Reflections by VietAbroaders '10

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NGUYỄN ĐẶNG VIỆT ANH - MIT '10

Full name: Anh Dang Viet Nguyen
Hometown: Hanoi
High school: Hanoi-Amsterdam High School
Colleges admitted (so far): MIT, Kettering, Northeastern, Richmond
College enrolled (if known): MIT
Prospective field of study: Computer Science
Financial Aid (% of total cost): 98%
Activities (sport, leadership, etc): Class President

1. When and how did you decide to apply to US colleges?

I started preparing for US colleges in grade 11, 2005, after failing the Informatics National Exam. Considering the risks of retaking the Informatics exams and benefits of studying at a Vietnamese University, I decided to study abroad. I believed that US colleges can prepare me most for my future careers. I chose the exchange student program as the first step to achieve this goal.

2. When did you start your college planning? Do you think the sooner the better?

I actually planed for the college pretty late, just as soon as I traveled to Las Vegas. Before that, I spent the spring and summer studying TOEFL and SAT. I honestly think that the sooner the better. If I had started earlier, I could have found more schools, met the deadline of some more good ones, and avoided mistakes on the application process.

3. What are the best sources for finding out about schools?

My main sources are USNews with a premium account (one person should buy it and share with dozens of friend :p), school’s websites, experiences of seniors in VietAbroader’s forum, and supports of my friends in NEO.

4. How did you pick schools? What were your specific criteria?

I picked school based on the USNews ranking and school’s reputations (from friends and school experiences of Vietabroader’s members). My “filters” are financial aid opportunities for international students, reputation in computer science, and rankings.

5. How did VietAbroader and Vietnamese college students help you in the process?

I started my applications on September without any idea. However Vietabroader forum showed me steps by steps through useful posts. The friendly and enthusiastic members also helped me a lot too. Sometimes, I got my answer after posting within minutes.

6. What was the best application experience that happened to you?

The moment when I clicked the Submit button or when I put my package into a mailbox. I was not sure if I definitely got admitted by that school but I was glad that I took my chance to apply on time and I won’t have to feel much regretful later.

7. What was the worst application experience that happened to you?

My worst experience was when I allocate too little time for writing essay. I planed 5 days for each long essay and 2 days for each short essay. However, some essays took longer than expected and I got to write several unsatisfied essays in last days.

8. In your opinion, what are the strengths and weaknesses of your application?

I think the strength of my application is the theme of a passion on computer science.
- Most of my essays are about computer and how I build my personalities through studying informatics.
- I also sent to my schools the CD including all my software from my very first days of programming.
- I sent the schools a detailed resume describing computer prizes I won, in all cities, national, and international levels. I also kept updating it every month.
- I participate in cool tech contests like Pirelli, ThinkQuest, and FIRST robotics.
- I also got great supports from my teachers. They wrote for me awesome letters (even let me read and asked if I want to change anything).

9. What would you have done differently during your application process?

I would have prepared earlier and made friends with more students who have practical aim and are serious to pursue it.

10. Do you have any final words of wisdom or inspiration for future VN applicants?

- The sooner the better.
- Never give up. A school may be overwhelmingly hard to get in, but it’s not impossible. At least just give it a try. For example, Stanford has an early deadline and requires many distinct essays. I suffered from trying to write several essays and fill out many forms within a very limited amount of time. Sometimes I wanted to give up this one. In the end, the application I submitted was not well prepared as the later ones. I knew that I would regret that I should have started earlier, but I knew I wouldn’t regret that I miss a chance to apply to such a good school. (P.S.: I got into the waitlist afterward. I was surprised because that application was sort of hopeless for a tough school like Stanford. But who knows, I did give it a try)
- One piece of advice for writing essays: you may spend many days and nights planning for a poignant essay but can never start. Then don’t think bad about yourself or leave the work to last minutes. How’s about writing everything in your head down (no matter how awful or it is). At least you have an essay. Now what you have to do is just to connect ideas, fix, and polish it.
- Do as many extra-curricular activities as you can. There are also many cool competitions for students online. You can try fastweb.com and participate in some essay contest. Those surely will help your application look better.

Source: VietAbroader (www.vietabroader.org)

Note: Feel free to create a link to this entry, but please do not copy or redistribute it in any form without explicit written permission from us. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

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TRẦN THỊ NGỌC HƯƠNG - COLGATE '10

Full name: Tran Thi Ngoc Huong
Hometown: Ho Chi Minh City
High school: Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted
Colleges admitted (so far): Colgate University (the only school I applied to)
College enrolled (if known): Colgate University
Prospective field of study: Undecide
Financial Aid (% of total cost): above 95%
Activities (sport, leadership, etc): volunteer at an orphanage, sales clerk for family business, contributor for English columns in some magazines.

1. When and how did you decide to apply to US colleges?

Oh well, generous financial aid must be the first attraction of US colleges. But for me, what matters most is the inspiring and challenging environment in which I know I can blossom. After 4 years of college, I would love to see in the mirror opposite me a girl of confidence, smartness and insightfulness. Going to the USA is only the first step to a life-long journey of exploration and challenges. I hope it will be the place where I realize old dreams, cherish new dreams and get nearer to the ideal me. As one Reedie said ”Life is an exotic fruit to be studied, probed, but also to be swallowed whole.”

2. When did you start your college planning? Do you think the sooner the better?

Not all of us can afford the luck to get precious information as early as some others. I myself had no idea of US admission process till grade 11. Of course, starting early is always an advantage. But then, as the proverb goes, not all the horses that start early win the race. Even if you start late, that doesn’t mean you have no chance whatsoever. So, keep trying and believing in yourself. Now that VietAbroader has become popular among Vietnamese students, embrace this chance to explore what US colleges have to offer you as soon as possible.

3. What are the best sources for finding out about schools?

4. How did you pick schools? What were your specific criteria?

I guess for most Vietnamese students, financial aid is the most important factor in picking schools to apply. Of course, other factors such as location, weather, student/faculty ratio, etc matter too, but only after you are admitted into a bunch of colleges and decide which one is your best match. Personally, I first chose about 10 top colleges in the ranking of financial aid award and then explored each school carefully to see which school appealed to me most. I ended up falling in love with Colgate University and applied to it under the Early Decision program. As I was admitted as an ED I applicant, it was the only school to which I sent my application.

5. How did VietAbroader and Vietnamese college students help you in the process?

VietAbroader provided me a great deal of information on admission and tons of invaluable tips from Vietnamese successful applicants. Also, some of VietAbroader’s most impressive members are excellent examples of great passion and determination. Getting to know their personal struggle for success, I have become more optimistic and better-motivated to push myself harder.

6. What was the best application experience that happened to you?

Looking back, I realize that I am now so different from the timid, overworried girl several months ago. The application process itself was the best experience that ever happened to me. It’s like when you are attempting to climb a mountain: harsh weather putting you off, rocks and ice ready to fall on you, haunted by the fear of falling down, you have done your best but it seems like you can never make it. But, in the end, despite everything, you reach the summit. There is no better award than the feeling of achievement overflowing your heart. You talk to yourself “After all, perhaps it’s not hard as it seems.” The experience gives you the motivation to overcome many other obstacles in the future.

7. What was the worst application experience that happened to you?

I somehow slacked off with my schoolwork due to the stressful and time-consuming application process. I could not afford the time for some of my beloved subjects. In a way, I missed the pleasurable moments devoting myself to studying what I loved.

8. In your opinion, what are the strengths and weaknesses of your application?

I’d say academic achievements were my strongest points. And perhaps my essays touched some hearts, too. My weaknesses might be extracurricular activities. I had so little time and energy for volunteering work or leadership then.

9. What would you have done differently during your application process?

I would have finished my application earlier. Gosh! A sleepless night before the deadline with 2 more essays to go. I had have a school day off the next morning. It is certainly a bad thing if you have to skip classes for your application.

10. Do you have any final words of wisdom or inspiration for future VN applicants?

The experts on application have said all important things in the process. I just want to say something from the bottom of my heart: You have the ability, the passion and the dream. Go show them who you really are. OK, luck counts but the award will belong to the one who deserves it most. In one way or another, what you learn from the experience is precious and worth-while enough. And after all, there are always future opportunities for post-graduate scholarships. Never lose yourself and your dreams. Don’t let things like family income or class rank dishearten you. A personal note: My family is not rich and I have never been the brightest student.

Source: VietAbroader (www.vietabroader.org)

Note: Feel free to create a link to this entry, but please DO NOT copy or redistribute it in any form without explicit written permission from us. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

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PHÙNG TUẤN ĐỨC - WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY '10

Full name: Phung Tuan Duc
Hometown: Hanoi
High school: Hanoi-Amsterdam High School
Colleges admitted (so far): Wesleyan University, Ithaca College, Franklin and Marshall College, Lawrence University, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
College enrolled (if known): Wesleyan University
Prospective field of study:
Financial Aid (% of total cost): 100%
Activities (sport, leadership, etc): Basketball, swimming, IT-ing, dancing, gap year- ing ^^, etc.

1. When and how did you decide to apply to US colleges?

I did not decide to apply until the summer of 11th grade, and as a result did not have a very careful preparation. The reason was only because I wanted to come to the US with my girlfriend... lol! Nothing really specific at that time. I ended up taking a gap year!

This year, after careful consideration, I decided to re-apply to US colleges and universities. Nowhere else on Earth can I find so abundant research opportunities, and nowhere else can I have so frequent access to the most advanced technology. As long as I’m intending to have a future career in Computer Science, I know the US is the place.

2. When did you start your college planning? Do you think the sooner the better?

Of course! Start your college planning the sooner the better. Spend a lot of time doing your homework. Get to know carefully about a school before deciding to send your applications. Besides, lots of schools require a “Why” essay. No essay will work better than a personalized one. Try to find something unique about the school, something distinctive, and include it in your essay. That’ll give your “Why” essays credibility.
Make sure you’ve researched the schools’ academic departments if you intend to mention your career goals in your essays. You wouldn’t want to write a 500-word praying a school’s CS departments while it doesn’t even offer a CS major.

3. What are the best sources for finding out about schools?

4. How did you pick schools? What were your specific criteria?

There are many valuable sources available to applicants now. First, you can go to the IIE. They have school catalogs, Best colleges, Best universities, Guide to Colleges, etc. You will find almost unlimited books providing insights about schools. Besides, you can also rely on US News Rankings. These 2 sources will aid you in the first step of selecting schools.

However, no source supplies you with more information than the school website does. Every of your questions will be answered there. After you have a list, visit each of your schools’ websites. This is the most important when you find out the most about your colleges. I usually spend at least 10-15 days to examine thoroughly a website, and more time if it is the website of the school that requires a Why essay. For example, when I studied Wesleyan, I set my homepage: www.wesleyan.edu, so that every time I turned on my internet browser, I knew I had works to do. I read everything, and jotted down any thing I found interesting.

My criteria for selecting a school are: a generous financial aid policy (guess no Vietnamese applicants will overlook this one), a CS major or at least a good Math dept. Other factors didn’t play much important roles. Of course, I’d prefer schools with a beautiful campus, an exciting campus life, a not so severe weather, etc.

5. How did VietAbroader and Vietnamese college students help you in the process?

I got friends who are now in famous US colleges and universities. Their experiences are truly valuable. For example, I got feedback for my essays from Chi Mai – Yale (omg that was awesome&#33, a peer evaluation from Toan – Wesleyan, etc.

