Coming from the Foreign Language Specialized School with a passion for English, in the 2018-2019 application season, Hai Anh achieved excellent results in the SAT exam – 1500 points on the first attempt and received a full scholarship of 4.8 billion from SOKA University (#22 LAC). Let’s listen to some of her shares about the Application process!
Hello Hai Anh. Like many students at the Foreign Language High School, you chose to study abroad after graduating from high school. What led you to this decision?
Actually, when I came to HOLA, I didn’t even have a clear intention of studying abroad. When I signed up for an American essay writing course at HOLA Academy at the end of grade 10, I was simply curious and wanted to improve my writing skills. After being exposed to American education through those classes, I felt that I was really suited to the American education method, so I started studying for the SAT.
The seniors at HOLA are very enthusiastic and caring about the students. In particular, what I like most here is that everyone really focuses on developing the capacity and orientation for each student, rather than just “industrial-style” training.
Applying is a process that requires a lot of perseverance and effort. Can you share a little about the path to SOKA?
Choosing a school is one of my favorite stages. Through this, I learned a lot about American education, that each school has its own identity, that the “fit” factor is very important.
When choosing a school, the factors I prioritize are teaching methods and curriculum. I really like schools that focus on developing critical thinking for students, prioritize reading and writing a lot, liberal schools, and are willing to accept all personal opinions and views. Therefore, from the beginning, I knew that I was more suitable for the LAC group.
When looking for a school, I first rely on SAT scores and rankings to “gradually filter” down to about 50 schools. After that, I will consider financial aid, school priority factors (such as grades, essays, or extracurricular activities, etc.), location (rural or urban), professors, and information about students after graduation. Finally, I went to forums on College Confidential, reddit, niche, Rate my Professor, … to read more about the school and its students.
To know if a school is suitable for you, I think the best way is to ask the students of the school about the general level of students. What are they interested in, do they like to party, etc. But in the end, whether they feel suitable or not is just a matter of feeling. I admit that there are schools that I initially liked just because of the name. Later, when everything is over, you will realize that in fact, dream schools are mostly temporary desires. If you don’t get in, it’s okay. There is no school that is “the only perfect place for you to develop your potential”. So if you fail the dream school, don’t be too sad. I myself also applied to SOKA in the RD round even though I wanted to apply immediately in the ED round. But at that time, I had problems with my TOEFL score, so I had to wait. SOKA has a very good scholarship policy, providing a macbook for first-year students, and in my third year, I had the opportunity to go to one of four countries: China – France – Japan – Spain to study a second foreign language… those are the plus points I see at SOKA.
During the application process, did you encounter any difficulties?
I am a person who does not handle pressure well. In the summer of 12th grade, I was really stressed. SAT, main essay, secondary essay, extracurricular activities, GPA, or recommendation letters, all became a burden for me. There was no factor that I felt confident about. I was really tired.
But the thing that made me “brain-stretched” the most was the essay. I tried every method: relaxing, reading sample essays, thinking about hobbies, personal characteristics, but I could not come up with a perfect idea. Because of my obsession with the “perfect idea”, I kept rejecting ideas and couldn’t even write a draft. Honestly, until August, I still didn’t have a draft for my Personal Statement, and had only written one Supplement, which was extremely scary. At that time, Ms. Mai from HOLA helped me by suggesting some non-fiction books about social issues. From there, I gradually formed an idea for my essay. Writing about topics that I was really interested in, I became more confident and dared to write, dared to fail. As a result, 2 weeks before ED, I finished my satisfactory essay.
In the application package, the personal essay (PS) plays a very important role. How did you build your PS and express yourself through this essay?
My PS was actually “recycled” from a Supplemental Essay. Although I only built the idea, wrote and edited it in about 2 weeks, I spent a lot of time researching and reading books to come up with those thoughts. Ms. Mai taught me how to think independently and logically, to care about social issues and to read a lot of books. Therefore, from the end of grade 10 to the beginning of grade 12, I trained myself to read and think clearly, and to give my own opinions on issues that interested me. This skill helped me a lot in the process of writing essays. My essay is about “globalization”, a topic that I am very interested in. Through the article, I have expressed my thoughts and wishes.
Looking at the final results, Hai Anh had a pretty successful application season. However, do you have any regrets during this process?
I regret neglecting some factors such as extracurricular activities. If I could go back in time, I would like to focus on developing my own interests and participating in more projects.
And finally, to send to students in the upcoming application season, can Hai Anh give some advice?
I think the most important factor is to be confident in yourself, don’t be pressured by what others think. I realized that sometimes during the application process, I was too obsessed with having to be like the successful people before me to get in, or having to be liked by the school. But after all, I understand that expressing your true self is the most important thing. If you think you are boring, then make yourself “interesting”. Find your own hobbies, passions, interests and develop them. Applying to study in the US is not just a path to university, it is also a process of learning, discovering yourself and growing up.
Thank you for sharing, Hai Anh!