Receiving scholarships, studying abroad, and working in a multinational environment have always been the aspirations of young people in the 4.0 technology era. But what are the "secrets" that help young people get noticed by prestigious international universities and win scholarships?

In fact, winning a scholarship to prestigious universities around the globe and reaching for a dream of studying abroad is not easy. But "nothing is impossible" and if you know how to invest early, create a clear roadmap, and especially know how to decode the secrets to "hunt" for scholarships, success will come.

If you still don't know where to start, then listen to the sharing from Nguyen Vu Huyen Trang - a former student of class 12A1, 2017-2018 cohort of Greenfield School!

This talented young woman made a big impression when she was not only admitted to 8 prestigious US universities but also was invited by 5 of them with "huge" scholarships.

The list of "famous" universities that Huyen Trang was admitted to includes: SUNY Brockport University (Top 16 public universities in the US), Wichita State University, Kent State University, University of North Texas, The Art Institute of Atlanta, Johnson & Wales University, Cleveland Institute of Art, and Georgia State University.

Among them, 5 schools: Johnson & Wales University, Cleveland Institute of Art, Georgia State University, SUNY Prockport University, and Wichita State University all simultaneously invited Huyen Trang with "huge" scholarships worth billions of VND.

For Huyen Trang, this is not a journey paved with roses. However, thanks to setting clear goals, a perfect roadmap, along with impressive academic results and the projects and social activities that Huyen Trang participated in at Greenfield School, this talented female student turned her dream of studying abroad into reality.

From these impressive achievements, Huyen Trang shared her experience of "hunting" for scholarships for students of the following courses.

How to "Hunt" for Scholarships Effectively?

According to Huyen Trang, to "hunt" for scholarships effectively, students need to clearly understand the scholarship packages of universities.

"In the US, almost all schools have scholarships with different types of scholarships such as: scholarships for talents (merit-based scholarship aid), for each academic year; financial aid scholarships include partial support scholarships as required (need-based aid) and full support scholarships as required (need-blind aid). In which, "need-based aid" usually sponsors about 75% of the scholarship and "need-blind aid" is 100% scholarship funding.

You need to find out which scholarships the universities you are applying for have. Then, you consider yourself capable of receiving the type of scholarship that you are most likely to receive to register. The more thoroughly you research information about the school and the type of scholarship the school offers, the higher the chances of getting a scholarship."

What Does a Scholarship Application Include?

Besides that, to stand out among thousands of applicants and win a valuable scholarship, students need to prepare the most complete scholarship application. Scholarship applications when submitted to each country or each university may have some differences.

For those who intend to study in the US, the scholarship application includes the following documents:

• IELTS or TOEFL certificate
• SAT score (sent online or through collegeboard - the website to register for the SAT)
• Essay written on the topic:

When applying for scholarships, universities in the US will require you to write a main essay. The topic of the main essay can be topics suggested by searching the keyword Common Application Essay Prompts, or self-selected topics.

Usually, the main essays will clearly show the personality and qualities of the applicant.

However, in addition to the main essay, schools may require additional sub-essays. The topic of the sub-essay is often chosen by the schools.

• CV: Huyen Trang emphasized that the CV needs to have extracurricular activities and clearly state the role and time of participation in extracurricular activities. If you are not a person with outstanding academic results, Huyen Trang advises students to actively participate in extracurricular activities, which benefit the community to cultivate other skills. Universities in the US highly appreciate students who participate in sports, cultural and social activities because they believe that such people can become leaders or contribute to the community in the future.

• Proof of financial capacity

• 3 letters of recommendation from subject teachers

Having Applied for a US Scholarship, You Need to Know commonapp.org

Depending on the enrollment time of each school (Spring or Autumn), students need to choose the appropriate time to submit their applications. In which, you cannot ignore commonapp.org. This is a website that helps applicants submit scholarship applications to universities without fees and is applied at many universities in the US.

Usually, each university will require applicants to pay a fee of $30 - $70 when submitting their application. But if you use commonapp.org, you will not lose this cost. Thus, for example, if you submit 10 applications and submit them through this website, you will save up to $700.

Commonapp.org has a system for students and teachers separately. Teachers with accounts on commonapp.org can write letters of recommendation for their students.

However, with some schools that do not apply the application on Commonapp.org, applicants are required to submit their applications by post, Huyen Trang's advice is to use DHL's delivery service.

Notes to Save Time and Money in the SAT Exam

For those who intend to study in the US, the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) is a mandatory requirement. Therefore, you need to follow the exam schedule on the website collegeboard.org. In Vietnam, the SAT exam is held 3-4 times a year in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Huyen Trang also gives notes to help students save time and money in the SAT exam. She emphasized: "Students need to register for the SAT exam location 2 months before the official exam starts. If you register late, an applicant in Hanoi may have to fly to Ho Chi Minh City to take the exam because of running out of places."

In summary, to achieve a scholarship, the competition is not only between applicants from different countries but also between candidates from different continents. Therefore, experiencing failure in the first scholarship applications is quite common. However, from another perspective, this is the motivation for students to improve themselves and meet the criteria of the scholarship.

There are also times when I want to give up before the pressure of achieving a study abroad scholarship. But every time like that, Huyen Trang tells herself: "If there is a shortest path to success, then that path is called perseverance."

Hopefully, the valuable and sincere experiences from Huyen Trang will bring more motivation to the dream of studying abroad for students.

Good luck!