Viet-abroader and HN-Ams “CLB Du hoc” are also the places I can learn more about the schools (I forgot to mention above). Asking a Vietnamese student will sometimes be easier and more reliable than asking the Admission Office… lol ^^

6. What was the best application experience that happened to you?

The sense that my effort pay off. Either that is earning a good score, or being admitted by a school.

7. What was the worst application experience that happened to you?

Being rejected by all schools last year.

8. In your opinion, what are the strengths and weaknesses of your application?

Strengths:
- Good standardized test scores: 2140 on SAT, 2370 on SAT II, 627 on TOEFL, certainly not the highest but they reflect the time and effort I put into preparing for the tests.
- Essays: taking a gap year clearly allows me plenty of time to write and revise my essays, and to ask for feedbacks.
- Activities: I participate in many activities e.g. swimming, dancing, playing basketball, playing the drums, tutoring Math and English, editing movies, designing websites,…

Weaknesses:
- School record: As I indicated, I didn’t decide to apply until late, therefore I didn’t care much about my record. Compared to my classmates, I’m only in the middle 50%. Some schools pay extra attention to this part of the application.


9. What would you have done differently during your application process?

I’d try to manage a brighter record.

10. Do you have any final words of wisdom or inspiration for future VN applicants?

Future applicants, learn my lessons. Try to decide as soon as possible whether you will apply or not. If you cannot make up your mind immediately, remember to maintain a brilliant school record. You may need it for later use. It won’t hurt if you study hard and do your tests carefully. My school record looked horrible just because I was careless in most of my tests, thus never got 100% on any of them.

Vietnamese applicants are among the brightest I’ve ever seen. All of you have the very potential to succeed in your US applications, as well as anything you desire. I wish you motivation to start your engines, determination to keep you focused, and luck to get into the schools of your dream.

Source: VietAbroader (www.vietabroader.org)

Note: Feel free to create a link to this entry, but please DO NOT copy or redistribute it in any form without explicit written permission from us. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

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BÙI DIỆU LINH - AMHERST '10

Full name: Bui Dieu Linh
Hometown: Hanoi
High school: Hanoi-Amsterdam
Colleges admitted (so far): Amherst
College enrolled (if known): Amherst
Prospective field of study: Psychology, English, Philosophy, Liguistics
Financial Aid (% of total cost): 100%
Activities (sport, leadership, etc): ESL teaching, organizing a music show

1. When and how did you decide to apply to US colleges?

Approx. midyear of 11th grade. I found out that US college aspirants had to take the SAT I, so I went ahead and took it. I was probably the earliest test-taker of the Class of ’10, but it turned out to be pretty good practice, since I could pick and choose colleges according to my scores.

2. When did you start your college planning? Do you think the sooner the better?

Absolutely. I can’t stress enough how important it is to start early and fight procrastination. I started the selection process after my SAT scores were in (about Feb 2005), but I went down with a bad case of procrastination, so my final list was pretty crappy.

3. What are the best sources for finding out about schools?

To start with, the US News and World Report rankings may be a rough guide. Remember, only a rough guide. These rankings are lousy when applied to international students. Definitely sign up for a Princeton Review account and try out their Counselor-O-Matic. The IIE library also helps a lot. They have most of the popular guides on the market, and there are even guides for intels (you can take the Peterson’s guide home, free;-)). There are detailed tables that tell you how much financial aid a school gives and to how many students. Oh, and do check out the college forums (I recommend talk.collegeconfidential.com, and of course you can’t miss out VietAbroader&#33 It’s not just a matter of finding out more info, but also setting up a network that may help you out later on;-)

4. How did you pick schools? What were your specific criteria?

I wanted a school that offered an intellectual atmosphere and challenging courses. It should also be a school where experimenting around with your study is encouraged. But first of all, financial aid! There are loads of academically excellent colleges out there, but quite a few of them will reject qualified intels solely on account of their financial need (beware of Cornell and UPenn&#33. I also looked for schools that didn’t require the TOEFL or would waive it if you got a certain SAT CR score. Believe me, the TOEFL is totally trash considering how much it costs. Once you get 600, the adcoms don’t care anymore.

5. How did VietAbroader and Vietnamese college students help you in the process?

I benefited A LOT from VietAbroader. The forums, the guide posts, the conference, you name it. It’s extremely helpful when it comes to seeking help from been-there-done-that people. What’s more, you can’t find the same kind of personalized advice elsewhere. On CollegeConfidential, for example, people are extremely friendly and helpful, but they don’t know the situation in Vietnam as well as VA’ers do.

6. What was the best application experience that happened to you?

I learned a lot from the application process, and so will you. The SAT vocabulary is sure to come in handy sooner or later, and the stuff you crammed for the SAT IIs/TOEFL will eventually help too. You’ll also have a chance to practice your English writing (write till you drop&#33 Plus, the reflection and introspection you’ll do for your essays will let you discover more about yourself and your potentials.

7. What was the worst application experience that happened to you?

I kept procrastinating till the last minute, and ended up stuck at my PC for 48 hours on end just before the deadline, trying to finish my essays. Imagine 48 sleepless hours at a stretch.

8. In your opinion, what are the strengths and weaknesses of your application?

Strengths: I honestly don’t know. Everything is pretty mediocre in comparison with other applications. Weaknesses: most prominently: mediocrity I think I could have perfected my essays and recs given more time and experience.

9. What would you have done differently during your application process?

Definitely I wouldn’t ever put things off to the last minute again. I’d also be on the lookout for free info and low-cost test-prep material from the network of applicants and students I’d set up earlier on.

10. Do you have any final words of wisdom or inspiration for future VN applicants?

One: Do your best, so you won’t ever have to regret, whatever happens. Two: As decisions roll in, hope for the best but expect the worst. It makes rejections much, much less painful, and all the better if you’re admitted. Three: Always have a backup college plan ready. Avoid senioritis, don’t slack off, prepare for the VN college exams or Singapore unis just in case.

Source: VietAbroader (www.vietabroader.org)

Note: Feel free to create a link to this entry, but please DO NOT copy or redistribute it in any form without explicit written permission from us. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

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TẠ THỊ HÀ PHƯƠNG - MOUNT HOLYOKE '10

Full name: Ta Thi Ha Phuong
Hometown: Hanoi
High school: PT Chuyen Ngoai Ngu
Colleges admitted (so far): Mount Holyoke College, Agnes Scott College
College enrolled (if known): Mount Holyoke College
Prospective field of study: Undecided
Financial Aid: Yes
High school Activities (sport, leadership, etc): class monitor, speaking contest participant, article-writing contest participant.

1. When and how did you decide to apply to US colleges?

I made my decision rather late, around May, 2005. Prior to this, I was thinking of studying in Australia for I thought it would cost less. On knowing that sis Ngo Huong Ly had won scholarship and enrollment to Wesleyan, I said to myself that it was in fact exactly what I was looking for: studying in a good environment and having a chance of receiving generous aid. And I decided to jump in the cruel process right after that.

2. When did you start your college planning? Do you think the sooner the better?

Again, I started college planning late. Although I always had in my mind the idea of earning scholarships to study abroad, I just ended up attending some conferences which gave no ray of hope.

My planning for college in the US started in May, 2005. But I personally believe that the sooner you start this process, the more polished your application package will be, and thus, the more chances of success you will have.

3. What are the best sources for finding out about schools?

- First, I suggest you investigate vietabroader.org to get to know the name of some popular colleges to Vietnamese students in particular, and to students in general.
- Second, usnews.com is also a must when you find schools. Besides the popular names already gathered, you should also pick out some schools (at random) to investigate.
- Third, collegeboard.com. This is also a very useful page for me as I kept my college list on this site.
- Fourth, ask people that have specific experience in this matter. Contact current students of that school. (I have a pen pal at RMWC, whose name is Lien)

4. How did you pick schools? What were your specific criteria?

I picked a range of schools at different rankings: about 3-4 from the top ones, 5 from the middles, and 3-4 from the bottom ones.

Specific criteria include:
- financial aid policy
- academic requirements: what’s the range of SAT scores, is SAT II required or not, what are the very important/important/recommended criteria that each school requires. ( I care alot about this aspect, for I don’t have much time preparing)
- students’ academic life.
- students’ life outside classroom: I look specifically at clubs (Japanese clubs ^_^). Besides, I also take great interest in reading students’ writings, I mean, reading what the students say about their college, about their daily life, their favorite classes and teachers, that sort of things.

5. How did VietAbroader and Vietnamese college students help you in the process?

Vietabroader.org is the page I visit almost everyday to get useful information and experience. I nearly don’t have to ask anywhere else. VietAbroader has given me specific advice on recommendation letters, school information, and especially on essay writing.

6. What was the best application experience that happened to you?

I am grown up from preparing for the application, because I:
- have spent time mediating on my personality, my ambition, my future, my interest, my strong and weak points... I have really given serious thoughts about me, and about what I’m doing, what I’m trying to achieve.
- have learned to be confident, persevere and aggressive (at times ^_^). It was a situation in which I had to adhere to my goal and had to try my best to surpass obstacles. I stuck the sentence: ‘There’s no way back’ on my desk and looked at it everyday to remind myself to try harder and harder.
- learn to arrange schedule to fulfill all the stuffs concerned along with keeping up with housework and schoolwork.

7. What was the worst application experience that happened to you?

Start it too late, so I was pretty in a rush. I had to reduce my college list to only 4 schools. Due to my carelessness, my application package to Smith College was lost. So I think the worst experience was: I was too pressed for time to further furnish my application package.

8. In your opinion, what are the strengths and weaknesses of your application?

- The strengths are:
+ It was in overall acceptable and polished. I carefully finished what I can finish on time.
+ The scores: My school transcript looks good, and SAT score is not bad, though not high, to be honest.
+ The short essays: I wrote a one-page essay about my part time job, and two half-page ones about summer time and the speaking contest, which I like a lot. They are concise informative, and light (no depressing or stressful situation included).

- The weaknesses are:
+ My SAT writing score is rather low.
+ I am not satisfied with my personal statement. There’s still room for further improvements in it.
+ My extracurricular activities are not varied enough. I don’t take up any sports, except for some swimming in summer.

9. What would you have done differently during your application process?

- Start it earlier
- Take up more activities
- Give more time to the ‘Why essay’
- Adjust the figures in the ISFAA.

10. Do you have any final words of wisdom or inspiration for future VN applicants?

Relax. This is a chance to know yourself. Don’t press yourself too much. For me, it is the relaxation, along with determination that counts.

Source: VietAbroader (www.vietabroader.org)

Note: Feel free to create a link to this entry, but please DO NOT copy or redistribute it in any form without explicit written permission from us. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

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PHAN HOÀNG LAN - SMITH '10

Full name: Phan Hoang Lan ( as the Vietnamese way)
Hometown: Hanoi
High school: High school for gifted students- Hanoi University of Science ( Tong Hop); Eddyville Blakesburg (for one exchange year)
Colleges admitted (so far): Smith College, Franklin and Marshall College, Maryville University, Illinois Wesleyan University, Illinois College, Worcester Polytechnic institution (WPI), College of Saint Elizabeth (CSE).
College enrolled (if known): Smith College
Prospective field of study: Economics and Mathematics
Financial Aid: 100% need
Activities (sport, leadership, etc): Community service in some orphan villages and in a nursing home (America), Yes Club (in which a church representative teaches communicating skills at school), Vice president and Class Youth Union leader of the class, badminton, swimming, golf.

