Records of the enrollment day for the 2008 cohort of students.

Today (September 5, 2008), 1,157 out of a total of 1,210 new students of the QH-2008-X cohort completed the enrollment procedures to officially become students of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

[img class="caption" src="images/stories/2008/9/05/img_5766.jpg" border="0" alt="Students and their families gather in front of the enrollment area" title="Students and their families gather in front of the enrollment area" width="147" height="220" align="right" ]

The enrollment process was lively yet orderly. Wearing their familiar blue uniforms, the student volunteer team from the Student Union, tasked with assisting new students with enrollment, proved to be one of the most effective groups. Evidence of this was the trust placed in them by many new students' families, who frequently visited the volunteer booth to inquire about the university, enrollment procedures, accommodation, and more. They received attentive guidance accompanied by friendly smiles. Units such as the Reproductive Health Club, the Young Managers Club, the Information Office, and the Center for Foreign Languages ​​and International Educational Exchange Promotion were quick to promote their services to the new students by distributing leaflets and welcoming them to participate in their activities. And the main characters of today's enrollment – ​​a large number of students and their families – arrived at building G quite early to wait for the procedures to be completed, with a variety of emotions: joy, bewilderment, and even some concerns.

I fell in love with the school because of... famous people.

When we inquired about the level of understanding the students had about their chosen field of study and the university they would be attending, Phung Thi Mien (Ha Tay) - a student from the 2008 cohort of the Literature major - confided:Before the exam, I researched information about the school through the booklet "Things to Know About the 2008 University and College Entrance Exam" and on the school's website. I learned that my school is a reputable institution with a long tradition of training in social sciences and humanities. Many people who have studied at the school have now become successful and famous."And when asked to name some of those successful people, Miền said it was... Mr. Trịnh Lê Anh, a very famous television personality whom Miền admired. Another "figure" from the school that Miền admired was Associate Professor Dr. Vũ Cao Đàm, who taught her the course "Methodology of Scientific Research" at Đông Đô University, where she studied International Relations for three years (but then decided to switch to Literature because of a very strong desire to become a Literature teacher)."

[img class="caption" src="images/stories/2008/9/05/img_5823.jpg" border="0" alt="Many new students express their desire to contribute to Youth Union and Student Association activities" title="Many new students express their desire to contribute to Youth Union and Student Association activities" width="147" height="220" align="left" ]

Meanwhile, Doan Van Truong (from Hung Yen), a former first-year student of Sociology at the Vietnam Trade Union University, also chose History as his major because of his passion for the subject of timeless events and figures that remain etched in memory. He seems to have grown even more fond of and determined to pursue history after witnessing the erudition of his admired teachers, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Hai Ke and Associate Professor Dr. Pham Xanh (lecturers in the History Department) – familiar guests on the "Following the Flow of History" program broadcast on VTV2.

From another perspective, student Trinh Tu Quyen (Nam Dinh) affirmed that an important reason for choosing to study International Studies is her belief in the ability of International Studies students to teach and learn English (this information she read in the book "Discover your path to university.Quyen believes that this field of study will provide you with many good job opportunities after graduation.

Sharing the same opinion as Quyen, Nguyen Thi Huong (Vinh Phuc), a literature student who loves literature and is passionate about journalism, affirms that after graduation, her field of study will offer her many interesting and suitable career options: teaching, writing for newspapers, editing, and working in information services.

It can be seen that, in addition to the desire to pursue a specific job they love and their efforts to find information about those fields of study from books, newspapers, and the internet (which are not very abundant sources), students are strongly influenced and attracted by role models from their relatives and friends, especially the ideal role models of people who frequently appear in the media. This partly shows the immense power of information and how much it influences the career choices of many young people today.

University studies: easy or difficult?

100% of the students surveyed during the orientation were unaware of what credit-based training was – a new training method that the university officially implemented a year ago. Some had "heard about it" but didn't understand the true nature of credit-based learning. However, the majority of students were quite aware of the difficulty and hardship of university studies. Nguyen Van Hung (Ha Tinh), a student majoring in Political Science, said:I've prepared myself to study much harder than the students in lower grades.Nguyen Thi Huong (Vinh Phuc), a literature student, shared:Although I'm quite confident, I'm still a little worried. I think university is quite demanding, and achieving good results throughout all four years requires long-term effort, especially if you want to get a scholarship.“Doan Van Truong (from Hung Yen), who is studying History, confidently stated:University studies are self-directed; teachers are merely guides. Personal effort and hard work are the main factors in achieving good academic results."Nguyen Truong Sinh (Nam Dinh), a literature student, summarized his view on university education in four words: 'Self-study is key.' He also expressed confidence that he would adapt to the university learning style. Doan Thi Soan (Hai Duong), a girl studying Management Science and passionate about social work, said:Most importantly, you need to learn independently and develop your own creative thinking. Confidence and creativity will lead to success."

[img class="caption" src="images/stories/2008/9/05/img_5848.jpg" border="0" alt="Getting acquainted right from the first day of school" title="Getting acquainted right from the first day of school" width="220" height="146" align="left" ]

As they begin their university journey, most new students have quite positive and proactive thoughts about their upcoming studies. The majority of students surveyed intend to immediately start researching more information about the university, their major, and especially the curriculum and courses. Trinh Tu Quyen (a student from the Faculty of International Studies) affirmed:My first step is to get to know more senior students to ask about their study experiences, and to get acquainted with the teachers to build friendly relationships and mutual understanding.Nguyen Truong Sinh (a student from the Faculty of Literature) expressed his interest in the school library:That would be my first visit because I love reading and I want to see how well the school library can cater to this hobby.Nguyen Thi Huong (a student from the Faculty of Literature) is interested in the activities of the Youth Union and the Student Association of the University:I really enjoy participating in Youth Union activities. I will research the Youth Union and the Student Association to see which activities I can participate in. I would really like to participate in summer volunteer activities for students in my first three years, but I'll probably have to skip the fourth year to focus on my thesis."Nguyen Van Hung (from Ha Tinh), one of the new students who has experience in Youth Union activities, expressed his desire to take on a position in the class or branch of the Youth Union, hoping to develop his abilities and contribute to the collective activities. In addition, some students interviewed said they needed to find part-time jobs to help cover living and tuition expenses for their families due to limited financial resources."

Although everyone has their own opinions and desires, above all, today's enrollment day has given us optimistic and joyful thoughts about a new cohort of dynamic, confident students with many dreams in life.