Vietnamese student gets into world's top university Oxford after 18 months of turbocharged effort

Vu Minh Chau, 21, now a senior student in biochemistry at the University of Birmingham, received an acceptance letter two months ago for a master's program in pharmacology at the world's top-ranked university.

The U.K.'s oldest university has been ranked number one in the world by Times Higher Education for nine straight years.

Chau had once thought Oxford was out of her reach, but began formulating a plan to get into it during her second year.

"I challenged myself saying I have nothing to lose," she says.

Vu Minh Chau in a photo she provides.

In 2022 she chose to study biochemistry because of her passion for both subjects and a plan for a future in pharmaceuticals.

By the end of her first year she was determined to pursue a master's in pharmacology, which focuses on how drugs affect the human body.

She knew Oxford offered this program while other universities only offered related fields.

At that point she realized her profile lacked much research experience or extracurricular activities.

After reviewing Oxford's admission requirements and the profiles of successful applicants, she saw a possibility and began preparing.

In her second year she stepped up her efforts, co-founding an international food and culture club at Birmingham, joining a business finance club and participating in a strategy consulting competition (Capgemini Community Challenge) that her team won.

For research and internships, Chau focused on opportunities related to her major, but faced challenges as most internships required prior experience.

With a three-year undergraduate program, her second summer was virtually her last chance to gain relevant work experience.

Just as it seemed like her Oxford dream might end prematurely, Chau learned of a biochemistry research scholarship offered by the Wellcome Trust and U.K. Research and Innovation.

Vu Minh Chau (C) with her teammates at the Capgemini Community Challenge competition at the University of Birmingham. Photo courtesy of Chau

The scholarship covered living expenses, travel and research costs for an eight-week program.

Chau was one of 11 students selected for a research project on gene mutations in the placenta at the University of East Anglia.

She says her professor provided guidance and supervision throughout the research process. Contrary to her initial expectation that the work would be monotonous, she found herself creatively testing various solutions.

"I felt that I was contributing meaningfully to health science, which motivated me even more."

Two months of research helped make her meticulous, patient and skilled in reading scientific papers. She also gained deeper knowledge in her field, especially in protein purification processes.

"This was the highlight and strongest part of my application for the master's program, and it changed everything."

As she entered her final year of university, she maintained her leadership role in the business finance club.

She also asked to start research two months early to familiarize herself with the process and gain additional skills.

Her research focused on the structure of an anti-cancer drug and its effect on a particular protein in the body.

In her motivation letter to Oxford, Chau shared her childhood experience of frequent hospital visits due to her health issues, which inspired her pursuit of pharmacology.

"My mother used to joke, ‘In a month of 30 days, 29 days of sickness,' which lightened the mood at home whenever I had to stay in the hospital," Chau began.

She explained that she had been diagnosed with mesenteric lymphadenitis, a condition that could lead to blood infections.

"My poor health as a child is the primary motivation for me to study medicine and drugs."

She submitted her application in early December 2024 and waited nearly a month before being informed that she had made it to the interview stage.

Over the next two weeks she practiced answering likely questions, either by herself or with her adviser.

Thanks to her preparation, she was able to answer most questions confidently though one math-related question caught her off guard and she did not provide a complete answer.

"If I had answered that question well, I would have been confident of my success. But since it didn’t go as planned, I was anxious for a while."

Over the following days she frequently checked her email, anxiously waiting for the result.

In early February she was elated to receive an acceptance letter from Oxford and immediately called her family to share the good news.

Chau's advisor, Chu Cong Son, an Oxford graduate himself and the director of D.U.T Consultant, had been guiding her since August 2024 when Chau was about to enter her third year.

He recognized her potential, noting that she was in the top five in her class in terms of GPA and had completed an eight-week research program.

Nevertheless, he had believed Chau’s chances of reaching the interview stage were only 60-70%.

He had suggested she should gain more research experience and engage in community activities.

"Sometimes, Chau struggled to find direction, but when given guidance or assigned tasks, she always exceeded expectations," he says.

Looking back on her application journey, Chau regretted not starting internships, research and social activities earlier during her first year.

She believes her profile would have been even stronger then, allowing her to bid for more scholarships.

She embarks on her master’s program in October. As the program lasts one year, she aims to take full advantage of her research opportunities.

Her future goal is to focus on drug effects on protein structure and function.

"I hope to publish scientific papers soon and in future, work for a major pharmaceutical company," she adds.