1. When and how did you decide to apply to US colleges?

I always dreamed about studying abroad when I was small. The idea of contributing my entire energy to my country has been sticking in my head for a long time. If our great Uncle Ho traveled abroad to discover the way to achieve freedom for our beloved country, if thousands of our grandparents and parents, after coming back from abroad, have been building an unbelievably progressive Vietnam, why am I not the next one to inherit the honorable task?

Desiring to help my country in an economic way, I found United States with an awe-inspiring economy the obvious choice. US colleges’ education reputation all over the world also tempted my pursuing the best. And isn’t it fantastic that US colleges are always so generous to give out huge financial aid packages? So, go to the US!!!

2. When did you start your college planning? Do you think the sooner the better?

A year ago, after my dad visited some famous universities in America: Harvard, MIT and UMass (not for me though, for his office’s business trip), he reaffirmed my ambition to study in US. Then I started my planning at that time. Since I was an Internet-blind and studying–abroad-blind person, everything seemed to be so confusing. Looking at my own awkward English, I asked myself if one year was enough for me. Yes, it …barely was. So there is no doubt about the sooner the better. Actually, I didn’t have all one year though. High school work, extra classes, and bunch of other activities may consume your time as they did mine. So start now!!


3. What are the best sources for finding out about schools?

I think listening to and exchanging experience with Vietnamese sisters and brothers in the US is the best source. Also, all the websites such as
www.usnews.com (the schools’ rankings and general information),
www.princetonreview.com (average Sat score)
http://edupass.org/finaid/undergraduate.phtml (find out the schools that offer scholarship for international students-not all of them in here though)
www.vietabroader.org (to find out everything)
cannot be underestimated.

However, what else is more detailed than the school’s website?

4. How did you pick schools? What were your specific criteria?

About this question, I confess that my picking-school method, in some way, is ineffective. I picked schools that have the average Sat scores not so high (around 1300 or less in the old Sat = not the ones in top 15th) + provide decent financial aid for international students (so that I don’t have to contribute more than $ 8000 per year)+ strong at Economics and Math+ beautiful+impress me.

I applied to 17 schools: - 2 top 20th (in liberal arts ranking)
- 2 top 30th (one liberal art, one national university)
- 2 top 40th (liberal arts)
- 4 top 50th-60th (liberal arts)
- 3 top 20th (comprehensive schools ranking)
- 4 not in top 100th of liberal art, national university or comprehensive schools.

This is my big mistake: I was scared of some schools’ high average Sat scores that I didn’t even give them a try.

About the 17 schools, some superb people don’t really apply that many. Nevertheless, I chose to apply many schools so that I don’t need to have nightmare about coming back to Vietnam without any college acceptance.

My criteria:
- GPA: Even if I wasn’t planning on going to the US, I don’t see any reason to ignore the importance of GPA. So I just studied my best.
- Recommendations: Since my experience with recommendations are not sweet at all, I believe that if your teachers agree to have you write the draft of recommendations first for them, take advantages of it.
- Standardized tests: I took the Sat I three times, Toefl once, Sat II once and ACT once. Since my test-taking schedule was so thick, I didn’t have enough time to study for them. I almost have only two weeks for each test. So I think any exchange student should take some of the tests in Vietnam first, especially Toefl. And I see no reason that you should take ACT if you don’t like it and don’t have time.
- Essays: I pictured my common application essay for about a year but actually wrote it in two days. Another one I wrote when I heard my aunt died from a brain cancer. My essays grew from my true emotion and thinking. I do really treasure them and love them a lot.

5. How did VietAbroader and Vietnamese college students help you in the process?

Since the very first days of my college planning process, Vietabroader’s members’ admission essays have inspired me with the spirit and determination to pursue my ambition to study in the US. VA members’ sharing experience has enhanced my love for the schools I applied. Vietnamese college students in general and VA members in particular were always happy to help me answer all the questions about my application process. It is not exaggerated that Vietabroader is the most salutary FAQ about college admission that I can never find any where else. If I came back the time, I would have used as much more help as possible because it is so great!!

6. What was the best application experience that happened to you?

7. What was the worst application experience that happened to you?

In the solemn days of application process, I had to face many difficulties:
- No Internet at my host family’s home (until late December) to study for standardized tests, to research for schools and to exchange experience from brothers and sisters.
- In the Midwest area, everybody studies ACT, so I found no Sat materials whatsoever and no one to share experience with. After being persuaded to take the ACT, I did spend 2 weeks to study and then went to the test. When there was only five minutes left, my alarm clock went off and… they cancelled my score. I wasted my time and a lot of my money.
- My school is too small that there are almost no clubs, no Math competitions, and no more than one AP class. At school, almost all seniors just apply one or two schools, so my 17 schools made my counselor throw at me this sentence “I’m sorry Becky (my American nick name), but it’s ridiculous to apply that many.”
- Dealing with many obstacles in my exchange year, I found them not my worst experience but also my best experience forever. Now I know that I’m mature enough to make decisions of my life, to fall and stand up again and to keep in my mind my unshakable determination.

8. In your opinion, what are the strengths and weaknesses of your application?

Strengths: Sat II scores (just to compare with some American students, not any of the Vietnamese smart brothers and sisters), community service, GPA, common application essays and some of the “Why” essays, and some interviews. I put a lot of enthusiasm, honesty and desire to express myself in my essays. The interview with a Smith graduate is my favorite, too.

Weakness: Sat I scores, Toefl scores, some of the “Why” essays, and too little contribution for some schools. I think my recommendations had many problems, too. Only one of the three I sent had good quality. The other two were terrible and this was not even my fault. My American Math teacher wrote me the first recommendation of her teaching life and it was so ordinary even though I provided her all materials to write it. My counselor had pregnancy for a long time, so she had known me for only two months when she wrote my recommendation.

9. What would you have done differently during your application process?

I definitely would have:
- Thought more positively and dared to apply higher ranking schools.
- Planned wisely the standardized test-taking schedules and efficient ways to study for them.
- Researched about schools as soon as possible (like before coming to the US for an exchange year)
- Never hesitated to spend money on books to study.
- Understood that last-minute preparation is totally unintelligent.

10. Do you have any final words of wisdom or inspiration for future VN applicants?

Attitude:
- The only thing I wish I could have had enough is a positive attitude and confidence. Never say you are not good enough for MIT or Harvard. Nothing is impossible!!! Shooting for the top 10 schools and at least you know you give it a try.
- Try to love the schools that you apply and always believe that they also love you.
- If you find yourself tired, confused and disappointed with tons of things in your application process, you should know that you are not the only one. Every Vietnamese college student used to be like that. Settle them down and keep moving forward.

Basic preparation:
- Again the sooner the better. You might be like me a year ago when I didn’t even know that usnews.com existed, and didn’t know where to go in the schools’ website to see admission requirements. So ask. Never hesitate to ask!!! Or go to Vietabroader.org to read all the basic topics.
- Then English is always the important matter. I suggest studying Toefl and Sat should definitely include daily reading and writing. Don’t depend entirely on extra classes. You totally can learn by your own from a lot of books available. Maybe testing your studying by some extra classes is a good idea. If you know brothers and sisters coming from US, tell them to bring you their Sat and Toefl books and even have them buy books for you from US, too.
- If you are an exchange student, prepare all required documents (especially financial ones and your school reports) as soon as possible.
- A list of schools to apply should be started soon, too. Eg in the summer (May, June) when you have time.
- This advice maybe you have heard many times already but I do want to repeat it in case you are like me who never accept it until today: SCORES ARE NOT EVERYTHING. When I saw this sentence in VA forum, I told myself “Oh, they say that but they all have high scores already.” That‘s why I was immerse in melancholy when I received my Sat and Toefl scores. But I was wrong. So if you want an example of that advice, I can be one:
Sat I: Reading: 550, Writing: 600, Math: 800> total 1950
Sat II: Math I: 770, Math II: 800, Physics: 730
Toefl (IBT) reading 22, listening 24, writing 27, speaking 22> Total 95 (I don’t even understand why I have that bad score). For IBT people, I suggest you should consider test-taking skill seriously. You should practice and adjust your computer-using skill a lot.
- So what is important then? You may wonder. Well, that’s you as a whole person and you are as special as anyone else is. The “unique you” should be expressed in an impressive and honest way in your essays and interviews so that admission staff can realize it. And now you are done, just wait for good news to come.

Source: VietAbroader (www.vietabroader.org)

Note: Feel free to create a link to this entry, but please DO NOT copy or redistribute it in any form without explicit written permission from us. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

***Những topics liên quan khác***

Reflections by VietAbroader '09

Ask a Vietnamese Student

Mục lục các topic hay

[KP]

NGÔ HOÀNG YẾN NHI - OBERLIN '11

Full name: Ngo Hoang Yen Nhi
Hometown: Ho Chi Minh City
High school: High School for the Gifted (Pho Thong Nang Khieu)
Colleges admitted (so far): Oberlin College, Hamilton College, Washington and Lee University
College enrolled (if known): Oberlin College
Prospective field of study: Undecided
Financial Aid (% of total cost): 100%
Activities (sport, leadership, etc): Youth Union leader (president, vice-president), part-time job (teaching, chief editor, translating…), music learning (violin, music notation), writing, social/volunteer work…

1. When and how did you decide to apply to US colleges?

- At the end of my 11th grade school year, my senior (Dao Vu Bach) got accepted to Wesleyan with the prestigious Freeman scholar. Another senior, Tung, who was also a Freeman finalist also got into a not very famous school but with acceptable aid. I used to think only very, very exceptional geniuses can study abroad *with scholarship*, but seeing them got successful with their endeavors (they are very unique and intelligent, but not geniuses  ), I started to hope. And when I was done with exams, I began my quest…

- I bet you guys used to or currently think like I did, too. But believe me: it IS hard (the acceptance rates for students with financial need are indeed relatively low), but NOT IMPOSSIBLE (“We can apply, you can too”). Try and see what happens

2. When did you start your college planning? Do you think the sooner the better?

I started in the summer of 2004, but I underestimated the importance of preparation so I did little work back then. Beware! The number of schools, the differences between them, and many more factors will require an enormous amount of time just to choose the right school to apply, thus please start early and do a thourough research. And then there is the tests! As an English major and a lazy student at school I did not find that too intimidating but most of you guys probably are busy enough with cram schools, extra classes so starting early will also help!

3. What are the best sources for finding out about schools?

Here are some websites I found very useful (besides www.vietbroader.org and the schools’ own websites): www.collegeconfidential, www.collegeprowler.com, www.princetonreview.com, www.studentsreview.com, but keep in mind that these websites are not necessarily the most accurate guides. Be selectice, be wise.

4. How did you pick schools? What were your specific criteria?

I’m not ranking nuts but considering we have no knowledge whatsoever of college reputation or character, cannot (most of the time) visit, do not have any high school counselor…etc, I think we could make use of US news ranking a little bit. However, remember to look further than that. I found some low-ranked schools that actually give aids to international students (contrary to popular belief that they don’t) and look quite great on the website. My number one criterion is aid, and then I narrowed them down to the ones that appeal to me most, depending on the schools’”personalities” that are shown through the websites, through the opinions of alumni and current students. Note the “fit” factor: if you cannot envision yourself living happily at that school for the next 4 years, think it over. And another important factor is the number of…Vietnamese applicants. I was lucky to find schools that attract fewer Vietnamese applicants than others (don’t know why! They are really, really cool&#33 to avoid competitiveness. Of course you will meet more than 3 at several battlefields, but having some “less crowded” battlefields is always better.

