While most of her peers are focusing on preparing for the 2023 National High School Exam, Tran Tu Linh (12G1, Greenfield School) already has acceptance offers from more than 20 top prestigious universities in the US.

More than 20 "famous" universities in the US simultaneously called Tu Linh's name, including: University of Chicago, University of California Irvine, University of Illinois, Drexel University, University of Nebraska - Lincoln, Arizona State University, Juniata College, St. Lawrence University, Green River College...

Among them, many universities offered Tu Linh generous scholarships such as: University of California Irvine (18,000 USD/year), University of Illinois (10,000 USD/year), Drexel University (30,000 USD), University of Nebraska - Lincoln (28,000 USD), Juniata College (47,000 USD)...

Journey to the "land of the stars and stripes"

Tu Linh shared that she had a dream of studying abroad to experience many different educational backgrounds since she was a child, and the older she got, the more determined she became to realize that dream. However, it was not until the middle of 12th grade that Tu Linh began to research schools, prepare documents and complete the necessary certificates and papers to apply.

Tu Linh's school selection motto is not based on rankings, but she chooses schools with a suitable environment and community, quality lecturers and a safe location. Among the more than 20 schools Tu Linh applied to, 3 were in the LACs (Liberal Arts Colleges) group and the rest were in the UNs (National Universities) group.

"At first, I applied to 8 schools because most schools have quite high application fees, around 300 - 400 USD. But then I learned that there are schools that do not require an application fee or the application fee is quite low, so I wanted to apply more to try myself and have more choices" - Tu Linh shared.

Realizing that universities pay close attention to the 3-year high school scores of candidates, Tu Linh carefully prepared academic certificates such as IELTS 7.0, GPA for 3 consecutive years of grades 10, 11, 12 respectively 8.6, 9.2, 9.0. Besides that, she focused on participating in extracurricular activities, writing essays and preparing carefully for the interview round.

Regarding extracurricular activities, Tu Linh actively participated in programs and events of the school. She was the champion of the first Global Leaders Scholarship season, the champion of the Greenfield's Got Talent contest, won the First Prize in the English debate contest Speak Out! for 2 consecutive years, and won 2 Gold Prizes and 1 Silver Prize at the Asian Festival Music 2 held in Japan. She was also the Vice President of the Greenfield School Student Council in the 2021 - 2022 school year.

Talking about the essay, Tu Linh said that this was the most time-consuming part and made her most worried during the application process. With the thought that the Admissions Committee only has a few minutes to read the application, how to tell a perfect story, helping them grasp her strengths, interests, dreams and ambitions, Tu Linh devoted a lot of tâm huyết to the essay.

To be admitted to more than 20 universities, Tu Linh wrote up to 23 essays. In which, the main essay of 650 words took her nearly 6 months to brainstorm, edit each word and complete. The sub-essay asked about a certain issue, so she only allowed herself 2 - 3 days to present it.

"My main essay is very personal when I chose to write about how I am today is not like me ten years ago. In which, how music has helped me become more confident. Although I did not choose to pursue a major in music, it was the fact that I did not follow a certain path that helped me get in touch with many fields, discover myself more, and contribute to society more" - Tu Linh confided.

In the interview round, Tu Linh said that direct impression plays an extremely important role. The "difficult" questions that the Admissions Committee often asks are similar to when applying for a job, such as: "Why did you choose this school when other schools also have this major?", "Why should we choose you to award a scholarship?", "How do you imagine yourself in 10 years?". Tu Linh also suggested some impressive ways to answer the examiners such as: focusing on personal development, understanding of the school, avoiding repeating information already mentioned in the application.

Diligence is the secret to success

Achieving many impressive achievements, but Tu Linh shared that besides diligence, reasonable time allocation, and scientific arrangement of everything, she has no special secrets. Tu Linh sets a "steel discipline" for herself: When she has done something, she will devote all her efforts, using all the time she has to do it, without procrastinating on other sideline work.

"When I sit at the desk, I put my mind as if I were in the exam room. If I don't finish it within this time, it will be collected and I will not be able to do it again. With that pressure, my concentration will be x10 times compared to normal and my ability to think will multiply a lot. However, diligence must also ensure health. One day must sleep at least 7 hours, more is 8 - 9 hours and no more" - Tu Linh said.

She also sets a balance principle between family - study - extracurricular activities for herself. "7 days/week, only 5 - 6 days I spend time going to school, completing deadlines. The remaining 1 - 2 days I spend time with my parents, going shopping, going out with friends... 1-2 days are like a restart button for the brain system. I also have a habit of writing down on paper the things I need to do, then arranging them in order of priority, the most important things will be put on top. For each task, I estimate how much time it takes to complete and set a certain deadline for myself" - Tu Linh revealed.

In Tu Linh's mind, family is a solid support, always by her side when in difficulty and adding wings for her to pursue her dream to the end. Besides that, with 8 years of studying at Greenfield School, she expresses her deep gratitude to this place when she always receives a lot of support from teachers in the school.

"Ms. Xuan (Homeroom Teacher), Ms. Hong (Math Teacher), and Mr. Juan (Business Teacher) are the 3 teachers I asked for letters of recommendation and I received letters from 3 teachers in a very short time, about 5-7 days. I especially thank Ms. Xuan Xuan. No matter when I text her, even if it's 12 o'clock, she always answers me and sends me the necessary documents" - Tu Linh said emotionally.

Sharing about her student, Ms. Nguyen Xuan Xuan - Homeroom Teacher of Class 12G1 assessed: "Tu Linh is a humble, perfectionist and always tries her best in learning as well as assigned tasks. Besides maintaining excellent academic results, she is also active in extracurricular activities. Tu Linh's enthusiasm, eagerness to learn, responsibility, and willingness to challenge make me believe that no matter what environment she is in, she will be able to phát huy tốt khả năng của bản thân."

Among many opportunities, Tu Linh plans to choose to pursue a major in Computer Science at Green River College - the school with the most international students studying in the US and then transfer to study at University of California Irvine (#36 UN). Along with preparing for the National High School Exam, Tu Linh is also busy with plans and ideas that she will bring with her to the US.

Congratulations to Tu Linh for the proud achievements she has achieved. Wishing her memorable experiences on her new learning journey in the future!