That was an important statement by Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Van Kim (Vice Principal) during a press conference to discuss information about university admissions in 2013 which took place on March 12.
To help reporters have a clear overview of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Van Kim outlined the development of the University in recent times, mentioning 4 important goals that the University is aiming for: constantly improving the quality of training; closely linking training and research; internationalizing training programs to keep up with the development of leading universities in the region and the world; pioneering in implementing new training majors/specializations. On that basis, the University's training programs always have a close connection between academics and meeting social needs. Thanks to that, the University is highly appreciated by society for the quality of training as well as the seriousness in training goals.
Many new points in enrollment
The expansion of the exam blocks for the Social Sciences and Humanities from the two traditional blocks C and D to block A (in 2010) and block B (in 2011) is a decision that has attracted the attention of students. Explaining this decision, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Van Kim said that the current separation of exam blocks is only of relative significance. Because the philosophy of developing high-level science is to promote thinking ability. Therefore, to be consistent with the philosophy and orientation of development at a high level, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities always wants to accept candidates with good thinking ability, regardless of the exam block. Master. Dinh Viet Hai (Deputy Head of Training Department) added that the admission of groups A and B for the majors of Social Sciences and Humanities is not new, but has been done at Hanoi National University before: “The admission by groups itself is just a way to select the learners’ abilities. Candidates of each group have their own strengths that are suitable for the training programs of the University” – Master. Dinh Viet Hai said – “Therefore, the expansion of the exam groups clearly demonstrates the University’s viewpoint: candidates in any group have equal rights in choosing and accessing the majors of Social Sciences and Humanities”. In fact, the number of applications for group A has continuously increased since 2010. And more importantly, the number of group A candidates admitted to the University has shown good adaptation to the learning environment.
With that meaning, in addition to 10 majors that have recruited students from group A, this year there are 2 new majors recruiting students from this group for the first time, which are Public Relations and Social Work. This year, good news for students of basic science majors of the University (Political Science, Anthropology, Philosophy, History, Han Nom, Literature) will be supported with preferential scholarships for individuals and support for skill and career development courses right from the first year, including foreign language skills and personal development skills. Regarding the event of Public Relations (QHCC) being recruited for the first time at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Dr. Nguyen Thi Thanh Huyen (Deputy Head of the Faculty of Journalism and Communication) affirmed: this is a decision in line with the general development trend of world science and meets social needs. QHCC is a promising major with the demand for human resource recruitment always being among the "top" today. Dr. Nguyen Thi Thanh Huyen gave an example: "If each state agency or non-governmental organization in the Southern Institute currently recruits only one QHCC staff, the labor market's demand for QHCC graduates will reach hundreds of thousands". The average salary for a position in the QHCC industry is also quite good compared to many other industries. In preparation for the implementation of training in this industry, over the years, the Faculty of Journalism and Communication has sent staff to receive training in developed countries, gradually making the subject of QHCC an official and compulsory subject at the Faculty, thereby suggesting career directions related to this industry for students inside and outside the Faculty. The Vice Dean of the Faculty of Journalism and Communication also shared that the training goal of the Faculty is that graduates of the QHCC industry must have the most professional awareness and professional skills, meeting the diverse and strict requirements of the labor market as well as meeting the ethical standards required by the profession.
Innovation to meet social needs
The quality of the input of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities over the years as well as the issue of innovation in the training activities of the University to meet the social needs of human resources in the field of Social Sciences and Humanities are two of the contents that the press is most interested in during this information exchange session. When analyzing and evaluating the enrollment situation and employment after graduation of students in basic science majors of Social Sciences and Humanities, MSc. Dinh Viet Hai commented: the number of students admitted to these majors has been stable in the past 10 years. Students graduating from basic science majors have a very wide and diverse field of professional activities. Taking a typical example in the field of Literature, a career survey shows that students of the Faculty of Literature of the University, in addition to teaching and researching, are currently actively participating and achieving success in the fields of screenwriting, television, journalism, publishing, etc., even in the fields of advertising, public relations and many other related narrow professions. This shows that basic science training in Literature at the University has provided a solid foundation of knowledge and capacity for students to be able to adapt to different fields of activity. MSc. Dinh Viet Hai concluded: “The above observations from the professional practice of students after graduation show that the development of basic science over the years has had many changes, basic science has really participated in social life in a profound way, not just limited to the field of teaching and research at schools and research institutes. It is the social needs that have promoted innovations in training basic science majors”. Currently, following the above trend, the Faculty of Literature, University of Social Sciences and Humanities has implemented additional training in screenwriting, literary criticism theory and cinema art. This is a new development direction of many basic science majors in the University, aiming to provide human resources suitable for the diverse career requirements today.
Answering reporters' questions about the school's input quality over the years, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Van Kim affirmed that the school's input standards have always been among the highest compared to other universities training in Social Sciences and Humanities in the country, showing that the input quality is quite good. In addition, the objectives of the school's training programs have changed, from training based on individual needs to training to serve the needs of learners and society. To do that, the school has had a strong strategy to bring credit training into depth, making a big change in adjusting undergraduate and postgraduate training programs according to output standards, based on consulting the opinions of students, alumni, experts inside and outside the school, and employers. The school also has a regular inspection and evaluation mechanism to adjust training policies and strategies in accordance with reality.
Admissions and career counseling are increasingly practical.
This year, in the enrollment work, career counseling activities have been promoted one step further. In order to find good candidates, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities aims to promote its image and provide direct counseling at famous specialized high schools in Hanoi and many provinces. The University organizes online counseling for each group of majors on the website. In addition to participating in career counseling activities at the Ministry, VNU, and School levels, each training major of the University also proactively promotes its image, helping candidates understand each major to make the right decision. As someone with many years of experience in enrollment counseling, Dr. Nguyen Quang Lieu (Head of the Student Affairs and Support Department) said that currently, students still tend to choose a career based on their feelings and the advice of their friends rather than seeking advice from teachers and consultants. Realizing this reality, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities has increased counseling information to candidates through many different channels. In addition, the School has identified 3 bases for advising on admissions for students: based on the survey of the employment situation of graduates in the past 5 years; based on the annual recruitment needs of localities and organizations for students of the School; based on the number of candidates from provinces passing the entrance exam to the School to be able to predict the number of students who are able to work in the localities after graduation. According to Dr. Lieu, in order for the consultation to be effective, the consultation activities should be implemented earlier, the consultation process should start from choosing the exam block, the exam major, choosing the exam school to consulting on effective learning and exam methods. "Doing well right from this stage will help significantly improve the quality of the School's output" - Dr. Lieu said. To conclude the information exchanged with the press, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Van Kim emphasized a viewpoint of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities: “In the work of enrollment, we must never exaggerate what we can do, but must speak the truth. The core and important thing in the work of enrollment, training, in building relationships with learners and society is the sincerity and sense of responsibility of the training institution towards society. We must take quality as the fundamental factor to attract learners and build trust in society.”
