Tran Nam Khanh, a 12th grader majoring in English at the Hanoi High School for the Gifted in Foreign Languages, has been informed that he has been admitted to Colby College in the early enrollment campaign. The school is among top 25 liberal arts schools in the US, with a scholarship of VND7.5 billion.

"Colby might not be my biggest goal, but it’s the best fit for me. I feel satisfied with this result," Khanh said.

Starting his application preparation later than his peers, Khanh didn't have much time to work on his essay. Nevertheless, the essay turned out to be what he was most proud of on his application. His essay detailed his journey of exploring relationships with himself and the people around him.

When entering high school, Khanh noticed psychological changes within himself. He felt mature beyond his age and overly sensitive, and that he was often overthinking things, while his peers seemed carefree and lighthearted.

This sensitivity caused disconnection with friends. When recognizing the problem, Khanh tried hard to change to connect with friends. Yet, the more he tried, the more he fell stressed.

"In the journey of seeking a place that I wanted to belong to, I abandoned my 'planet,' abandoned myself," Khanh said.

One day, Khanh decided to stop running away, face his negative emotions, and learn to adjust his feelings.

"When I stopped imposing my thoughts on others, I found that I no longer had negative reactions; everything became much easier,” he recalled. 

“I also began learning to connect with others without losing myself. Ultimately, I turned into a more mature version of myself, able to find connections with myself and those around me," Khanh said.

In his essay, Khanh used the metaphor of an "alien" to symbolize individual differences, representing each person's uniqueness in the community.

"For me, everyone is like an alien living in their own planets, carrying their unique thoughts, feelings, and subjective perspectives,” he explained.

He believes that the essay might have left impression on the enrollment board. The essay shows who he is and how he is different from others, as well as the great efforts he made to become a better version of himself.

In addition to the unique essay, Khanh also has an impressive profile with GPA of 9.6/10 at high school, 8.0 IELTS score, a certificate in Japanese language, and a study on building a national financial education strategy.

In addition to studying economics, he hopes he can study another field, possibly psychology.

Thuy Nga