Fangzhou Jiang (born in 1994) is a person with an impressive academic record and many experiences at many top schools in the world . He is a former student of 3 of the top universities that are the most difficult to get into in the world, including Harvard University, Stanford University, and Tsinghua University.
He was awarded the John F. Kennedy Scholarship for the prestigious dual degree program of MBA from Stanford and MPA from Harvard. He also studied for a master's degree in international relations at Tsinghua University (China) and a master's degree in management science and engineering at Stanford University.
Fangzhou Jiang is famous for his self-study achievements in 7 AP subjects and achieving perfect scores in all subjects, being awarded the title of AP Scholar with Distinction (one of the titles for outstanding students in the AP (Advanced Placement) program of the College Board). He is also honored in the Forbes 30 Under 30 and Hurun U30 lists.
Fangzhou Jiang and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon (Photo: NVCC).
He was also awarded the title of Premier Scholar - the highest academic achievement in New Zealand. Jiang is the first and only international student in history to achieve this title.
Vietnamese students on the global education map: Risks come with opportunities
In a series of conversations with Vietnamese students last week in Ho Chi Minh City, Fangzhou Jiang mentioned the strengths and barriers of Vietnamese students on the global education map.
Fangzhou Jiang said that having had many opportunities to approach Vietnamese students, he was surprised and amazed at the high level of Vietnamese students' abilities and talents.
Most recently, he met a Vietnamese student who is talented in music. This student is working on a music project, preparing to release a high-quality music video.
Fangzhou Jiang, a former student of three top universities in the world, shares with students in Ho Chi Minh City (Photo: TN).
He also saw many Vietnamese students participating in STEM projects, winning impressive global awards on sustainable development.
Many Vietnamese students living in the US, Australia, Canada... have been admitted to the Ivy League (top 8 prestigious universities in the US). Recently, Fangzhou Jiang said that a Vietnamese student in New Zealand received a full scholarship to Yale University.
According to Fangzhou Jiang, top universities in the world want to see more students from Vietnam because Vietnam has a unique culture, Vietnamese students have different perspectives. Vietnamese students have advantages in terms of scores and STEM majors, engineering, math, business, etc.
It cannot be denied that in many countries, academic scores are an extremely important factor, but Fangzhou Jiang said that looking at universities in the US, G5 schools in the UK, or Tsinghua, they also look at other factors of students.
If students only focus on scores, it is not enough, sometimes only meeting 70-80% of the entrance requirements.
In particular, universities in the US are very interested in how students pay attention to and contribute to humanistic values and community development values. Therefore, if students aim for a liberal education like the US, understanding social and humanistic values is indispensable.
In addition, universities also care about the comprehensive development of students, highly appreciating their participation in the fields of music, sports, arts, etc.
Therefore, Mr. Jiang believes that Vietnamese students need to be more open, need to invest more in extracurricular activities, comprehensive self-development, and leadership qualities to expand their search opportunities on the global education map.
A student in Ho Chi Minh City asks Fangzhou Jiang a question (Photo: TN).
“I appreciate Vietnamese students for their diligence, ethics, and good connections. One thing they need to improve is to find ways to become bolder, more innovative, creative, and more willing to accept risks and challenges, thereby giving themselves more opportunities.
“Out in the world, especially in Western society, many things will not happen naturally. We have to ask, be proactive, and find opportunities and beautiful things for ourselves,” said Fangzhou Jiang.
Parents need to avoid being “helicopter parents”
Based on her experience, Fangzhou Jiang believes that for a student to be able to enter the top universities in the world, they must prepare a series of things.
First of all, you must have solid language skills, you must be able to speak English or other foreign languages appropriate to the place you study fluently.
Students need to identify their interests and hobbies as early as possible to have more time to focus on the list of subjects and necessary activities. Thereby, avoiding confusion and losing their way because they do not know what to study in the future, what path to follow. Along with that is the investment in academics, grades, extracurricular activities and leadership skills.
When asked about the role of parents in accompanying their children, Jiang said that when he was young, his parents raised him very strictly and with discipline to ensure that he had good study habits. But at the same time, because they were busy, they always paid attention to teaching their children to be independent, to know how to cook and take care of themselves from a young age.
When he went abroad to study, his parents realized that their knowledge was not enough for him. They saw their son growing up outside their arms and chose to step back to let him be independent, no longer being “helicopter parents”.
According to Fangzhou Jiang, in this era, being with children requires not only parental instinct but also knowledge and information.
Instead of “keeping children in a cage”, parents need to boldly give their children the opportunity to step out, to understand themselves and maybe make mistakes. The longer you delay failure, the bigger the failure will be. Sometimes challenges are what help children develop and mature early.
Fangzhou Jiang in a conversation with Asian parents about their children's aspirations for global education (Photo: TN).
Fangzhou Jiang emphasized: “Families need to provide balanced support for their children. Discipline is important, but children should not be forced too much. Parents need to understand that each child has a different development speed to avoid their children falling into burnout syndrome or excessive stress that can lead to exhaustion.”
*"Helicopter parents" is a term used to describe parents who are overly concerned, protective, and involved in their children's lives, especially in their academic and social activities.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/cuu-sinh-vien-3-truong-top-dau-the-gioi-ngac-nhien-ve-hoc-sinh-viet-20250802164935504.htm
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