5. How did VietAbroader and Vietnamese college students help you in the process?

On VietAbroader there are various tips about college admission, plus there are always some seniors at the schools you are applying to who are ready to help you out. Examples to illustrate? Go to www.vietabroader.org and examine the popular topics, or at least the pinned topics, you’ll see.

6. What was the best application experience that happened to you?

- The best moment was certainly when I received the acceptance news. I did not succeed at my first attempt, so this year’s result was a blast. Last year, seeing me so disappointed at the outcome, my family and friends encouraged me very much (although I was already filled with “hate fire”-lửa hận! ) and wished me the best wishes in the world. My best friends have so much faith in me when my confidence was damaged seriously (I was incredulous of the rejections: I have never failed anything that I put my heart into) that I somehow thought I used their confidence (in me) to stand up, not mine! I think: “With all these wishes and faith, how can I fail?”. And I did not, thank God.

7. What was the worst application experience that happened to you?

- Going through the application process twice, I sworn never to do any work that involves heavy paper work! Oh it was disaster! Yet it was not the worst. Again, the worst was when I was rejected (3 times) and waitlisted by my last hope.The waitlist was a living nightmare: I got obsessive with praying, checking mailbox, and sometimes just sitting aimlessly looking blankly at the computer screen. I was not even aware of the time passing by-to me it was all the same emptiness. Oh it was horrible, pray God never let me go through that again!

8. In your opinion, what are the strengths and weaknesses of your application?

Which year are you talking about? Hehe, I’d like to give my account on both years-it’ll be helpful both way (the Dos and Donts):

Season 04-05:
- Strengths: I have tons of activities, several top prizes in English, creative essays.
- Weaknesses: too general recs, although the teachers that wrote them for me know me very well (I guess they are simply not used to writing them), creative but not useful/tactful essays, activities not highlighted, no stellar SAT scores although above average verbal score.

Season 05-06:
- Strengths: same as above, and in addition I created some handmade artworks, compiled (and wrote some more) pieces of writing and sent them in. This year I worked hard with my teachers to produce awesome recs (last year I wanted to be honest and let them write what they wanted, but apparently that did not work) and I was pleased with the detailed, personal, true-to-life recs. I followed bro Viet Stanford’s advice to make my essays more tactful (showing my desire to learn) and tried to keep my signature style. I guess that worked out, too. Oh, and I increased my verbal score (700)-not as good as expected but still…I made use of my gap year, did some unique activities, and “boasted” about them in my gap-year essay.
- Weaknesses: hix my Math score is not up to par with other Vietnamese applicants, but I don’t think it matters much, though. General weakness, I think, is that I'm not “prestigious” enough, even not unique enough as I may have thought.

9. What would you have done differently during your application process?

I think I have tried my best. Perhaps I should have been more hard-working with my SAT studying. If I had been my SAT scores could have been a little more stellar.

10. Do you have any final words of wisdom or inspiration for future VN applicants?

- I think in vietabroader.org you can find myriads of useful pieces of advice already (try “101 admission tips from VA” and the likes). I myself learned the whole process from VA!

- Not only we who have been trapped in an old-fashioned, bookish and inadequate in many aspects education system but also the US kids feel that college application is a life-changing experience. You will probably feel that you have never wanted anything more than this, have never put more effort in something than this…and of course be heartbroken/elated about anything like this. That is the greatest thing about college application. For once in your 18-year life, you taste desire, victory and failure - real ones. No cheating, no unfairness, no parroting learning. You are running for a dream. You are running towards yet another dream. So start running, and once you start, don’t EVER stop.

Source: VietAbroader (www.vietabroader.org)

Note: Feel free to create a link to this entry, but please do not copy or redistribute it in any form without explicit written permission from us. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

***Những topics liên quan khác***

Reflections by VietAbroader '11

Reflections by VietAbroader '09

Ask a Vietnamese Student

101 Admissions Tips from VietAbroader

Mục lục các topic hay

[KP]

LÊ NGỌC GIANG - MOUNT HOLYOKE COLLEGE '10

Full name: Le Ngoc Giang
Hometown: Hanoi
High school: Chu Van An National High School
Colleges admitted (so far): Mount Holyoke College, Connecticut College
College enrolled (if known): Mount Holyoke College
Prospective field of study: Economics, Environmental Studies
Financial Aid (% of total cost): 96.8%
Activities (sport, leadership, etc): A lot of dancing and singing, playing the violin, organizing a charity concert to raise money for an orphanage, Youth Volunteer Club at school.

1. When and how did you decide to apply to US colleges?

Eighth grade. My sister was admitted into a liberal arts college in the States; I wanted to follow her footsteps.

2. When did you start your college planning? Do you think the sooner the better?

I started thinking about it also in eighth grade, but back then I only had the idea of applying to my sister’s school. I wasn’t aware of the whole process until I was in eleventh grade when I started to do a lot of research on American schools. Mostly, I killed my time wandering on forums reading about other people’s applications. It wasn’t until the summer that I realized I was procrastinating. I had many many things that needed to be set as priorities such as studying for standardized tests, writing my essays, getting recommendations, etc. I ended up taking the TOEFL in October, three SAT2’s in November (for which I had to fly to HCM city because there was no space left in Hanoi), and the SAT1 in December, all of which I had to cram for. Consequently my scores weren’t that spectacular. I didn’t have time to take the SAT twice to get the highest composite score; and if I had my test results sooner, I could have applied early decision. Moral of the story: start early, pace your time, don’t, I repeat DO NOT procrastinate!!
Another tip is: register for your tests well ahead of time because those seats fill in fast (if you’re in Vietnam, that is.)

3. What are the best sources for finding out about schools?

Collegeboard.com, collegeconfidential.com, collegeprowler.com (they have special rankings for academics/night life/ food/ campus/guys/girls), Vietabroader Conference, friends.

Also, go directly to the schools’ website and find the “Request Information” page. They will mail you free brochures and view books.

4. How did you pick schools? What were your specific criteria?

Financial aid is the utmost important thing. Schools with good financial aid are usually schools with stellar academics already!
Oh and campus food, dorms, and social life, too!

5. What was the best application experience that happened to you?

Every minute was pure torture (just kidding&#33

When I received my first admittance letter, one of my feelings was of relief, while a part of me felt unworthy because I hadn’t put in my best effort. My happy ending makes me feel like I was given a second chance to try harder. I matured through the whole experience.

6. What was the worst application experience that happened to you?

Rushing to the post office 15 minutes before it closes on New Year’s Eve (imagine all the traffic.)

7. In your opinion, what are the strengths and weaknesses of your application?

It was honest though not as well prepared as I wanted it to be. I had high GPA, a lot of community service and random achievements, but nothing outstanding, thank god the admission office saw something special about me.

8. What would you have done differently during your application process?

See number 2.

9. Do you have any final words of wisdom or inspiration for future VN applicants?

See number 2. Oh and don’t break early decision contracts!

Source: VietAbroader (www.vietabroader.org)

Note: Feel free to create a link to this entry, but please do not copy or redistribute it in any form without explicit written permission from us. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

***Những topics liên quan khác***

Reflections by VietAbroader '11

Reflections by VietAbroader '09

Ask a Vietnamese Student

101 Admissions Tips from VietAbroader

Mục lục các topic hay

[KP]

ĐINH KIM ANH - BATES COLLEGE '10

Full name: Dinh Kim Anh
Hometown: Hanoi – Vietnam
High school: Bromsgrove School, UK
Colleges admitted (so far): Bates
College enrolled (if known): Bates
Prospective field of study: Economics (major) and Spanish or Chinese (minor)
Financial Aid (% of total cost): 98%
Activities (sport, leadership, etc):
- Sports: Swimming,
- School Monitor, Joint Head of House, Pupil Listener
- Activities: Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award, School Choir, Debating, Community services,

1. When and how did you decide to apply to US colleges?

- 1st attempt: 2003- I was studying in A1 Hanoi Amsterdam, applying to US colleges was a trend. Also it was an opportunity that could change your life, and there was nothing to lose, so I went for it.
- 2nd attempt: 2006- I have been studying A Level for 2 years in UK. Apart from some UK universities I applied to, I decided to apply to US colleges as they have more generous scholarships; also it is a change. Personally, I do not really like staying in the UK- it is not appealing to me.

2. When did you start your college planning? Do you think the sooner the better?

Soon as I arrived in UK, I thought about preparing for SAT and TOEFL besides getting good grades for A Level. I also got involved in a lot of school activities. I am very lucky since Bromsgrove School has been an excellent environment for studying and activities, which are compulsory. Unlike schools in VN, the academic program is so heavy that you normally don’t have time for other things, which are not really accessible anyway.

My plan for college therefore includes both academic side and activity side. You have to balance both. I got a friend in Bromsgrove, he got an unconditional offer from Cambridge, but got rejected by all US colleges. He is a genius, academically speaking; but not an active person when it comes to school activities.

Personally, I think the sooner you plan for college, the better. But it depends on what your plan consists of. TOEFL, SAT, good grades, activities, choosing colleges, etc. Apparently if your English is good, ie above 600 TOEFL, and good SAT scores, then your plan then only focuses on good grades in class, doing more outside activities, or choosing a wider range of colleges. Vietnamese students normally get prepared when they enter high school. But I think to have good English that you can be confident of, you need to study really well before that. High school academic program can be so demanding that you don’t have enough time for English and other stuff. Furthermore, the longer you take any activity, the more it shows your commitment. Don’t just wait until a few months before you apply to decide to do a community service, it may give an impression that you do it just for the application ( even though in fact you may&#33

3. What are the best sources for finding out about schools?

Usnews.com is the site I looked at to choose my schools. Then I went to the school websites and read more about them, their strengths, requirements, etc. When I read posts on HAO, I came across popular names, which also became my source.

4. How did you pick schools? What were your specific criteria?

I was really confident in myself when applying to US colleges, therefore I was a bit ambitious. I picked Columbia University, Williams, Swarthmore, Carleton, and Bates. I choose Columbia as it is in New York; I like big cities. Williams, Swarthmore and Carleton- I chose them as they have high ranking. So, my criteria really lie on the ranking. But I chose Bates as it is famous for Econ, I have heard about many successful people who graduated from Bates.

5. How did VietAbroader and Vietnamese college students help you in the process?

Honestly I did not know much about VietAbroader. But, the HAO really helped me in the process. CLB English, CLB Duhoc, etc. Successful candidates posted their essays, gave their advice/tips. It is a resourceful website for anyone wanting to apply to US colleges.

6. What was the best application experience that happened to you?

I think this attempt is my best application experience as I could appear as well rounded person. My personal statement was satisfactory as I mentioned about my experience in UK. My grades are good and my scores are satisfactory as well.

