When can I change my college application preferences after the exam?

High school students in Hanoi choose admissions guides at the admissions counseling booth of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities during the Admissions and Career Guidance Fair. (Photo: NA/USSH)

Sir, in the 2017 guidelines for university and teacher training college admissions, the Ministry of Education and Training allows candidates to adjust their nguyện vọng (preferences) once after knowing their national high school exam scores. So, what is the purpose of allowing adjustments to preferences after the exam results are available?

According to this year's admissions regulations, candidates must register their preferences before the exam. After the national high school exam results are released, candidates can adjust their preferences if needed. This regulation aims to help candidates avoid risks when their exam results differ significantly from expectations or when they find other fields of study more suitable than their chosen ones. According to the guidelines for implementing the admissions regulations recently issued by the Ministry, adjusting preferences can be done once, either online or by submitting a preference adjustment form at the application receiving location. While adjusting preferences can be done easily, it's best for candidates to think carefully and register their preferences only once initially, without having to worry about adjusting them after the exam.

According to him, what should candidates do to be able to register their preferences on the first try without having to adjust them after the exam results are released?

First, candidates must clearly understand this year's admission principles. The 2017 admission regulations stipulate that: for all majors/schools, admission is conducted equally based on exam results, without distinguishing between the priority order of preferences; and for candidates, priority is given to admission to the highest-ranked preference in the list of registered preferences.

For example, candidate X registered for their fourth choice (NV4) and scored 19.5 points, while candidate Y registered for their first choice (NV1) and scored 18 points in major A. If the cutoff score for major A is 19 points, candidate X will be admitted (even though they registered for NV4) while candidate Y will be admitted (even though they registered for NV1). If candidate X is admitted to major A in addition to their NV4, they will also be admitted to other majors/schools in their second and fifth choices, and only their second choice (the highest-scoring of the three admitted choices) will be considered for admission.

Therefore, the most important thing for candidates is to prioritize their choices, meaning they should arrange their preferred majors/schools in descending order of preference. Once they have registered for a particular major/school, the exam results will be the deciding factor in whether they are admitted, not the priority order of their choices in relation to other candidates. Therefore, if candidates already have a clear direction regarding their preferred majors/schools, they only need to register their choices once during the exam registration process and will not need to make any adjustments after the exam results are released.

In what situations, according to you, would it be permissible to adjust your college application preferences after the exam?

Adjusting your application preferences after the exam results are released is only possible in the following exceptional cases: Firstly, if a candidate's exam score is significantly higher than expected, for example, a candidate who expected to score around 20 points registered for majors/schools with cutoff scores around that level, but after the exam results were released scored 26 points, then the candidate needs to adjust their preferences to majors/schools with higher cutoff scores that they hadn't considered before the exam; Secondly, if a candidate's exam score is significantly lower than expected, for example, if the candidate only scored 16 points, they need to adjust their preferences to schools with lower cutoff scores; Thirdly, if a candidate changes their chosen field of study, for example, a candidate who registered for economics or management majors before the exam now finds engineering majors more suitable to their strengths, and therefore needs to adjust their application preferences.

What advice would you give to students applying for university admission this year, sir?

This year's admissions regulations ensure maximum benefits for candidates, guiding them to choose their preferred major/school for better academic results. From now on, students should start thinking about their major/school choices so that when they register for the exam, they have the most suitable list of preferences. As mentioned above, the most important thing is to prioritize the majors/schools they like. Students should confidently register their most preferred major/school as their first choice, then register for other majors/schools in order of subsequent preferences. During the admissions process, if they are not admitted to their highest-priority choice, they will be considered for lower-priority choices depending on their exam results. Students shouldn't worry too much about adjusting their preferences if their exam results are not significantly different from their expected results before the exam.

Thank you, sir.

Source: tienphong.vn – February 20, 2017