The experience of the girl who got into the top 8 universities in the US
The essay responded to the keyword "suitability", asked for many letters of recommendation and applied early to help Minh Anh, 22 years old, get admission to 8 top US universities.
Le Minh Anh, a final year student majoring in Economics and Television, Fairfield University, USA, received a series of letters announcing her admission to the master's program in public administration in the early days of April.
The eight approved schools are all in the top 6-25 in US news's top US university rankings, including: Columbia University, Johns Hopkins, Cornell, Southern California, Chicago, New York, Georgetown and Tufts. In which, 5 schools provide scholarships to Minh Anh, ranging from 20,000 to 48,000 USD (468 million VND - 1.1 billion VND) per year. This level, according to female students, is equivalent to 25-50% of the cost for her to attend, depending on the school.
Here are 5 experiences to help Minh Anh successfully conquer a series of master's scholarships in the US:
1. Focus on academic and research achievements
According to the Vietnamese female student, public administration at top universities in the US focuses on the candidate's academic background, especially math-related subjects because the program is heavily economic.
Therefore, Minh Anh tries to highlight his grades and academic and research achievements in this field of study in his resume. Specifically, her average score to date is 3.79/4.0; the average score of economics and television subjects is 3.95/4.0. The score of the GRE standardized test (The Graduate Record Examination) that assesses Minh Anh's reading comprehension, vocabulary, calculation and essay writing ability is high at 329/340, in which the grammar score is in the top 5% of the test takers.
Minh Anh is also the lead author of two research papers on public policy, including "Towards the effectiveness and sustainability of global, regional and national Covid-19 vaccination programs" in September/ 2021 and "Coping with the rapid resurgence of Covid-19 in Vietnam's cities: Vietnam's updated policies and response measures" in June 2022.
In addition, Minh Anh attached evidences of his internship at television stations in Vietnam and the US. According to her, this helps her to show that she has certain understandings about the impact of economic and monetary policies on people's lives.
Minh Anh at the campus of Columbia University. Photo: Character provided
2. Submit your application in the early batch
Minh Anh advises candidates to apply at the early stage (EA-Early Action), the deadline for submission is from early November to mid-December every year. According to her, this shows the candidate's interest in the school. Moreover, getting results early also helps candidates know their position in the admissions segment, which can then be edited to submit the regular application (submission deadline is January, February next year).
Among the schools that Minh Anh applied to, the University of Chicago has the deadline to submit the first EA application and report the results as soon as possible. Minh Anh was not called but was on the waiting list. But three weeks ago, they called her and congratulated her on her admission. The 22-year-old said that because of the early application, she had a chance to be kept for consideration. In addition, thanks to the early results, Minh Anh believes that his application will have a chance in the top 10 schools.
3. Attend career seminars
According to Minh Anh, when participating in career seminars, candidates have the opportunity to chat with employers directly, helping them easily remember them. Meanwhile, candidates can enter their first and last name in the application.
For example, when representatives from the University of Chicago arrived in New York City, they held a small party before the seminar started. Minh Anh arrived 30 minutes early so he could talk, drink coffee and get their comments on his resume as well as share his successful recruitment experiences.
"Since not everyone does this, candidates will show their interest in the school and create an advantage," Minh Anh said, adding that many schools will waive the application fee if they attend the seminar. so you can also save some money.
4. Essay responding to the keyword "conformity"
Having a background in economics and television, Minh Anh applied for a master's degree in public administration. Minh Anh wrote in his essay explaining why "now" is the best time to do this.
The female student said she had experience in the field when she studied documents related to management in state agencies, was instructed to make reports when she did an internship at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Radio and Television. Hanoi, Vietnam Television. However, she has not been properly trained in this field.
In addition, Minh Anh said that with her internship at NBC news, the US, she believes that she can see the outstanding issues facing the people to convey to policy makers. On the contrary, she is also able to convey policies to the public in an easy to understand manner.
"By having a solid knowledge of public management, especially socio-economic development, I can actively use that knowledge to create discussions, direct the audience to the best solutions. effective methods to handle social problems", Minh Anh wrote in the essay.
Minh Anh believes that in this way, the admissions committee sees her ability as suitable for the field of study.
5. Ask for more letters of recommendation
According to Minh Anh, schools usually require two or three letters of recommendation. Candidates should ask for two letters from the professor and one from the instructor so that each person can comment on one aspect of his or her abilities.
For example, a professor evaluates his ability to calculate; an assessment of Minh Anh's thinking and ability to learn. Meanwhile, the instructor assessed the students' commitment to social activities and leadership ability.
"Candidates should talk to each person about their expectations before they write a letter, thereby helping the admissions committee to fully visualize themselves," Minh Anh said.