricular activities are also very important. In my opinion, Everyone should have consistency with a certain project on their resume, and that can be seen in your commitment to the mission and the meaning and values ​​you choose.

However, you should also have a certain variety of extracurricular activities, so that others can see that you are interested in many other values.”

Ha Linh – Minh Phuong