Continuously earning scholarships, the female student not only avoided tuition fees but also could give money to support her family.

Tra graduated with distinction, achieving the highest rank with a cumulative GPA of 3.89/4.

In her transcript, with a total of 142 credits, only 12 credits were graded B or B+, while the rest were A or A+. Most of her courses, especially those in Marketing and her major, were graded A+. Although major-related courses were often challenging and taught entirely in English, Tra excelled. The few courses where she scored B or B+ were mostly foundation courses requiring extensive memorization. Her thesis also received an A+, equivalent to 9.5/10.

Tra said she was thrilled that her efforts were rewarded.

The Hanoi native shared that from the moment she entered university, she was determined to study diligently to gain solid knowledge and secure a stable job after graduation.

With this mindset, Tra devised a clear study strategy.

Before registering for any course, she would browse student groups to read reviews from seniors and research thoroughly. 

“The university publicly posts the curriculum and courses on its website, so I studied them there. Through seniors’ feedback, I learned about the courses and planned my schedule to see if it was suitable. My strategy was to avoid taking too many major-related courses in one semester and spread them out evenly. I noted down and printed a sheet listing the courses I needed to take first,” Tra shared.

As a student of the advanced training program (designed for excellent students), taught in English, Tra noted that many new and specialized terms were challenging. “Even with a B2 level in English according to the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages), we still had to look up unfamiliar terms in major-related courses,” she said.

Tra’s study method was to concentrate during lectures. After taking notes as usual, she summarized what she learned. At home, she reviewed based on her outlined framework.

Beyond classroom knowledge and textbooks, Tra sought out news, books, and materials related to her field online.

As exams approached, Tra would create a knowledge map of the entire course on an A4 sheet. “I wrote down key points to remember on that sheet and set a goal to master them,” she explained.

Sharing her future plans, Tra said she wants to continue her studies at a higher level. In the near future, Tra will prepare her application and hopes to win a scholarship from a university in Europe to study for a master's degree specializing in Marketing.

Thanh Hung