7. What was the worst application experience that happened to you?

The first attempt was the worst experience. I was aware that you got to do many things apart from good grades. My grades were really bad, I spent most of my time learning English, SAT, TOEFL, and did not focus on other subjects (my class was A1 so it was very challenging as well). Furthermore, I did not have time for other activities (personal reasons). I tried to pick up ‘flute’ but it did not work out in the end. Also, I had to write my own references as my teachers (apart from my English one ) did not know English. Personally I thought this was ridiculous.
I got interview from Wesleyan University, and chosen as an alternate if one of two candidates opt out. I reckon I missed that opportunity because during the interview they asked me if I entered a VN university if not accepted by them. I said ‘no’ coz I was going to the UK. I was honest, but tactless.

8. In your opinion, what are the strengths and weaknesses of your application?

The strengths of my application this time, as mentioned above, are the various activities I take for 2 years, plus the leadership positions I achieved in a short period of time. Also, my grades are good, 3As for Maths, Further Maths, Economic and 1 B for Politics. I got good references from my teachers and people I worked for. I think at this point Vietnamese students may be less fortunate as references from UK teachers somehow are more persuasive than Vietnamese ones?
The downside of my application is the fact that I was not really committed to it. There was a point that I got really bored with it, so the short-questions I answered very randomly. That may explain why I could not make it to Columbia (they ask me what books I like, I say Harry Potter, which is the fact, but it could have placed me in a worse position than those with Development of Freedom !!&#33 Besides my SAT scores are not good even though I got 280/300 for TOEFL, 6/6 for writing, which I guess made me to Bates, which do not require SATs. Other colleges they require high SAT scores for different subjects. I however just did Maths Level 1 and 2 for SAT II. The scores are good, 750 and 780, but they are not a variety. If you can, do different subjects, don’s just focus on one like me. I also did not prepare for SAT I ( even TOEFL) at all. There was no point preparing for TOEFL, but I did not bother to prepare for SAT, my score was not satisfactory enough. I got 750 for Maths, 570 for Writing, and 610 for Reading. I did not spend much time on my personal statement. I got all the ideas that I wanted to write about so it took me only one attempt to write it. I thought it was OK, I just can’t tell what others think about it.

9. What would you have done differently during your application process?

I would have prepared for SAT better, and answered short-questions in a more serious way, perhaps.

10. Do you have any final words of wisdom or inspiration for future VN applicants?

‘Do you like it enough?’ – I think applying to US college is a serious business, it is not the thing when you can say ‘well, there is nothing to lose anyway’- Yes, you lose many other things: time, money, etc. From my first experience, it could affect your education (you can end up being rejected and not getting to a decent VN university). I was very very lucky to get a full scholarship to Bromsgrove, or else I imagine me unable to enter Foreign Trade University, which could have been a major disaster. So, it is a calculating risk, take it when you are really ready.

Source: VietAbroader (www.vietabroader.org)

Note: Feel free to create a link to this entry, but please do not copy or redistribute it in any form without explicit written permission from us. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

***Những topics liên quan khác***

Reflections by VietAbroader '11

Reflections by VietAbroader '09

Ask a Vietnamese Student

101 Admissions Tips from VietAbroader

Mục lục các topic hay

[KP]

NGUYỄN HƯƠNG QUỲNH TRANG - HARVARD '10

Full name: Nguyen Huong Quynh Trang
Hometown: Saigon
High school: Hanoi International School
Colleges admitted (so far): Harvard, Dartmouth, Wesleyan
College enrolled (if known): Harvard
Prospective field of study: Mathematics
Financial Aid (% of total cost): 100%
Activities (sport, leadership, etc):
- Dancing in numerous performances (Salsa, Mambo, Swing, Reggae, Tango, Waltz, Twist, Rock and Roll, Jazz, Meringué, and traditional Vietnamese, Indian, Thai, Philipo…)
- Acting in productions of the Hanoi International Theatre Society (with adults)
- Student Council (Secretary, Treasurer, Public Relations Officer, Class Representative)
- Varsity Basketball and Volleyball
- Friendship Village (rehabilitation centre for children suffering from Agent Orange)
- Operation Smile (raising money and awareness towards free operations for children with cleft lip and pallet; attended the College Leadership Conference)
- School House Captain

1. When and how did you decide to apply to US colleges?

I decided to apply to US colleges since grade 11. Why? Because it’s the land of opportunities. Many of the top US colleges offer the most generous scholarships while the flexibility of its curriculum means that we don’t have to decide on our major until the end of the second year. You can also take such absurd and diverse topics that you have always been curious about but never have the chance to study. These courses do not have to be related to your major at all.

2. When did you start your college planning? Do you think the sooner the better?

As most of my contemporaries must have been saying, I fully recommend that you start your college planning as early as possible. I wish I had. I only started my college search in grade 11 and so missed some SAT test dates that year. If you can manage it, take the tests at the end of your 11th year so you’ll have the whole summer to study everything again to retake them in grade 12, if needed. Also start studying vocabulary for SAT as soon as possible and preferably a little bit every night. I stopped studying for a few weeks so found myself forgetting most of it when I started studying again. It’s best if you do it regularly. Don’t leave everything until the last minute.
Don’t procrastinate! I myself procrastinated with the essays and waited till the last day to submit them online or postmarked. If this happens to you, don’t read your essays again or else you’ll find mistakes and it will only make you feel worse.
Also write down a summary of all the deadlines so you won’t miss any of them. Believe me, it gets really confusing when you apply to a lot of schools.

3. What are the best sources for finding out about schools?

• Vietabroader: I find VA more helpful and personal than some of the more popular forums like CollegeConfidential as it is specifically for Vietnamese students. From VA you can contact current students and ask questions about the schools. It also links you to a strong network of Vietnamese students studying in the States who can help you settle in once you are there.
• Rankings: This may be helpful when you begin your college planning. Just search “university rankings” on any search engine, skim through the different lists and eventually you’ll find a general trend. Try starting with USNews ranking. However, don’t base your final decisions solely on these rankings.
• Official Websites of Colleges: Students in Vietnam do not have the chance to visit each individual school in the States to find the right ‘match’, so the only way to learn about the school is through their websites. Read about the major you want to study, the activities and opportunities offered in campus, financial aid policies, or anything else! Although the whole process may be really time consuming, your work will eventually pay off in the end when the fat acceptance envelopes role in.
• IIE: go there for the initial introduction about education in the States, ask advice, and borrow books. Its all free! The people working there are extremely helpful. One of the staff spent hours advising and checking my essays
• Collegeboard: Here you can find summaries of the schools and make comparisons.

4. How did you pick schools? What were your specific criteria?

It depends on each individual’s preferences. I based my choices on ranks (on USNews), the rate of acceptance and SAT range (on Collegeboard) to have an idea of my chance of being admitted. My final acceptances, however, contradicted these predictions. I also looked at the mathematics department, research opportunities, size of the college and the community around it. What community would you like to live in for 4 years of college? Urban or rural? How much competition do you like? Worried about low SATs? There are some schools that does not require SAT as well. I also preferred schools using the Common Application and schools that do not require specific essays, reducing the total number of essays I have to write.

5. How did VietAbroader and Vietnamese college students help you in the process?

VA had been incredibly helpful to me in the application process. It is probably the first website I check every time I go online. Vietnamese college students that I contacted through this network had been very willing to help. They answered my questions so quickly and comprehensively. Their encouraging words assured me that it is not impossible to get into one of the top schools. Through them I can also know more about the school environment, something that the official school website cannot convey. Also, when I got my acceptances and can only choose one college, they gave me vital insights to their schools while at the same time spoke highly of the other colleges. By September, I will fly to US, confident that I have a strong network of ‘brothers and sisters’ waiting for me, I am be alone.

6. What was the best application experience that happened to you?

The whole application process gave me the chance to reflect upon myself, my dreams, limits, and capabilities, something I wouldn’t have to the time to think about otherwise. I also found myself more mature as I have to better manage my time and know my goals. Most importantly, I made a lot of new friends from different schools and through the VA network.

7. What was the worst application experience that happened to you?

The worst experience was probably sitting hours in front of the computer rewriting my essays over and over again but never really satisfied with it.

8. In your opinion, what are the strengths and weaknesses of your application?

I think my weakness is my essays. Some of them are above the word limit and not as interesting as some others I found posted on VA.

I am almost absolutely certain that my strength lies in the interviews. After all, I’ve been admitted only to the three schools I was interviewed! No more, no less. I think what makes me different from other applicants is that I am a girl who is passionate about numbers while also a keen dancer. I am considering looking for a relationship between the two distinct concepts of mathematics and dance. I also got high scores in the math section of the SAT and received several math awards.

9. What would you have done differently during your application process?

I would have started much earlier and not procrastinate writing my essays until the last minute. I wish I spent more time during the summer studying vocabulary for the SAT Reasoning test.

10. Do you have any final words of wisdom or inspiration for future VN applicants?

Dare to dream, for it might as well come true! Getting into one of the top schools is not impossible as it may seem. There is no specific formula or explanation for where you get admitted. I got denied to all of my ‘safe’ schools with seemingly high admittance rates.

Until only a couple of weeks before the Early Action deadline, I never considered applying to Harvard because I deemed it impossible; after all it’s the most prestigious university in the world with an incredibly low admittance rate and exceptionally smart students. But then one day, just for the ‘fun’ of it, I went on to the school’s website, browsed around for a while and within one afternoon decided to apply Early Action. I admit that it was a really brave decision. But if you really love a school, just go for it, or you wouldn’t have another chance to try. You never know what might to happen.
I nearly gave up on Harvard when I heard the news that I missed one SAT Subject Test, which would mean that I was deferred to the regular action pool. Was the money and effort of studying another test just for a school that was ‘impossible’ to get into worth it? Yes it was. Don’t give your dream up. If the school mails to ask for missing materials, respond as soon as possible. They have a lot of applications to go through and would really appreciate it if you get things in quickly. I made the decision and immediately registered for the French subject test before there was no space left, and then I informed the admissions officer of my plans.

Don’t give up hope when you are deferred from the early action pool. According to the admissions officer, the rate of acceptance of deferred applicants is similar to those applying regular. Think of it this way; being deferred gives you another chance to try again. Update your file with new achievements, try even harder for higher grades in school or SATs, or send new essays (the ones you wrote for Regular Action) or research papers. Send supplementary materials that would make you different from the other applicants. You can send in just about anything that will fit in the postal mail. Poems, tapes of you singing, art portfolios. Anything. Just make it as personal and unique as possible. I sent a DVD of a salsa dance performance in a community theatre production and a research paper on the use of prime numbers and modular arithmetic in public key cryptography. A word of caution, don’t overdo it by sending too much and some schools, like Stanford, explicitly state that they don’t want supplementary materials.

Don’t get pulled off by low SAT scores either. I was only on the 63rd percentile on the SAT French test, but apparently it doesn’t matter. It is not impossible to get into a top college as it sounds.

American colleges seem to really love extracurricular activities. Find something you are really passionate about and pursue it. As Vietnamese schools don’t organize a lot of activities or after-school clubs, take the initiative and, with a group of friends, put together your own club. Try to do things beyond your school community as well. Maybe find something unusual and unique. You know what, I wish I knew how to play a classical Vietnamese instrument, “da`n ba`u” or something. Maybe the admissions committee would really love to have one played at their college. But this is only my opinion and is not based on any past experiences.

