According to Chi, self-applying for a scholarship needs a strong profile, determination and perseverance to the end.
Recently, Nguyen Mai Chi (2001), a final year student of International Business Administration, Hanoi Foreign Trade University received an email announcing that she had won a master’s scholarship from Peking University, China. Country. Although not too surprised because she prepared very carefully for applying to the school, Mai Chi still might not hide her joy. Her family is also very proud and 100% supportive of her decision to study abroad in China.
Mai Chi completed and submitted the application in early October 2022. During the period of 3 months (until I received the notification of passing), I actively called the school to check my application monthly. Chi said that the admissions committee of Peking University was very friendly and also praised her achievements. This makes Chi quite confident in the application file that she has made efforts to prepare during 4 years of university.
Mai Chi is completely self-employed, but in this process, she has received great support from friends who are studying at top Chinese universities such as Peking University, Tsinghua University or Southern University. Business… My program is a Master of Management, focusing on the field of Strategic Management, studying in English for 2 years.
Some typical achievements of Mai Chi
Excellent Student at Foreign Trade University
Student 5 is good at city level
Vietnam representative won the ‘Global Entrepreneurship’ award – Social Business Creation 2022
Biotechnology project with Tsinghua student group won People’s Choice Award – Global Innovation Challenge 2022
Winner of Speak Out Loud – English speaking contest
2nd runner-up in the Zone Bootcamp competition on technology startups, organized by ACB and the University of Hong Kong
Top 4, Startup idea contest on innovation in health industry
National Top 20 ‘National Innovation Startup Talent Search – TECHFEST’
In addition, Chi is fluent in graphic design, she has an international diploma in multimedia communication; Certified Communication Design Specialist, issued by Adobe. Chi can communicate in English, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese…
Peking University is one of the oldest and most famous universities in China. In 2022, the university is in the top 20 best universities in the world according to Times Higher Education (THE) and Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) rankings.
The university is likened to the ‘Cambridge of China’ and together with Tsinghua University are the two leading universities in the country of billions of people. Chi thinks that this will be a very good foundation for her future career.
Set goals early and prepare a ‘huge’ portfolio
Chi began to intend to study in China when oriented to become a professor, researcher, university lecturer. During my research, I realized that China has the largest number of most cited scientific articles in the world. In particular, I am very interested in the research programs of Peking University because the university will support most of the research costs for students. In addition, the school also has a rich research treasure and the latest updated data from Bloomberg.
My application includes 2 main essays: 1 essay on study plan and research plan, 1 essay on leadership ability, 1 CV (personal curriculum vitae), 2 letters of recommendation from 1 domestic professor and 1 international professor (I previously worked as a research assistant for professors), certificates of national and international awards (total of 23 awards) , publication of research (9 scientific articles), work experience and internship at big companies (Techcombank, VTVCab, Foreign Trade University), other extracurricular activities…
‘For the essay: Must understand yourself, the field of study, clearly state your experience related to the field, previous research and future direction. In the essay, I have emphasized very clearly on researching issues related to sustainable economy and green finance.
For the interview part, although the school did not require it, I prepared a presentation to introduce myself, the initiative is also a plus. Because it is a master’s program, most of the questions are specialized, requiring a thorough understanding of the experience and long-term research orientation. The interview will revolve around 4 main issues: Specialized knowledge, research ability, leadership and language, and expression.Chi shared.
Chi participated in many competitions and achieved many remarkable achievements.
Talking regarding her own strengths to compete and win a scholarship to this popular school, Chi said that her advantage is thanks to the “terrible” profile that is not inferior to other students. Besides, I set a goal of applying to Bac Dai very early, so I know very well what the school likes, what requirements and expectations from students.
During the application process, Mai Chi has prepared extremely carefully and has made great efforts to add more competitiveness to her profile such as: Participation in economic competitions, national innovation startups national and international, do scientific research with teachers in the school, learn foreign languages well and learn other soft skills (design, rhetoric, public speaking, …).
According to Chi, applying for a scholarship yourself needs a strong profile, determination and perseverance to the end. Because preparing a profile needs to learn a lot regarding the industry and the school, it is necessary to have a clear direction and a certain understanding. The advantage of self-applying is that when you have a good understanding of yourself and your major, the interview (for master’s level) will focus on more challenging questions, so understanding is very important. importance.
Mai Chi has prepared extremely carefully and has made great efforts to add competitiveness to her profile such as: Participation in national and international competitions on economic, start-up and innovation.
Chi encourages all those who have strong profiles and good foreign languages, who want to apply to China’s top 5 universities, especially Tsinghua and Bac Dai, so they should actively research and apply themselves. Please research carefully regarding the school, industry, subject before applying. For example, each top university in China will have 2 business schools, 1 strong school in management, 1 strong school in finance. You can apply both to increase the pass percentage. Always be proactive in the application process (check what scholarships are available, when is the deadline, call the school directly…).
Besides, don’t be too pressured, don’t compare yourself with others, use that time to make yourself better. It will be more effective to have someone accompany you throughout the application process. However, find the right person (don’t ask an Economics student regarding Chinese, don’t ask a Nanjing student regarding the North…). Find the right person, preferably the right school.
After completing her master’s degree in China, Chi plans to continue her studies for a PhD at a top 10 university in the world or one of the Ivy League universities in the US. Chi’s goal is to do long-term research and will return to Vietnam to teach following completing her PhD.
