Excellent female graduate, 4 years through 3 countries, won US PhD scholarship

During her 4 years at university, Minh Ngoc had the opportunity to exchange in 3 countries but still maintained her in-class study program and graduated one semester early with an excellent degree.

Le Minh Ngoc is currently a 4th year student in the Chemistry Talent class at the University of Natural Sciences , Vietnam National University, Hanoi. Although she has not graduated from university, the female student has won a full scholarship for a doctoral program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst (USA).

Always curious about everything, Ngoc thinks that she might be suited to doing research in a lab. “That’s why I decided to spend the next 5-6 years studying for a PhD. I want to do it right after graduating, when I turn 22,” she said.

Le Minh Ngoc. (Photo: NVCC)

In fact, Ngoc's desire to study abroad began to grow since middle school. The female student planned to realize this goal when entering university. However, due to COVID-19, this dream was temporarily interrupted. The former Chemistry major student of Chu Van An High School for the Gifted ( Hanoi ) then chose to continue pursuing Chemistry at the University of Natural Sciences.

Although this was just a "temporary" choice, Ngoc said she felt lucky because the Chemistry department was "very high quality".

“The teachers have high teaching qualifications and have all studied abroad. We are given favorable conditions and many opportunities to exchange and are motivated to continue studying abroad after graduation,” Ngoc said.

However, the lecturers in the department also set strict requirements in studying to motivate students to continuously strive to achieve the set goals.

Over the past 4 years, Ngoc has sought and taken advantage of opportunities to participate in exchange programs abroad. Thanks to that, the female student had the opportunity to exchange 3 times in Japan (for 2 weeks), Singapore (for 2 months), Canada (for 4 months) through university exchange programs and government scholarship programs.

The trip that the female student remembers the most is the exchange program in Japan at the beginning of her third year. During this trip, Ngoc went to Ibaraki University in Hitachi, experiencing modern technology and machinery. Thanks to that, the female student was motivated and strengthened her decision to study abroad after college.

Ngoc at her graduation thesis defense ceremony. (Photo: NVCC)

Despite spending a lot of time on exchange trips, Minh Ngoc still completed her school program well and graduated one semester earlier than her peers. To do this, the female student tried to speed up her studies in the first two years, thereby having time for other activities in the next two years.

“Normally, the average number of credits students register for is about 18-20 credits/semester, but I have increased it to about 27 credits. In addition, to study effectively in a short time, the most important thing is to concentrate completely, creating the habit of sitting at the desk only for studying,” Ngoc said.

Regarding the exam preparation, Ngoc only studied for 1 week, but before that, the female student spent time arranging the documents to be ready to study without having to waste time searching.

Thanks to this way of studying, Ngoc graduated with honors with a GPA of 3.63/4.0.

Having completed her studies early, Ngoc spent the rest of her time focusing on completing her application for a doctoral degree in the US. According to Ngoc, it is often difficult to successfully apply for a full scholarship for a master’s degree program in the US. Therefore, from an early age, the female student aimed for schools that offer high scholarships for a doctoral degree.

Ngoc has just won a US PhD scholarship. (Photo: NVCC)

In her third year, Ngoc researched schools and “finalized” the major she wanted to study. According to the student, it is important to be selective about the school she wants to attend. “Applying too much not only costs money but also dilutes the essay. In addition, when you write too much, the essay will no longer be concise and complete,” Ngoc said.

In her essay to the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Ngoc recounted her exchange trip to Singapore, which gave her the most realistic experience of life as a doctoral student.

“That was the first time I lived independently abroad for quite a long time, about 2 months. Here, I was able to directly participate in experiments in the lab like other PhD students. Thanks to that, I understood what a day in the life of a PhD student is like and what research is really like. From then on, I felt that I was suitable for research and wanted to pursue the program at this school,” Ngoc shared.

Ngoc said that her application did not include any domestic or international scientific articles, but that did not weaken the application. “Having an article would make the application stronger, but not having one would not be a disadvantage. Instead, in the application, I have demonstrated that I have a lot of experience and a variety of experimental skills ,” Ngoc said.

Thanks to this, Ngoc received a “nod” from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. This school is also willing to provide her with 100% tuition and enough to cover living expenses.

This August, Minh Ngoc will leave for the US to begin her PhD program. Having experienced studying abroad in many different countries, Ngoc said that this time she is no longer too nervous or afraid when entering a new environment.

“From now on, I will work in 3 labs of 3 different professors to know which direction is suitable for me, from there I can make the most suitable choice,” Ngoc shared.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/nu-sinh-tot-nghiep-xuat-sac-4-nam-qua-3-quoc-gia-gianh-hoc-bong-tien-si-my-2420750.html