If you are doing the International Baccalaureate (IB), try to get most of your Internal Assessments, Extended Essay, TOK essay finished (at least first draft) and fulfill your CAS requirements with a lot of extracurricular activities in grade 11. The second year of IB is probably the most rigorous year (teachers say it is even more intense than first year university) so you’d want to cut down on extracurricular activities to focus on the final exam and have time to take SATs and write essays for college.

I did not get the highest SAT scores nor wrote the most interesting essays. Maybe there was something in me that the admissions committee liked, something I did not know of. Maybe there is this “something” in you as well. So just apply to your dream school. You have nothing to lose, give yourself a chance. Best of luck.

Source: VietAbroader (www.vietabroader.org)

Note: Feel free to create a link to this entry, but please do not copy or redistribute it in any form without explicit written permission from us. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

***Những topics liên quan khác***

Reflections by VietAbroader '11

Reflections by VietAbroader '09

Ask a Vietnamese Student

101 Admissions Tips from VietAbroader

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[KP]

LÊ QUỲNH PHƯƠNG - CONNECTICUT COLLEGE '10

Full name: Le Quynh Phuong
Hometown: Ha Noi
High school: Hanoi-Amsterdam High School
College enrolled: Connecticut College
Prospective field of study: maybe I’ll try with Chinese, Human Development and Economics
Financial Aid (Yes/No): Yes
High school activities: Community Service Organizer, Music Festivals Organizer, 88&Life Super-moderator, Hanoi-Amsterdam Rock Club Deputy-leader, Student Business Group

1. When and how did you decide to apply to US colleges?

I first came to know the phrase “study in US” when I was at grade 9. At that time, my sister decided to go to US as an exchange student. But it’s Mr. Nghiem that motivated and inspired to apply to US colleges. I was attracted by his stories about US, and after talking with my sister and parents, I knew that US is the place I aim. A freaky girl who can’t coincide her interest and potentials like me finds liberal arts colleges a big fit. Moreover, besides study, I need parties and cool activities to get me out of stress. Conclusively, US is the place to develop a total me.

2. When did you start your college planning? Do you think the sooner the better?

I started my college search at the end of grade 10 and it cost me about 1 year to decide the schools I want (due to the dial-up Internet access then). During that time, I concentrated on studying TOEFL (honestly, I hardly know anything about SAT till summer 2004) and found ideas for my essay.

I’m actually a procrastinating person; my stat ain’t as good as others. Therefore, my most hearted advice is: Start your process AS SOON AS POSSIBLE: search schools, select schools, study for tests and exams, brainstorm essays........ The more time you have, the more efforts you’ll make. The more efforts you make, the more success you’ll get.
Applicants should be guided about studying abroad and start all the process at grade 10 or even sooner.

3. What are the best sources for finding out about schools?

- I use the US News Rank to find the schools and come to collegeboard.com to get some basic facts. Then I’ll come directly to the schools’ website and check them out.

- I suggest you should not trust ranks; they can’t reflect the whole school. As for me, the only use of ranks is find the schools’ name among 4000 universities and colleges in US.

- There are some cool sites like collegeconfidential.com or studentsreview.com where you can see students/alumnae comment on their schools. You’ll get a clearer view on the schools than their self-praises and ranks.

- “Rumors” are sometimes useful. Knowing something about the schools’ policy, such as “The school is mean” or “They don’t like Vietnamese” may make you think twice. But that doesn’t mean you’ll give up right away. You lost nothing (but money for EMS ) if you try.

- PrincetonReview is a friendly website. It has Counselor-O-Matic that helps to find the schools that match you. You will find schools that may be not well-known but a good fit for you. But remember, machines should never be compared to humans. Believe it or not, the results says that Harvard is my reach school :p.

4. How did you pick schools? What were your specific criteria?

To us Vietnamese students, financial aid appears to be the one of the most important factors. “It’s hard to attract others unless you have money to offer them”. For example, University of California is a prestigious one, but once I saw it says “We don’t offer finaid for int’ students”, I signed out of the website immediately and never returned.

But from some people’s experiences, I think don’t let the money (and the ranks) blind you. There are many factors of the schools that you should take into serious consideration.

- Academics: glimpse the syllabus of the schools’ subjects. I gave up some schools when I realized they are too over-whelming for me. Besides, if you have intended major, double check if the schools are strong at the major.

- Location: some thought that location doesn’t matter much, but it does. Remember, that’s the place where you’ll spend 4 years.
+ Weather (especially important to those who are allergic to changes of weather)
+ Living environment: when my American interviewer advised me not to go to the West as people there are rather discriminating, I quitted all West schools. LE is not very much important, but I think it’ll count.
- School’s Activities - through which you will demonstrate and develop your abilities and skills and talents. I like Conncoll as its jazz band is very cool, I like Lehigh as its newspaper is dynamic.............etc.....These activities fit my personality.

5. How did VietAbroader and Vietnamese college students help you in the process?

The “Admission Officer” was of great use to me during my process, especially the Essays and College Admission boxes. I’ve learned a lot from the essays of predecessors (writing skills and some tips) and got a lot of useful information from experts. The “Ask A Vietnamese student” helped me much in my final school choice. And in those *fire* April days, VA has been the place where I have found consolation and congratulations ^_^. VA is a close community ^_^.

6. What was the best application experience that happened to you?

Failures. In everything. My standardized test results ain’t up to my expectation. My first essay faced many <chê bai> and I have to redo it over and over. 3 schools dumped me before CC admitted me. At first I was very discouraged. But then, I figured out one thing that US is not the only way for my future, it’s just one of my greatest dreams; and that I’ll face many other worse failures in life. I turned to plan B: preparing for the university entrance exam and restarting my school searching process. I advised myself, “Failures have their own use. They motivate us to try harder and harder for next year’s revenge”.
However, the day after, I received the admittance letter with full financial aid package. I felt like little Alice ^_^. It is an unforgettable moment that anyone should experience .

Anyway, writing essay was the most exciting part. I traveled throughout my 17 years to see what’s the most important things in my life. I was led to many meaningful things that I thought were trivia and tiny...........I had the chance to get closer to myself.

7. What was the worst application experience that happened to you?

Uhm......stress and stress and stress.
My parents encouraged me to study in US, but they don’t assure it (for example if I got admitted but had to pay much money, they wouldn’t be able to afford). Therefore, along with applying to US, I still have to study for the university entrance exam. It was over-whelming; imagine after fighting with the long CR, I continued with the Literature lectures.......Besides, I’m not good at time-management ==> more stress =_=.

And, procrastinating as I was, I almost got crazy. I’m the kind of person who likes to have have things done by deadlines. This is somehow useful, but of course, detrimental.

So my best advice, again, is: do things as soon as possible. And learn to balance your life .

8. In your opinion, what are the strengths and weaknesses of your application?

Strengths:
- My extracurricular activities ain’t much, but they show my deep dedication: Rock music and community services. I think they somehow reflect my personality.
- I self-wrote my letters of recommendation, but based on the truth with very little exaggeration. The admission officers can see the commality between what people say about me and what I show them. I also have peer recommendation from my administrator.
- Especially for Conncoll: I sent them a beautiful picture of the Camel.
- My GPA is not admirable, but there is progress in my study achievement ^_^.
- I have 2 interviews with Conncoll; and I think the latter is rather good.
- My essay is not outstanding. It’s very simple with no big words (my mother who just know “tiếng Anh bồi” understands most of it) and very honest. It shows a different person of mine. And IMO, it’s cool in some way.

Weaknesses:
- As I said above: Procrastinating. I only concentrated on my essay 2-3 days before the deadline. It is badly-edited, and maybe contains a bunch of mistakes.
- Standardized tests.

9. What would you have done differently during your application process?

I wouldn’t think much of admission officers when writing essays. I would have the chance to be more open and show more real myself. Besides, I would make my application more impressive and cooler.

10. Do you have any final words of wisdom or inspiration for future VN applicants?

- For the “Why XYZ” essay, you should have a fundamental “sườn bài” for all essays. Then, find unique characters of the schools and personalize your essay. It will save you time but still ensure you a cool essay.
- Join extracurricular activities (ECA) with all your heart. Don’t think of ECA just as ornaments for your application. You’ll find ECA meaningful not only to your community, but also for YOURSELF very very much.
- Send supplemental materials, like creative writings, music samples, or some newspaper on which your name appears......... these plays a definite role in your application consideration. Anyway, send your “inventions” if you think they can stand out, as US students are also very talented and creative.
- US colleges highly appreciate dignity. Therefore: don’t lie (or at least don’t let them know you’re lying :p). Don’t do “illegal” things like break ED or ED more than one school at the same time. Don’t write your name and your following generations on the blacklist.
- Choose the school to enroll in with careful and serious consideration.
- Prepare for yourself facts about studying in US --- don’t mistaken colleges as “cao đẳng” -_- for example.
- Don’t be too sad if you’re dumped.................as in life there are always worse rejections (as anh Khoa said ).......As long as you’ve tried your best - you don’t have to regret.
- Don’t think of studying US as a too high aim. It deserves your try ^_^.
- Join Du hoc-HAO and VA ^_^.

Source: VietAbroader (www.vietabroader.org)

Note: Feel free to create a link to this entry, but please do not copy or redistribute it in any form without explicit written permission from us. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

***Những topics liên quan khác***

Reflections by VietAbroader &#39;11

Reflections by VietAbroader &#39;09

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101 Admissions Tips from VietAbroader

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[KP]

LÊ THU PHƯƠNG - ST. LAWRENCE UNIVERSITY &#39;10

Full name: Le Thu Phuong
Hometown: Hanoi
High school: Hanoi Amsterdam High School
College enrolled: St. Lawrence University
Prospective field of study: Economics/Environmental Studies
Financial Aid: Yes
Activities (sport, leadership, etc): 4 year of volunteer, VA Conference deep involvement, school festival coordinator => my leadership counts the most

1. When and how did you decide to apply to US colleges?

When I was at 8th grade, I browsed Duke’s and UC Berkeley’s websites. At that time, I was sure I would go abroad for an education. In grade 10th, I know US is where I am gonna be.

I did not have much guidance from parents and relatives. My parents know nothing about study abroad with scholarships and they intend to send me to US’s community college with the guardianship of my relatives. I am used to do everything on my own including searching on the internet, buying books, establishing connections and networks, starting up ventures and activities..I am kinda named “the strategy planner” by my closest friend although I have not succeeded very much so far.. sigh

2. When did you start your college planning? Do you think the sooner the better?

In the summer of 2005, I started choosing college. I spent too much time in it, though, and actually I did not do it in the right and less time-consuming way. I think juniors who already chose their colleges are in a right schedule and they’d better start working on their application in the summer.

3. What are the best sources for finding out about schools?

Schools’ website – of course beginners don’t have experience to see through tons of marketing inforMATION that the PR department threw in. So I suggest www.studentsreview.com, campusdirt.com, usnews, Ask a Vietnamese students, since every reviews are subjective, the more you read the better &#33;

4. How did you pick schools? What were your specific criteria?

I omit the top ten of every rank, and begin searching about each school turn by turn.

