VNU-USSH alumni: Secrets to successfully "hunting" for a full master's scholarship in Europe

PV: Congratulations to Thao Nguyen for just winning a full scholarship to study for a master's degree in Europe. What is the "secret" to receiving this prestigious scholarship?
Le Thao Nguyen:In the near future, I will participate in the MA Sports Ethics and Integrity program for 02 years in 05 European countries, namely Belgium, Czech, Spain, Germany and Greece. With this scholarship, I will be granted a 100% scholarship for tuition fees and monthly living expenses during the study period. This year, there are only 04 scholarships for non-EU candidates worldwide to receive scholarships for this program, of which Vietnam has only 01 scholarship.
Ever since I was in school, I have cherished the plan to study abroad for a master's degree because I wanted to improve my knowledge, cultivate life skills, soft skills as well as have the opportunity to exchange and make friends with friends all over the world.
After determining my goals, I always tried to maintain the best GPA possible. Besides, I also participated in Union - Association activities at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities to improve my soft skills, participated in scientific research activities for students to deepen the knowledge and issues learned in the classroom.
Although the upcoming master's program is about sports, I always believe that the knowledge of social sciences that I have been equipped with during my studies at VNU-USSH will help me a lot in my studies, such as analyzing and understanding deeply the behaviors and activities related to ethics and integrity issues in sports (the use of doping, the dark side of sports related to betting, inequality and corruption...).
Besides, as a long-time fan of Manchester United, I also follow, research and read a lot of news related to the club. With my love for football, I have a small fanpage to support and express my love. In addition, I also consider this an opportunity to make friends and interact with other football fans in Vietnam, thereby gaining more knowledge about this sport.

PV: What skills and experiences have you prepared to apply for a master's scholarship?
Le Thao Nguyen:In 2023, after gaining experience working at an NGO and participating in organizing several sports-related programs, I decided to quit my job to devote all my energy to this application. Also in this year, I took the IELTS test, took several related certificates, took more data analysis courses, and did research on Coursera to strengthen my profile.
I learned about the Erasmus Mundus program through some posts on websites related to scholarships and opportunities for Vietnamese students. After carefully studying the program requirements, I boldly applied, and luck smiled on me.
PV: You were the valedictorian of your graduation.Southeast Asian Studiesat the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU, is this a big plus for your profile? Who did you ask for letters of recommendation from when applying for the scholarship?
Le Thao Nguyen:The Erasmus Mundus scholarship is merit-based (a scholarship that encourages students with high GPA and scientific research experience), so I think being valedictorian is also a plus.
In addition, the honor of receiving a certificate of merit from the Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee for the excellent valedictorian of universities and academies in Hanoi in 2022 is also a stroke of luck for me, helping me add more achievements to my scholarship application.
However, I know many cases of very good students, not having a very high GPA, but a very strong profile due to experience and relevant skills that match the selection criteria of other programs, so a high GPA is not too big of an advantage. The important thing is that candidates must understand themselves, understand the requirements that the admissions committee is looking for and make themselves a suitable candidate. The scholarship winner is not the best person but the most suitable person.
Luckily, during the scholarship application process, I received a lot of help from the teachers at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities. With the help of Ms. Ho Thi Thanh and Ms. Nguyen Ha Phuong (from the Southeast Asian Studies Department), I had the opportunity to receive this scholarship. I also asked for a Letter of Recommendation from my boss at the NGO where I used to work because I thought that, through the work process, my boss was the one who understood and knew what strengths I had that were suitable for the program.

PV: What were the advantages and disadvantages during the application process? Did you ask for advice from mentors, friends, relatives, colleagues, or acquaintances during the application process?
Le Thao Nguyen:During the application process, the most difficult part for me was the essay writing. I wrote it about 10 times to get a satisfactory essay. Self-awareness and expressing myself appropriately was quite difficult for me. Concretizing the above to make my profile competitive and impress the admissions committee among thousands of other profiles out there required a long process, which took a lot of effort and time before achieving the sweet fruit.
Since it was my first time doing this and I had very little experience participating in international programs, I asked my mentor, friends, colleagues and relatives for help. The comments, corrections and even questions during the process of revising my essay that everyone gave me gave me the opportunity to look back at myself, my goals and my direction. I am truly grateful and thank you all very much!
PV: In your opinion, what are the strengths of your application? What about your essay/interview was impressive or memorable for you?
Le Thao Nguyen:I consider myself lucky to have the opportunity and time to learn about the scholarship program very carefully. After listening to advice from mentors and friends, I read many related articles as well as looked up information related to the program, not only on the website but also on other sites such as Linkedin and Reddit. After that, I contacted former students of the program to better understand the reality that they have studied and experienced so that I can learn from their experiences as well as understand more deeply about the program.
During this process, I was also lucky to read an article shared by a student on Facebook, that I knew who my future teacher was, what they mainly researched, what subjects would serve me in the future, etc. It really helped me a lot.
Thanks to that preparation, right after the interview with the Professor and Director of the Program, he told me something that I will always remember: "You understand our program very well, you express yourself very well and you are really passionate about this field of study, I am very impressed with you".
PV: What memories from your student days at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities have helped you a lot after graduating, working and applying for scholarships? What is the most meaningful thing that your teachers have taught you?
Le Thao Nguyen:Studying at a school with a long tradition and achievements has helped me cultivate and train the ethics and ideology of a student. I always remember the teachings of my teachers, to be persistent and pursue my own goals. I believe that the enthusiasm of the teachers and the humanity of the students in the school have given me a healthy learning and development environment, helping me find my strengths, to observe others to constantly practice and strive to progress.
I am always proud to have been a student of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities and believe that the school will increasingly train and educate more good and excellent students.
Besides, studying at the University of Humanities has nurtured my love for my homeland and country, so that I know that no matter where I go, which country I study and work in, my heart will always turn to Vietnam and I hope that I can contribute something, even if it is small, to the development of Vietnam in the future.
Vietnam Student Newspaper:Female Manchester United fan is valedictorian, wins European master's scholarship in sports