Overcoming confusion and integrating into a new environment

Nguyen Thi Thuy is no longer a strange name when she appeared in the “Student Faces” column of Tien Phong newspaper with the title and outstanding achievements of the Valedictorian of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities - Vietnam National University, Hanoi. Currently, she is studying Public Relations with many outstanding achievements, excellently receiving scholarships in the first two semesters.

As a new student, when entering the vibrant and dynamic university environment, Thuy shared that she and other new students were very confused when setting foot in a new environment, everything was the first time she saw. The university environment is a professional environment, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities is a place where bright faces with a spirit of studying and practicing enthusiastically gather; completely new learning methods, a huge amount of knowledge and higher learning requirements compared to high school. With excitement and a desire to learn, Thuy was not worried but felt that this was an opportunity and new and interesting things that she would experience.

However, Thuy still had some difficulty adapting to the new environment, especially the learning methods and new subjects, many of which were not related to high school knowledge. To overcome this challenge, she proactively learned from friends and teachers, actively participated in extracurricular activities and constantly improved her knowledge, shortening her difficult period as much as possible.

Besides, Thuy always keeps an optimistic spirit and constantly strives. Thuy often makes specific study plans, reviews lessons regularly and actively participates in class discussions. Thuy also shared that she always keeps a progressive spirit and believes in herself, this is an important factor that helps her overcome all challenges.

The secret to effective learning to "defeat" all challenges

Sharing her study secrets, Thuy said that the most important factors are diligence, method and always staying optimistic. She often makes specific study plans, breaks down goals into small, manageable parts, reviews lessons regularly and actively participates in class discussions. The study method that Thuy shares is based on the school's scoring criteria, first of all, speaking enthusiastically in class, secondly, doing well in group assignments, mid-term exams and finally, spending time reviewing for final exams thoroughly. She does not miss even a little bit of precious time in the classroom, takes notes of important things and summarizes them after class, learns about them thoroughly through textbooks, reference materials...

Thuy believes that learning is not limited to books but requires proactively acquiring knowledge from many different sources, cultivating critical thinking skills and applying knowledge in practice. In addition, Thuy also spends time learning additional knowledge outside the curriculum to supplement her main studies, practicing soft skills and participating in extracurricular activities to develop herself comprehensively.

For Thuy, she gives absolute priority to studying because it is her main task. She finds that extracurricular activities at university do not restrict her study time, but on the contrary, it is also a learning method. Thuy said that when participating in a club, she not only improves her basic skills in communication, teamwork, and time division, but also gains more relationships and knowledge from her predecessors. Currently, she is still attached to and actively involved in the SOL Art Club.

Golden advice

Thuy shared that the biggest lesson she learned after her first year was not to be complacent or relax after passing the university entrance exam, but to be serious from the very first moments because these 4 years will decide a huge part of her entire life. She is very confident in herself, constantly learning, practicing and coming into contact with many new things, many talented people, and is not afraid to face challenges.

Thuy also advised students to boldly integrate into the new environment, not be afraid of difficulties and always believe in themselves. They should proactively learn, improve their knowledge and soft skills to achieve success in their studies and life. The important thing is that they must have a receptive spirit, not be arrogant after their own achievements, and boldly learn from the experiences of those who have gone before.

She herself has never boasted about her achievements, she is calm and studious but no less active. She believes: "Every experience is valuable, even if the way we receive it is a bit awkward, it is a lesson for us to gradually become more mature in the future."

With her own tireless efforts, Thuy aims to become a journalist working in the military or public security environment. In addition to her own efforts, she considers herself lucky because she has the opportunity to meet many friends who are also valedictorians or have excellent academic achievements, and concludes that the most important thing is still diligence, selective and flexible learning, followed by knowing how to seize opportunities and the right time for herself to develop and progress.

(Photo: NVCC)