Anthropology students share their experiences winning scholarships to study abroad.

Hello everyone, I'm Hoang Nhat Le, a K61 student majoring in Anthropology. Although Anthropology wasn't my initial passion or choice, after four years of study and research, I've come to truly love and appreciate it – a fundamental science, highly interdisciplinary, and playing a very important role in human economic and social life. Anthropology has given me many wonderful experiences, but perhaps the most memorable and emotional one is the opportunity to study abroad thanks to a scholarship from the faculty. I was fortunate enough to find out about and successfully apply for a scholarship for an exchange program between the Faculty and the University of Göttingen (Germany), scheduled to take place in the summer of 2021.

I learned about this exchange program through regularly checking the Faculty's website for news. Although there were only two weeks left until the deadline for submitting a valid application, I had prepared in advance to be ready for the program's requirements, especially regarding English proficiency. One of the minimum requirements of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, as well as its German partner, for considering exchange scholarships is an international language certificate. I think every student should always remind themselves to prepare a language certificate in advance to meet the needs of future study exchanges. Besides the English certificate, when applying for the exchange scholarship with the University of Göttingen, I invested the most time in writing my Motivation Letter. I drafted four versions with four different contents and revised them a dozen times to be able to complete the letter that I felt satisfied with. I also had to ask friends to take the time to proofread my letter to ensure it was perfect. Besides the letter of recommendation, I must say I was very fortunate to be taking the course *Religious Anthropology* taught by Professor Dinh Hong Hai that semester. He was not only very enthusiastic in helping me write the letter of recommendation, but during that semester's course, we had a guest lecturer from the University of Göttingen; I got to experience classes with a foreign lecturer beforehand. It was like a test and a motivation for me to prepare well for my upcoming studies.

I can say that the field of Anthropology is full of opportunities for students who love the experience of studying abroad and want to learn and research deeply about the economic, cultural, and social life of countries around the world. With determination and effort, everything is possible! I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Faculty of Anthropology and Professor Nguyen Van Suu, the Dean, for creating opportunities for me and other Anthropology students to reach out to the world through scholarships obtained thanks to the close and extensive cooperation between the faculty and our professors with foreign universities.