Overcoming thousands of talented candidates, in early January, Pham Luong Thien Nhuan (12G2, Global Citizenship Bilingual System) received an acceptance letter from Fulbright University Vietnam in the Fall admissions period. In which, Thien Nhuan excellently won the prestigious President scholarship (80% tuition - equivalent to nearly 1.5 billion VND).

Thien Nhuan shared that one of the reasons she chose Fulbright Vietnam was because she liked the social and art majors. Fulbright Vietnam with its liberal education philosophy; using English entirely in teaching and communication; valuing differences and contributions to the community - is a good learning environment for her to develop.

In September 2023, when she learned that Fulbright Vietnam was recruiting students for the 2024 - 2028 course, she decided to apply. Before the competition with thousands of candidates from all over the country with "terrible" academic records and standardized certificates, Thien Nhuan tried to complete her application with her own unique features.

Conquering the Admissions Committee with a persuasive essay

With a school that values the individuality of each student, Thien Nhuan spent a lot of time completing 2 attractive and in-depth essays. The first essay she wrote about the time she realized "order in chaos". There are always 3 characters existing in her own person: 1 person representing warmth and love; 1 person representing fear and insecurity; and 1 character representing the balance between the two previous people.

Finding a solution to maintain the order of 2 opposing areas has helped her learn how to accept and listen to each level of emotion. When she cherishes all of them, they can harmonize with each other and shine together. Through the essay, Thien Nhuan both clearly showed her personality and strengths, and emphasized her love for social majors.

In the second essay, Thien Nhuan wrote about forgiving herself for mistakes makes the world a better place. Thien Nhuan talked about her relationship with a friend, from how she lost connection with that friend because of her mistakes to how she gradually let go of the misunderstanding and apologized to that friend. The 17-year-old girl realized that these essays helped her understand herself better, and even have a different view of herself.

According to Thien Nhuan, the most difficult thing when writing an essay is brainstorming and polishing the words so that they can both convey emotions, and be correct and concise within the limit of 250 - 500 words. "The most meaningful essay is "be yourself" - be yourself and tell your own stories" - Thien Nhuan shared.

"Be a true candidate"

Besides the essay, extracurricular activities and academic achievements are also bright spots in Thien Nhuan's profile. In 11th grade, Thien Nhuan achieved IELTS 8.0 and many consecutive years of excellent average academic scores (GPA). Besides that, she is also active in extracurricular activities such as: President of The Greenfield Press Club; Collaborator of Chu Van An Ecouni university; Sub-guide, Hanoi Free Private Tour Guide leading tours for tourists around Hanoi; Trainee, Youth Leaders for Disarmament Vietnam - training knowledge about disarmament...

Extracurricular activities have equipped Thien Nhuan with many skills. "Participating in extracurricular activities inside and outside the school has helped me accumulate skills related to teamwork, leadership... and useful lessons in life. During the participation process, I also faced difficulties such as not working well in a team, balancing time, peer pressure... However, I have tried my best to progress and do my best within my ability."

Extracurricular activities and messages in the essay have created a common color for Thien Nhuan's entire profile and are more clearly shown in the interview section. "Besides the questions introducing myself, reasons for choosing the school, the Admissions Committee delved into the activities that I had participated in. The secret to scoring points in the eyes of the Admissions Committee is to be a true candidate and help them understand the values ​​that I pursue have something in common with the values ​​that the school pursues."

Receiving the admission result and winning the President scholarship from Fulbright Vietnam, Thien Nhuan said that she was very happy because the scholarship level achieved exceeded her expectations. At the time of preparing the application, Thien Nhuan encountered no less opposition from her family. "My father was concerned that spending time applying for a scholarship would distract me from studying. However, I convinced my parents with a well-prepared study plan. When I received the news that I received the scholarship, my parents were very happy and proud."

Commenting on her talented student, Ms. Ngo Huong Thom - homeroom teacher of class 12G2 said: "Thien Nhuan is a student with very good thinking. She can handle all tasks, exams and subject projects lightly. Scientific arrangement of work is an advantage that Thien Nhuan has maintained for many years. In particular, I am impressed with the perspectives and deep soul of this friend. The projects she cherishes and the things that Thien Nhuan has been - is - and will do are all aimed at serving the community. I have high hopes for the useful projects she will carry out in the near future, towards contributing to building a humane and sustainable society."