Double degree - double opportunity

Studying two schools or two majors at the same time is the choice of many students, when in the future, companies and businesses recruiting require their employees to have more and more skills. To meet the increasing needs of learners, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU, has opened a dual degree training program in Tourism Studies since the 2008-2009 school year. In 2012, the first 20 students of the dual degree program graduated. Although there are difficulties for students studying for a dual degree, after all their efforts, students also receive a lot from graduating with a dual degree. Below are the opinions of some students who have just graduated with a dual degree this year.

Pham Le Thuy Linh: double degree is a new opportunity

(Graduated with a Good degree in English from the University of Foreign Languages ​​and a Good degree in Tourism Studies, majoring in Hotel, currently an intern majoring in training at Sofitel Plaza Hanoi Hotel)The double degree really gave me an opportunity, an interesting path. Although I did not intend to study this major at first, until now I think that choosing to study a double degree in Tourism Studies was the right choice. Because when studying, I have had access to many opportunities that not everyone has. For example, every year the Faculty of Tourism Studies welcomes volunteer students from Canada, and I took this opportunity to communicate and make friends with many foreign students. Or all the students of the Faculty of Tourism Studies go through a very interesting internship program in the Central region, which helps our class become closer to each other, which is not available in any double degree class at any school. In addition, I often meet with businesses and interact with classmates during my studies. After graduating with two degrees, I am more comfortable in choosing a career when I have both a foreign language and good knowledge of the Hospitality major of the Faculty of Tourism Studies. It is easy for me to work in many places and positions, not just simply as an interpreter as I thought before studying for a double degree. However, studying for a double degree is not easy. You need to have high determination and constant effort, especially having a method in studying and taking exams because there is not much time. In class, I always sit at the front desk to concentrate on listening to the lecture and speaking enthusiastically. When it comes to exams, I systematize the content I have learned using a mindmap; each time I take notes like that, I remember the lesson very quickly. In addition, I also create opportunities for myself to participate in extracurricular activities to improve my soft skills and English communication skills. Usually, people study a double degree to supplement their main major, but for me, the English foreign language degree has become a supplementary factor for the double major in Tourism Studies that I am studying. For me, a double degree is an opportunity and I am proud that I know how to seize that opportunity and turn it into my capital.

Nguyen Hong Nhung: dual degree is a good investment

(Graduated from the Chinese Department of Foreign Languages ​​University, studying a double degree in Tourism Studies, majoring in Hotel, currently working at Calidas Hotel)The double degree in Tourism Studies has given me an interesting job and I am satisfied with my current job. When I graduated with two degrees in hand, I really felt more confident because I had more opportunities than other students. And that mentality has partly helped me find a good job like today. In my final year at the University of Foreign Languages, I was very confused about what I would do after graduation because there weren't really many career options when I studied languages, and a little childishly regretted my student years, so I decided to study for a double degree. However, with what I have learned and achieved today, I see that the double degree is indeed a good investment for the future. Of course, there were many difficulties during the learning process and the biggest difficulty was time. Actually, many times I intended to stop studying halfway because I was discouraged and very tired. We study for a first degree all day, and at night for a second degree, and have to study all week, sometimes on Saturdays and Sundays we are at school all morning and afternoon to study, and many of us are senior students who have to do internships, so our study time is quite limited. Moreover, the place to study is at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, which is quite far from the University of Foreign Languages, many of us do not have personal transportation, we have to take the bus, so we are often late for class. But the difficulties are also the conditions that help our classmates get closer to each other, everyone often picks each other up to go to school. Another difficulty is the tuition fee, of course, studying for two degrees will be much more expensive. And when I feel difficult, I always think about the interesting things that the teachers teach in class. I remember, Mr. To Quang Long - lecturer of the Faculty of Tourism Studies told us: "Success only comes to the most persistent people", so I decided to re-energize my spirit. In fact, every teacher who taught us left an unforgettable impression on the class, each person has a memorable saying in the minds of every student in the class, so for our class, "every day at school is a happy day". The double degree has not only given me career opportunities but also given me the opportunity to grow up, expand my knowledge, make valuable relationships, and respectable people.

Pham Thi Van Anh: proud to have graduated with two degrees

(Graduated from the Japanese Department of Foreign Languages ​​University, double degree in Tourism, major in Hotel, currently working as a sales staff of a Japanese company)I joined the dual degree program simply because I wanted to learn an additional major that is close to reality and that we still use the foreign language we have learned to work. Besides, it is known that currently the number of people working in tourism who know Japanese is very small, while the number of Japanese tourists coming to Vietnam for tourism is increasing, so I thought this would be a potential career opportunity. The main schedule of the University of Foreign Languages ​​is in the morning, studying the dual major in Hospitality at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities is in the evening, so with such a tight schedule in the first year of the dual degree, I also encountered many difficulties. Then when it came to the final exam, the number of subjects to take increased twice as much as other students. At that time, it was also very stressful. Honestly, there were many times when I wanted to give up because I was tired, especially in the third year, when the number of subjects and the amount of knowledge increased a lot. But really, at that time, one of the motivations that helped me continue to overcome was the seniors in the class, and the dedication and psychology of the teachers of the Faculty of Tourism. Everyone has been very close through many years of studying and helping each other overcome difficulties. Now that everyone has graduated and many of our seniors have gone abroad to work, we still occasionally exchange work experiences with each other. The spirit of solidarity and unity among everyone in the class is also the motivation that helps me continue studying to the end. In addition, my parents' family is also a great motivation because studying a double major has a higher tuition fee than a normal program, so my family has to ensure that I can pay the tuition fee so that I can focus on studying. All the skills that I have gained from practical experience during my internship in the double major have also helped me a lot in building relationships with people, work relationships, getting used to the professional hotel environment... Especially when I write my CV, I am much more confident with two excellent graduation certificates, which makes me proud.

Do Huy Hoang: Studying at two schools is not "heavy" if you know how

(Graduated from the Chinese Department of Foreign Language University, double degree in Tourism, major in Travel - Guide, working at Carnival Tours)Studying a double major for me is to increase my career options, and also to find new directions for myself. I think it was wise to study a double major as well as to choose the Faculty of Tourism Studies of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities to study. In my final year of the Chinese Department of the University of Foreign Languages, I realized that there were not many career opportunities and to have a better stepping stone, I chose to study a double major. And it can be said that the double major created a turning point in my life. The time studying at two schools really made me have to push myself to keep up, but I found it interesting because of what I gained. The double major not only created more career options for me but also gave me the opportunity to broaden my knowledge, to get to know many friends, to meet enthusiastic and dedicated teachers to students, and to give me interesting experiences. More than once, I have to thank the teachers at the Faculty of Tourism Studies of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities. The teachers not only taught me specialized knowledge of the industry but also expanded to social knowledge and skills that we had not yet approached when studying at the University of Foreign Languages. It was the teachers' dedication that contributed to motivating me to pursue and complete the dual degree in the best way. In fact, studying a dual degree will not be "heavy" and difficult if you choose a similar major or can supplement the major you are studying. Because besides the fact that you are exempted from the subjects you studied in the first degree, the specialized knowledge in both majors can support each other and help you "mature" more. Besides, studying seriously, diligently and making an effort, you will eventually get the results you deserve. I think that in the future, there should be more majors that can be studied in dual degrees to help students have more suitable and optimal choices for themselves.