Overcoming many outstanding candidates, Dang Minh Thu (12A1, Greenfield School) has won a full scholarship for 4 years of study at Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU) - the leading school in training Chinese and International Chinese Language in the "land of billions of people".

Instead of choosing to study abroad in the Americas or Europe, many young people choose to study in Asian countries. In particular, many people choose China as a destination to conquer academics, because this is one of the countries with the world's leading education, not too far from Vietnam and has many cultural similarities.

Being accepted by universities and winning a full scholarship in China is not easy. To receive a "nod" from the Admissions Committee, candidates must meet a series of criteria such as: high language proficiency, beautiful transcripts, actively participate in many extracurricular activities and most importantly, pass the grueling interview round.

Dang Minh Thu (12A1, Greenfield School) has done that! She has overcome thousands of formidable candidates to receive a CIS scholarship (Confucius Institute Scholarship) for 4 years of study at Beijing Language and Culture University - the world's leading Chinese language training school and the cradle for training many diplomatic officials and ambassadors for many countries around the world. The scholarship includes tuition fees for 4 years of study, dormitory fees and living allowance support of 2500 RMB/month (about 8.5 million VND/month).

Learning Chinese because of… a passion for movies

Minh Thu has been passionate about Chinese movies since she was in 6th grade and her love for the Chinese language started from there. She determined to learn Chinese with the simple desire that in the future she could watch movies without… reading Vietnamese subtitles. The more she learned about Chinese, the more interesting she found it when each word had its own story. Minh Thu determined to conquer this language and the goal of studying abroad and hunting for scholarships also sparked in her.

Although she loves Chinese very much, "reality is not like a dream". In the early stages, Minh Thu encountered many difficulties in writing characters. "I can recognize the characters, but if I cover the word to write it again, I can't write it. To overcome this, there is no other way but to practice writing a lot. Writing correctly according to the rules, the order from top to bottom, from left to right, writing will become easier and faster. Besides, I also regularly chat with Chinese friends to improve my listening and speaking skills. Thanks to that, my language level has not only improved but also my confidence has increased significantly."

With her own efforts, in July 2022, Minh Thu achieved the HSK 5 certificate (Chinese level C1). She also completed the HSKK advanced Chinese oral exam - one of the most important criteria for applying for a scholarship. With the Chinese certificate obtained, Minh Thu confidently looks for scholarships to reach out to the world. Seeing that their child has the ability and dares to realize her dream, Minh Thu's parents not only did not object but also encouraged and motivated her to try.

4 months of waiting and a moment of bursting into tears

Speaking about the difficulties of "hunting" for scholarships, Minh Thu said that the number of scholarships for international students is very small and requires strict requirements. In addition to the Chinese certificate, candidates need to have good academic achievements and impressive extracurricular activities to make their application more "weighty" in applying for a scholarship.

"Submitting a study abroad application and applying for a scholarship, I have to enter a competitive race with excellent candidates from other countries. I always ask the question, among thousands of excellent applications, what attracts recruiters? I spent a lot of time researching the University, about China and about myself. When I understand myself, I can develop my strengths and perform the best with recruiters," Minh Thu said.

For Minh Thu, setting a determination and persevering with her goals is an important factor leading to success. In addition, candidates need to learn carefully about scholarships, scholarship requirements, spend a certain amount of time preparing to submit scholarship applications and be confident in themselves.

Right from 10th grade, she studied seriously and achieved GPA for 3 years of high school respectively 8.6, 8.6 and 8.5. She is also a member of the Environment Club (DEC), Greenfield Newsroom (TGP), actively participates in anti-school violence activities... Minh Thu said that it was studying in an open environment like at Greenfield School that helped her enrich her knowledge, discover her strengths, and become more brave and confident.

After 3 months of submitting the application, Minh Thu received a notice to proceed to the interview round. To score points with recruiters, she spent a lot of time practicing, anticipating questions. "With clear learning goals, a little understanding of Chinese culture as well as prior research about the school, I successfully applied for the CIS scholarship. I am really happy because after many efforts, I finally realized my dream," Minh Thu shared.

Looking back on the journey, Minh Thu expressed her gratitude to the teachers and the school who were willing to create conditions and encourage her throughout 6 years of studying at Greenfield School. Talking about future plans, Minh Thu said that she will pursue a major in International Chinese Language Education at Beijing Language and Culture University, further studying for a master's degree and realizing her dream of becoming a Chinese teacher.

Congratulations to Minh Thu on her achievements. Wishing her more happy experiences on the journey of discovery ahead and realizing her dream!