The secret of Vietnamese people to hunt for prestigious European scholarships

 The secret of Vietnamese people to hunt for prestigious European scholarships

If your academic score (GPA) is low, you don't have to write down specific grades, just write down your grades and focus on sharing your skills and work experience.

At the Erasmus Mundus Sharing 2021 program organized by the Erasmus Mundus Association - Vietnam on the afternoon of July 24, the speakers, who have just won the 2021-2023 scholarship, shared how to win this prestigious scholarship.

Find the right program

Studying abroad is a big decision that needs to be considered and prepared for a long time, especially when conquering a highly competitive scholarship like Erasmus Mundus. If the program you want to study at Erasmus Mundus is compatible with the field of study at the bachelor's level, the candidate will have many advantages in the application process.

Nguyen Thi Khanh Huyen, an alumnus of the Department of Chemistry, University of Natural Sciences, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, has been admitted to the program Materials for energy storage and conservation. Huyen believes that the background of the two programs match, so in the process of preparing the application, she only needs to compensate for her work experience by participating in short-term projects. "This makes my profile stronger with the criteria set by the admissions committee," Huyen said.

However, not everyone takes the same program at both bachelor's and master's levels. Graduated from the University of Foreign Languages, Hanoi National University, but Pham Ngan chose the field of innovation at the master's level. For Ngan, applying for a scholarship, then studying abroad is to develop yourself, so the candidate does not necessarily become an expert in the field of study.

Ngan believes that the important thing when choosing a program is to find relevance and connection with people and their own goals. "You need to tell the admissions committee your story, showing why you want to be in this industry, which is very different from the background you already have," Ngan said.

In order to increase the credibility of the application when the industry is not compatible, the speakers recommend that candidates participate in online, short-term courses or take certification exams, do some related activities.

CV

Before applying Erasmus Mundus, Nguyen Dao Thanh Thuong, a scholar of the Vaccine Technology Education program, admitted to having no experience in CV writing. With "capital" being CVs made to apply for some part-time jobs, she used to think "I'm fine". However, in the process of searching for documents to write a CV, Thuong read Cambridge's instructions and found that the CVs he had written were very messy.

After studying the documents, she rearranged the items in her CV, pushing what stood out, clearly showing her personality and strengths first. For example, if an applicant's academic score (GPA) is not high, in the degree information section, the speaker recommends writing only the total or grade, not necessarily the year-by-year grades. "Instead, you should share skills learned, internships, part-time jobs that bring a lot of value. This is a way to disperse the focus of the admissions committee, directing them to look at your strengths. you," Thuong said.

Speakers attending Erasmus Mundus Sharing 2021, July 24. Screenshots

Speakers attending Erasmus Mundus Sharing 2021, July 24. Screenshots

Main essay

Do Phu Tien, admitted to the European Forestry Program, thinks that the main thesis is used to tell a convincing story, answering the questions: Why do you want to study abroad? What will the knowledge you learn be used for, and how to contribute to the community? The size suitable for the main essay is 1-1.5 pages.

With Thanh Thuong, the shape of the essay depends on the program submitted because some places limit the number of words, others will force writing by topic. When applying to the Vaccine Technology Education program, Thuong was asked "Please write about the place that inspires you the most and explain why".

She began writing her main thesis in December 2020. At that time, Vietnam experienced two waves of Covid-19. Realizing that the epidemic prevention and control in Vietnam has brought many positive signals, Thuong expressed pride. She did not forget to remind that the key to repelling the epidemic is the participation of vaccines. "I started to direct my essay about vaccines - which I will learn if I am accepted. I share that vaccine production in Vietnam still has many problems, so I want to learn and bring back what I have learned to contribute to the country. ", Thuong said.

The speakers all said that the main essay most clearly shows the person and personality of the candidate. Therefore, it is necessary to consider choosing a topic that can both express yourself and skillfully link that personality and ambition to the program you are going to study.

Once completed, the candidate should also give the main thesis to a mentor or friend for reading and feedback. They will stand at an objective point of view and bring many suggestions that sometimes the writer himself does not realize.

Introducing letter

Typically, an Erasmus Mundus program requires 2-3 letters of recommendation. Speakers at the Erasmus Mundus Sharing program suggest that candidates should ask close faculty members at universities, research labs and supervisors at work to write to them.