I list several criteria but did not follow them at all&#33; First off, it should be FINANCIAL AID. Then, admission stats, students must find out their CHANCES of getting in based on that school’s former class’s stats and that school’s history of admitting Vietnamese students. Last but but least, DO YOU MATCH THOSE SCHOOL? You must figure out abt the school’s location, college life, student body… everything&#33; Be specific and reallll choosy&#33;

5. How did VietAbroader and Vietnamese college students help you in the process?

Vietabroaders’ website? 50%. Vietaboader website and its people? 80%. I would like to express my greateset gratitude to anh Khoa, chi Trang, anh Viet, anh HLVHung who post such high quality articles and more importantly, who exchanged countless emails with me, gave me advices, listened to my problems, laughing with me, and proofread my essays. I have never known I can have such great friendship and support via emails and a website &#33;

6. What was the best application experience that happened to you?

Even though things did not work out between me and Miss Smith, I did contact the person who is in charge of Smith’s most interesting community service activity. She wrote back to me and I found out Karen, who is in charge of intel’ , were very active in that activity. I had the chance to talk with Karen and make an impression but hell yeah I missed it. Ppl, start everything EARLY

7. What was the worst application experience that happened to you?

Be careful and have ALL important emails proofread if possible&#33;

8. In your opinion, what are the strengths and weaknesses of your application?

My leadership counts the most. The weakness is my average scores at school. It’s the same problem of many applicants from my class. We got the toughest teachers in our high school&#33;

9. What would you have done differently during your application process?

START EARLIER. BE WILD AND MORE CREATIVE.

10. Do you have any final words of wisdom or inspiration for future VN applicants?

Well, luck comes to people who search for them.


Source: VietAbroader (www.vietabroader.org)

Note: Feel free to create a link to this entry, but please do not copy or redistribute it in any form without explicit written permission from us. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

***Những topics liên quan khác***

Reflections by VietAbroader &#39;11

Reflections by VietAbroader &#39;09

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101 Admissions Tips from VietAbroader

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[KP]

HỒ LÊ VIỆT LONG - LAFAYETTE COLLEGE &#39;10

Full name: Ho Le Viet Long
Hometown: Hanoi
High school: Hanoi Amsterdam High School
Colleges admitted (so far): Lafayette College, Gustavus Adolphus College, Illinois Wesleyan University
College enrolled (if known): Lafayette College
Prospective field of study: Education, Economics, International Relations, East Asian Studies…
Financial Aid (% of total cost): 96%
Activities (sport, leadership, etc): IT Tutor, News Translator, Swimming, Student Org, Gym, Chemistry Festival, Voice of Ams

1. When and how did you decide to apply to US colleges?

Ever since my brother got a scholarship to Colgate University, my family has always guided me to follow his footsteps. Well, at first, studying abroad seems to be a little vague to me as I could not imagine how wonderful the studying and living environments in the US were. After my brother’s freshman year, he came back and brought so so many great things from his college including postcards, pictures, accessories and a Creative Mp3 Player for me. Hearing him telling about his life in the US has encouraged me so much to pursue this dream.

2. When did you start your college planning? Do you think the sooner the better?

Actually I started my college planning right after I took the TOEFL test: March 2005. As I said, at first I just concentrated on the TOEFL test without knowing anything about the US Colleges and Universities. After receiving the satisfactory TOEFL test scores, I began to visit some forums and discovered that there were so many things to do and I wished I had known them earlier. Thus, the sooner you begin, the better you can prepare&#33; Remember to keep yourself updated, too.

3. What are the best sources for finding out about schools?

Well, I believe most Vietnamese applicants mainly based on the US News Ranking. This service is quite comprehensive, providing various kinds of useful information including financial aid, acceptance rate, campus life… But its weak point is the REVIEW. There is no school review on the US News. Thus, thanks to my Dartmouth 2010 buddy, he has shared some quite useful review websites such as CollegeProwler, TeenInk… Numbers and ranks cannot determine which colleges are best fit for you, but Reviews can. You should read what current students say about their colleges.
Unfortunately these reviews are made by CollegeProwler writers or US students, thus sometimes they cannot be used for Vietnamese students. Therefore, you should also visit the VietAbroader forum to see what Vietnamese students talk about their colleges.

Don’t hesitate to add foreign Vietnamese students to your YM. I myself have created a long list of them. Some are quite helpful and hospitable but some are so busy that it would take them a few days for the answer.

When you’ve created your college list, visit the US foreign students lists on HAO, find their emails and ask questions ^ ^ If you have some questions that you cannot find on those websites, just contact the International Admission Officer of that college. You know, sometimes experiences cannot be applied to everybody. There sure are some special cases.

4. How did you pick schools? What were your specific criteria?

I believe the college ranks contain many things. High-ranking colleges are famous, thus their financial budget tend to be better. But you should also research their history: How many Vietnamese students they have admitted so far/each year? How much financial aid they usually give/Are they generous? What were the stats of current Vietnamese students there? Were there any special cases (low scores/normal essays still got in…)?...

As my brother often told me, top 10 schools tend to be weird and unpredictable, yet lower-ranking colleges tend to be more consistent. Take my brother’s university: Colgate University. From my obsservation and my brother’s experience, Colgate University needs good numbers: SAT, TOEFL, SAT 2, GPA. On the contrary, Williams, Swarthmore, Vassar, Bowdoin… tend to focus on the “personal aspect” of the application forms: essays, activities, work experience, supplemental materials…

5. How did VietAbroader and Vietnamese college students help you in the process?

Vietabroader college students are helpful as they have provided me with various sources of information. They also encourage me to discover on myself as they do not want me to be so dependent. I believe they are trying their best to improve this forum by providing as many insights and experiences as possible.

6. What was the best application experience that happened to you?

Well, I did have a chance to think of myself thoroughly, about what I’m going to do, my intended major and future career. Getting to know myself better has helped me a lot with my essays. I believe they have reflected the real me.

I also got a chance to know many older “brothers and sisters”, legendary Vietnamese students and friends. I also feel grateful for having such a great brother. I used to think of him as a insensitive guy but this cruel challenge has proved that he is a credible, helpful instructor and the best older brother in this world.

7. What was the worst application experience that happened to you?

The worst thing was the things I had to give up: Games, TV, Movies… I feel that this cruel admission process has destroyed my senses of movies and games. I was so surprised when discovered that I do not feel anything for them right now. Have I become a bookworm or a robot?

8. In your opinion, what are the strengths and weaknesses of your application?

I think my strengths are the supplemental essays, an upward GPA transcript and a satisfactory TOEFL test scores. I have spent the whole summer working on the High School Syllabus with my two friends and luckily I did have a chance to give it to Dean Barry, Dean of Admission of Lafayette College. This Syllabus is as thick as a guidance book, but Barry has encouraged me so much that I’ve fell in love with Lafayette since that interview.

Besides, I have taken Bowdoin essay as a supplemental essay to send to my colleges. Coincidentally, that essay also polishes my 1st Prize in the Ams Cooking Contest. I did attach some photos of what I’ve made in that Contest in the email sent to the colleges.

^ ^ Wait a minute; I believe there is 1 more thing: the interview. I wonder if I could ever get into Lafayette without that interview. As a talkative person, I have talked so many things with Dean Barry and so did he. The interview is just like a chat and it was really fun. Without any pressure, I believe I have fully expressed myself in that talk.

The weaknesses in my application forms are that SAT Scores, recommendation letters and the “Why XYZ” essay. I took the SAT 2 times but did not make any improvement. My recommendation letters are just normal. I did not spend much time on the “Why XYZ” essay as I often wrote it just 2 days before the deadlines, due to my bad researching skill. I did not find any clear differences among the colleges in my list, so I just did as Legendary Chi Mai had told me: One for all.

9. What would you have done differently during your application process?

I would have started to finish my college lists and essays earlier, and spent the rest of 12th grade just on proofreading.

10. Do you have any final words of wisdom or inspiration for future VN applicants?

- Start your application process as soon as possible. Writing an essay is fast but to complete it does take a lot of time
- BE ACTIVE, talk more, do more. Just throw yourself in some activities and I’m sure you will find it somehow interesting. Don’t forget to play sports. Anyway, the most precious thing is always your health.
- Sleep AT LEAST 7 HOURS A DAY&#33; Really, don’t try too hard; you have a whole life to enjoy.
- Apply to colleges that accept many Vietnamese applicants such as Mt Holyoke, Lafayette…
- Always have a safety plan, US is not your final destination, your ultimate goal, it is your future.
- Be wise, you do not always have to apply to the US when you finish high school. Just take your chance when you’re well-prepared, or it’ll lead to negative effects.
- Be sure to thoroughly know about your family’s financial capabilities&#33;
- “An application is a balance” – Dean Barry – if you got unsatisfactory scores, try to personalize your application and vice versa.
- Do not use FedEx or DHL unless it is an emergency, they’re expensive&#33; Just use EMS ^^
- And finally, don’t be a laid-back student. What you learn at your Vietnamese high school is still helpful in your freshman, even the 1st semester of your sophomore year (my brother told me so). Don’t lose your focus on Math, Physics and Chemistry. Vietnamese students are famous for these subjects.


Source: VietAbroader (www.vietabroader.org)

Note: Feel free to create a link to this entry, but please do not copy or redistribute it in any form without explicit written permission from us. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

***Những topics liên quan khác***

Reflections by VietAbroader &#39;11

Reflections by VietAbroader &#39;09

Ask a Vietnamese Student

101 Admissions Tips from VietAbroader

Mục lục các topic hay

[KP]

PHẠM DUY KHÁNH - CONNECTICUT COLLEGE &#39;10

Full name: Pham Duy Khanh
Hometown: Hanoi
High school: Hanoi – Amsterdam for the Gifted
Colleges admitted (so far): Wabash College, Connecticut College
College enrolled (if known): Connecticut College
Prospective field of study: Nothing in particular. I enroll Connecticut because it is “truly liberal”. I can pursue a career in Television Field after taking a combination of writing courses and course at “Ammerman Center for Arts & Technology” Center.
Financial Aid: Yes
Activities (sport, leadership, etc): President of Students’ Organization; School Radio Host, Television Show Host Experience, Art Performing, Swimming, Gym, Magazine Model, Work Experience as Chemistry Tutor, Waiter, Organizing Club for ICED Company.

1. When and how did you decide to apply to US colleges?

Late of junior class.

2. When did you start your college planning? Do you think the sooner the better?

Right after I planned to study abroad. Of course the sooner the better.

3. What are the best sources for finding out about schools?

From College Board, Vietabroader, Google, CLB Du hoc Ams, from my super cool friend Viet Long who has a experienced brother – Viet Hung.

4. How did you pick schools? What were your specific criteria?

Choose the school that may like you. Don’t choose the school that is too high for you. Some school value academic record rather than extra-curricular, some reverse. I am good at extra-curricular so I picked schools that like such students. How do you know which school likes which type of student? Well, the simple way is to ask Vietnamese student there. In my Interview with Mr Donald Peppard (Conncoll) I ask him what he is looking for in a Vietnamese student. You could also ask the students the admission office.

Besides, classify the colleges into different groups, according to their difficulty and SAT range. Apply to ones that fit your SAT range (maybe a little smaller)

5. How did VietAbroader and Vietnamese college students help you in the process?

I have know many great Vietnamese students, and they helped me a lot. I ask for help from Khoa Pham (Bates), Ngoc Ly (Lafay), Thuy Lan (Lafay). They’re really helpful and benevolent.

6. What was the best application experience that happened to you?

I got great scores after hard-working. SAT I and II are both okay.

I got accepted by both Wabash and Conncoll in the same day after a serious stress. I didn’t receive any good thing until 31/3. So don’t panic if your results are late.

