Male student admitted to 5 prestigious American universities revealed that his mother wakes up at 4:30 every morning to cook

USA - Without any admissions counselor or test prep, Salman Chowdhury was accepted into 10 top universities in the US, including Harvard. His success started with small habits that his parents cultivated every day.

Salman Chowdhury, a recent graduate of the Passaic County Technical Institute (PCTI) STEM Academy in Wayne, New Jersey, has been accepted to 10 of the top 25 universities in the United States, including Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, and the University of Pennsylvania. Of those, he chose to attend Harvard University this fall, with plans to major in applied mathematics.

In addition to Harvard, Chowdhury was awarded a full merit-based scholarship to Washington University in St. Louis as a Langsdorf Scholar, along with a direct invitation from the Dean of the School of Engineering. Columbia University also named him a Likely Scholar through its CP Davis Scholar program.

Salman Chowdhury was described by his high school teachers as an outstanding achiever and always very humble. Photo: CNBC

Chowdhury was born in Dubai in 2006. His family, originally from Bangladesh, moved to New Jersey in 2009 after winning a US visa through the global lottery (a program that grants immigrant visas through random selection). During his early years in the US, his father frequently traveled between Dubai and the US to continue the family business. His mother worked at a dollar store and a school cafeteria. Chowdhury's father is currently a substitute teacher in the Paterson school district, and his mother is a teaching assistant at Martin Luther King School, Paterson.

Chowdhury attended Paterson’s Academy for the Gifted, where he was given a personalized learning path starting in eighth grade. He said he completed geometry before moving on to algebra, precalculus, and some calculus. When he entered high school, he was the only freshman in his class placed in advanced algebra 2 and trigonometry.

In 2019, Chowdhury was one of 16 students across the state of New Jersey to achieve a perfect score on the NJSLA standardized test. According to Northjersey , this was the first time in the district that a student had achieved a perfect score in both math and language arts in the same year.

Salman Chowdhury and his mother. Photo: Northjersey

In an article published on CNBC on July 31, Chowdhury shared that his success did not come from using expensive college counseling services, but from the habits and foundations that his parents established early. Specifically, he said there are three things parents focus on when raising their children:

1. Always prioritize sleep, nutrition, and health

Many studies have shown that getting enough sleep and eating healthy has a direct impact on academic performance. My parents completely believe in that.

To give me an extra hour of sleep each morning, my dad would wake up early to drive me to school before he left for work. My mom even got up at 4:30 to prepare a nutritious breakfast - usually eggs, protein, and garlic toast.

My parents also arranged their work so that when I finished school, someone was always at home. That made me always feel cared for and secure in studying.

2. Encourage your child to seek and explore opportunities

In Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers, the author emphasizes that success comes not only from talent or hard work, but also from the ability to find opportunities to develop personal interests. My parents completely agree with that.

My early years in high school were all about academics. But my parents encouraged me to join clubs—and to quit if I didn’t like them. As the children of immigrants, my parents never had the opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities. It reminded me of the privileges I had in the generation before me.

As a result, I gradually became one of the most active students in school. I participated in Robotics, the Future Business Leaders (FBLA) club, and SkillsUSA. I also worked on real-world engineering projects such as optimizing mathematical models for school initiatives.

The accomplishment I am most proud of is leading the NASA HUNCH team to design a rover for the harsh lunar terrain. We were even invited to the Johnson Space Center in Houston to present it live to NASA engineers and astronauts.

My parents always taught me that talent can be developed, but it takes opportunity to develop it.

Salman Chowdhury was once named "athlete of the month" at Passaic County Technical School. Photo: Pcti

3. Raise me with clear morals and goals in life

My parents—immigrants without a formal American education —always taught me that success isn't just about grades, it's about character.

I grew up with values ​​rooted in my faith that promoted curiosity about the world, honesty, gratitude, and perseverance. My faith also taught us to admire and appreciate the beauty of the world – which first sparked my love of science .

Those values ​​influenced my approach to learning and how I treated teachers and peers. When I asked for letters of recommendation for colleges, my high school teachers didn’t just talk about my academic achievements, they talked about who I was as a person—and that came from the way my parents raised me.

For me, the most important thing is to give back. To my parents, to my community, and to all those who have helped me along this journey. I believe that is the most honest way for me to make the most of my opportunity at Harvard.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/nam-sinh-do-5-dai-hoc-danh-gia-my-tiet-lo-me-sang-nao-cung-day-tu-4-30-nau-an-2428184.html