The journey from failing the university entrance exam to reaching Harvard of a Vietnamese female student

Failed the university entrance exam, then retook it a second time, failed his school exam and retook it a third time... Linh never thought that one day he would reach the top of the world.

Trinh Pham Hai Linh (34 years old) has just returned to Vietnam after a period of working at the Department of Technology and Innovation, Office of the Mayor of Boston (USA). She studied for a bachelor's degree in the UK and graduated with a master's degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). With an impressive profile, Linh surprised many people with her "thorny" journey before coming to MIT.

Linh is a former student of Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted (HCMC). After graduating from high school, the female student applied to the Interior Design Department of the University of Architecture following her family's guidance and her love of drawing, but failed the exam in 2008.

Feeling inferior as a "loser" because she was among the few students at her school who failed the university entrance exam, Linh quietly signed up for a vocational course, avoiding the question of "which school did she pass?" from those around her. Just like that, she studied graphic design 3 evenings a week, and during the day went to drawing classes to retake the exam to enter the Architecture school.

“The only thing that helped me get through this period was my determination to pursue my goal. After a year, I passed the entrance exam to Ho Chi Minh City University of Architecture,” Linh recalled.

Trinh Pham Hai Linh on his master's graduation day (Photo: NVCC)

Despite being accepted into her favorite school, Linh gradually realized that this major was not suitable for her. By her second year, she began to doubt her future career. At the same time, Linh coincidentally participated in a workshop jointly organized by the Planning Department and the University of Hamburg (Germany).

Thanks to her good English, Linh was asked by German students to join the professor in a joint project. Curious and interested, Linh focused on her research. As a result, the professor was very impressed with Linh's group's research and advised her to switch to the Planning major. He promised to write a letter of recommendation if she intended to study abroad.

During the remaining time of the second semester of her second year, Linh audited classes related to urban planning and design at school and decided to change her major. However, at that time, Linh had no other choice but to retake the university entrance exam. Remembering the promise from the German professor, Linh began to think about studying abroad and boldly asked him to write a letter of recommendation.

She researched information about study programs at universities around the world . Fully aware of her family's financial capacity, the Vietnamese female student prioritized looking for schools with low tuition fees and scholarship support.

“For someone who had never traveled more than 500km from Ho Chi Minh City, dropping out of school to start over in a foreign country with limited finances was an extremely reckless decision. But for me at that time, the goal was much bigger and clearer than the difficulties I might encounter,” Linh recalled.

Linh applied and was accepted to Oxford Brookes University (UK) with a 50% scholarship. Witnessing Linh's efforts and seriousness, her family and relatives agreed to lend her 600 million VND to cover her tuition fees for 4 years. The 4 years in the UK were the time the Vietnamese girl assessed as "the most difficult time of her life".

“I had many part-time jobs to cover my tuition and living expenses, such as restaurant waitress, student ambassador at school, faculty secretary, dormitory night shift worker, graphic design tutor... In the summer, I applied to clean dormitories and lead tours in Oxford. From my third year, I studied and worked four jobs at the same time. There was a period when I suffered from depression and tuberculosis, and I thought I could not overcome the pressure,” Linh recalled.

With her efforts, the Vietnamese girl has achieved the sweet fruit of an honorary bachelor's degree and the award for Best Student in Planning by the Royal Planning Society of England.

Failed the university entrance exam, then took it again a second time, dropped out of school halfway and took it a third time... Linh never thought that one day she would reach MIT. (Photo: NVCC)

After graduating, Linh still hopes to travel the world. She decided to pursue a master's degree and set her sights on a full scholarship to a top 10 university in the world.

“ This goal sounds far-fetched, but I dreamed of MIT or Harvard after hearing an acquaintance say that “Harvard and MIT do not compare you with other candidates in the US but will evaluate the impact you create in your environment,” Linh recalled.

During the 5 years from 2016 to 2021, the Vietnamese girl persistently applied to many schools, and was rejected many times when applying for scholarships. Although sad and desperate, she still encouraged herself to try again. This time, Fulbright smiled on Linh.

After receiving the Fulbright scholarship in 2021, Linh confidently applied to several top schools. One day in March 2022, Linh received news from a professor at MIT, informing her that she had been accepted.

Overwhelmed with joy after receiving the "nod" from the world's leading school, Linh believes that she may have answered the important question: "How will studying at MIT help you enhance the positive impact you are creating?"

“This is one of the very important questions that helps the admissions committee decide who to choose from thousands of excellent applications sent in from all over the world,” Linh said. MIT was also Linh’s final choice after being accepted to many other schools such as Cambridge University, Harvard University, University of Pennsylvania, University of Southern California, etc.

Her time at MIT has equipped her with critical thinking and problem-solving skills . “Students are encouraged to try out different ideas because that is the best way to eliminate wrong solutions and get closer to the right one. At MIT, when you fail, it means you have learned something new, and if you succeed the first time, it might just be luck,” Linh said.

In May 2024, Linh graduated from the master's program at MIT. After that, she worked at the Department of Technology and Innovation of the City of Boston before deciding to return to Vietnam to start a career.

Currently, Linh is involved in research on the role of urban planning in addressing climate change issues in Vietnam. In addition, she is building an innovative start-up project related to exporting Vietnam's intangible culture to the world.

It took her eight years to get a college degree, another five years and dozens of failed scholarship applications before she finally got to MIT or Harvard. Linh believes her key strategy is to believe in herself and not give up.

“Only you know what you want and how to achieve it. So, keep trying and have big aspirations, and there will definitely come a time when you can reach your dream,” Linh shared.

(Source: Vietnamnet)

Link: https://vietnamnet.vn/hanh-trinh-tu-truot-dai-hoc-den-cham-tay-toi-mit-harvard-cua-9x-viet-2369867.html

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/hanh-trinh-tu-truot-dai-hoc-den-cham-tay-toi-harvard-cua-nu-sinh-viet-ar925231.html