7. What was the worst application experience that happened to you?

Taking the SAT I for the first time, I was so careless that I worked on wrong section. My first SAT was terrifying.

8. In your opinion, what are the strengths and weaknesses of your application?

The strength of my application is the extra-curricular. I have plenty of extra-curricular and I have proofs for those. I sent a video clip I made myself. It includes many activities I have joined. Also, I have a research project with Viet Long, “High School Syllabus”. Last year, Chi Mai had written but only a few pages, now we redid it and extended it content. I have a lot of prizes in academic and also a “certificate of merit” from “TW Doan Thanh Nien” – national merit certificate.

My weakness is TOEFL and my common essay. The TOEFL is not very high. And the common essay is a little boring.

9. What would you have done differently during your application process?

I want to ED 1 to Lafayette College while I was totally unready. So I submitted a first draft of a super boring essay to Lafayette. No wonder why they rejected me.

I also sent that essay to 5 other colleges by Commonapp.org because I thought I wouldn’t have to re-write the essay. Well, rewrite the essay until you satisfy. Don’t be lazy.

10. Do you have any final words of wisdom or inspiration for future VN applicants?

Conncoll, Dickinson love EDers. Wabash needs more than 8K. Lafayette is very generous, so it’ll be okay if you contribute 1K or 9K, they just don’t care. Colgate likes “good-graders”. Gustavas, Illinois Wesleyan are worth considering; they may accept you with a considerable financial aid. Don’t bother trying Trinity College. Sewanee needs you to send your transcript to some stupid organization.

About your transcript, try as hard as you can to have a good transcript. In my opinion, transcript is very important. I am not a brilliant student with all-A grades, but I kept my scores increased every year.

About the SAT, you know when I’m still in Vietnam, you can always borrow my books. I have plenty of TOEFL (which should be tossed away since you guys will have to take new TOEFL) and SAT. I have many books in English, mainly fiction. Read as much as you can to increase your reading ability. Students in Hanoi can purchase English books in Sunhabasa – Hai Ba Trung Street with only 37.000/a classic book; if you like temporary literature, then come to BOOKWORM at NGO VAN SO Street.
About listening, watch TV, listen to music, and take listening-speaking course. It’s helpful.

I always wish to add to my extra-curricular or have something unique. You could learn to play guitar, take some jobs, learn another language, show off yourself.

Source: VietAbroader (www.vietabroader.org)

Note: Feel free to create a link to this entry, but please do not copy or redistribute it in any form without explicit written permission from us. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

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[KP]

LÊ BÁ NAM ANH - DARTMOUTH &#39;10

Full name: Le Ba Nam Anh
Hometown: Hanoi
High school: Hanoi-Amsterdam High School
Colleges admitted (so far): Dartmouth College, Bard College, Georgetown College(all ED and EA)
College enrolled (if known): Dartmouth College
Prospective field of study: Anything that leads to a career in banking
Financial Aid (% of total cost): 97%
Activities (sport, leadership, etc):
1. President of the volunteer group for the phoneline service that gives advice to teenagers.
2. Head of volunteer group to the SOS village
3. Play basketball, clarinet (instrument)
4. Class president
5. Internship at the Fulbright school of economics in HCM city (a branch of Harvard Kennedy school of government) during summer 2005. ------&#62; distinguishing aspect of my application.

1. When and how did you decide to apply to US colleges?

Fortunately, I had the privilege to spend my junior high school year in the US. After 3 years living in the US, I loved the diversity, the people, the creativity, and promised to myself and to my friends that I would one day return to this country. Since then, I have made it my goal to return to the US, not as a little boy traveling along with his dad, but as a college student. So, my passion for US colleges sprouted from quite early on, all the way back to 8th grade. There was more to my decision, though. I thought the Vietnamese education system didn’t correlate with my style of learning. There were things I had to reluctantly adjust to- I just found myself uncomfortable in this environment.

2. When did you start planning your college planning? Do you think the sooner the better?

Approximately May of my junior year when I began preparing for the SAT 1 test in June. Ideally, I think April or May of your 11th grade is a favorable time to start your campaign for college. At this time, school year virtually ends so high school juniors can concentrating on their US colleges’ research and and indulging themselves in the gruesome SAT preparation. However, gaining an advanced understanding of how the American application process works is also advantageous towards an applicant’ long term plan, especially in terms of extracurricular activities.

3. What are the best sources for finding out about schools?

Always start with the school’s website. Visit it as soon as you develop an interest in the school, explore the school’s campus to get a feel of what it’s like to be there.Next, talk to students who are currently attending the school you are looking at (VietAbroader is an optimal platform for this as there is an array of schools that VietAbroader members enroll). After you have done all this, this is a few site that will supply you with rankings and comments from US students on specific schools. Here is the list of website:

- www.usnews.com
- www.campusdirt.com
- www.studentsreview.com
- The Princeton 345 best colleges

Although rankings should be viewed with a healthy degree of speculation, it is nevertheless a benchmark against which we can compare different schools. Be sure, though, that you do not rely entirely on colleges and universities rankings to select schools. Aim for the school that matches your personality more. Remember, you are spending 4 years of your youth there. You want to graduate from the school acknowledging that it was the best 4 years of your life, not the worse regret.

4. How did you pick schools? What were your specific criteria?

As mentioned above, I picked my school virtually on the correlation between by character and that of the school. Take Dartmouth for example. Prior to my school researching, I had always wanted to attend a school in the countryside for a change of pace. My whole life has been in the city, I thought something new might be nice. With that in mind, I narrowed down my choices to those schools which reside in the countryside. Being the active person I am, I could never keep myself in my room reading books and doing homework. Hence, a school with an exciting social life will be a plus. Yet, I don’t want to spend all my 4 years wastefully on enjoying myself, given that I want a high-paying job in the banking industry, the school would have to be academically stellar as well. In addition to that, it should also be a familiar recruiting destination for banks. After considering all the above aspects, I finally arrived at a number of schools. What then, brought me to my final decision to apply ED to Dartmouth. It was after talking to Mr. Tuan Anh, a current Dartmouth student. I liked this guy a lot and perhaps he was the decisive factor. The student body of the school you intend to apply should matter a lot when choosing schools.

5. How did VietAbroader and Vietnamese college students help you during the process?

A lot. The experience they shared and the discussions we all had on Vietabroader handed me an invaluable insight into the admission game. I learned the tricks, the secrets to unlock the door to American Universities. Definitely, it was an indispensable support throughout my application process. Many thanks to all VietAbroader members, especially Mr. Tuan Anh from Dartmouth and anh Khoa of Bates. Your advice lead me through and shed light on this unfamiliar territory that I entered.

6. What was the best application experience that happened to you?

I had two actually, one in December and one at the end of March. December 5th, 10 days to go before I received the verdict of my ED application for Dartmouth. I was a nervous wreck. Mr. Tuan Anh added to the already rising anxiety by tipping me off a Vietnamese admittance in the ED round. He then told me the name of a girl from A2 that was accepted.I virtually broke down. All was lost. I had to restart with everyone else. Another 4 grueling months was in sight. I remembered it was 3: 30 in the afternoon when I was chatting with Tuan Anh and he began to laugh out loud at my disappointment. “I never met a Dartmouth student as depressed as you right now. I think they should review your application once again.” For a moment, I was psyched. Does this mean I was in. And then: “ Congrat kid, you made it. I’m proud of you” You cannot imagine what happened next. I went crazy. I turned on the music as loud as possible and started punching with all my force at the wall. The pain didn’t come until I finally calmed down. It truly was a moment to cherish.

Then there was the time in March when a wave of decision letters and emails made their way to Vietnam. I can still remember waking up one morning, rushing to class, shouted in the face with “Bom, I AM ACCEPTED”. We hugged, and I felt for them too-all the joy, the excitement, and the vision for a bright future awaiting ahead. We went through this together and now everyone was through. Finally, our fantasy of a reunion in the US is now a reality. It was happy moment for all of us. True, the process was demanding and rigorous, but just wait until decision time, it is very rewarding.

7. What was the worst application experience that happened to you?

There was none, I was lucky. I thought it was quite smooth, nothing too rough. If I were to name one, perhaps those time when I had to stay up very late fighting with SAT I and II, waking up the next day to a 5 hours of intensive class periods. It was shortlived as I was admitted early. Very fortunate indeed.

8. In your opinion, what are the strenghs and weaknesses of your applications?

I) Strenghs:

- My internship at the Fulbright school of economics, an institution run by the Harvard Kennedy school of government. That’s not what a typical Vietnamese high school students would do- working and researching.

- Impressive letters of recommendations.

- My innovative approach to exhibit my love and commitment to Dartmouth. I decorated my room in green( the school’s color) and had a large D letter imprinted on one of my green T-shirts. I attached the picture along with my application.

- My list of activities filled with leadership positions. Believe me, US colleges love kids with leadership ability.

- Coming from the Hanoi-Amsterdam high school.

II) Weaknesses:

- Essay was ok, nothing prodigious ( I wrote a much better one for my RD round).
I thought that was the major weakness of my application.

9. What would you have done differently during your application process?

I’ll write a better, jaw dropping essay. Honestly, I was very disappointed with my essay. All through the time I was waiting for my decision, it kept on bothering me. It was a complete surprise when I got in. Perhaps the admission officer was in a good mood when he was reading my application or may be he liked my activities. I believe it was my activities that got me in. My score was decent compared to my Vietnamese fellows- a 2100 combined, yet it was at the periphery of Dartmouth SAT scores It couldn’t have been my score, I assure you that.

10. Do you have any final words of wisdom or inspiration for future Vietnamese applicants?

Never fear the big name schools. Some of us tend to underestimate our abilities and afraid that we will never reserve a spot in US reservoir of elite colleges and universities. Well, please remember this: Admission is an art. It is really unpredictable. You never know which schools you get in until decision day. Be ambitious, the outcome is very rewarding.

Also, don’t make a fuss with SAT scores, they are just one of many indicators that admission officers look at when reviewing your application. If you score low and write a mind-blowing essay, your chance is much much higher than if you manage an outstanding SAT score, and write a boring essay. You can always make up what you messed up in other departments.

Another advice, don’t be the BWRK - Bright Well Rounded Kid. Colleges and universities nowadays seek those who are unique, who can add to the diversity of the campus. The purpose of a US education is not only to learn from professors, but also to learn from each other. If on a campus, there are 1000 bright well rounded kid, envision how boring it will be. They will choose an expert in classical music, an athlete, a poet, a reader, etc... All of these students, put together, will form a class where everyone can benefits from conversing with one another.The dean of Upenn once stated: “We could easily fill a class 1600 SAT scorers(be aware this is the old SAT), but then it will not be Upenn. We want vibrant, independent, creative kids to come here, not kids who can excel in a 3 hours exam.” Therefore, my final suggestion is that you guys try to distinguish yourself from other applicants, don’t create a BWRK image of yourself. That will do more harm than good. I wish you all good luck next year.


Source: VietAbroader (www.vietabroader.org)

Note: Feel free to create a link to this entry, but please do not copy or redistribute it in any form without explicit written permission from us. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

***Những topics liên quan khác***

Reflections by VietAbroader &#39;11

Reflections by VietAbroader &#39;09

Ask a Vietnamese Student

101 Admissions Tips from VietAbroader

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