Vietnamese student secures $240,000 scholarship in US with 10 days of preparation

Nguyen Tue Nhi, a senior at TH School, an international school accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, has received a $60,000 per year scholarship from Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, where she plans to major in Business Administration.

According to U.S. News & World Report, Mount Holyoke ranks 34th among the best liberal arts colleges in the U.S. With this financial aid, Nhi's family will still need to cover around $26,000 per year.

"I was very surprised and never expected to receive such a high scholarship," Nhi said.

Nguyen Tue Nhi in a portrait photo she provided.

Before receiving her acceptance from Mount Holyoke, Nhi had secured a scholarship from EM Lyon Business School in France. However, her strong desire to study in the U.S. led her to apply to three American universities just before the Jan. 3 early admission deadline.

"This last-minute decision brought us immense joy at the start of the new year," said Thai Thi Thuy, Nhi's mother.

Thuy noted that her daughter had shown a talent for arts, piano, and an interest in fashion and game design from a young age. Recognizing her potential, the family invested in her education.

In sixth grade, Nhi won a 70% scholarship from TH School, covering her tuition until 12th grade.

Growing up in an environment where many of her peers pursued international education, she also dreamed of studying abroad.

While Nhi had always wanted to study in the U.S., her family initially encouraged her to consider France, where tuition costs were lower. She originally planned to major in fashion, taking intensive art and design courses and teaching herself sewing and design techniques online. She also built a visual portfolio to strengthen her application.

After reconsidering the competitive job market in creative industries, particularly with the rise of AI, she and her mother decided to switch to Business Administration.

At TH School, Nhi pursued A-level subjects in Business, Sociology, and Media Studies, which made the transition smoother.

She was accepted into EM Lyon, one of Europe's oldest business and management schools.

But in mid-December, Nhi learned that a friend had received a U.S. university scholarship, reigniting her passion for studying in America.

"At that point, there were only 10 days left before the deadline. Nhi only had an IELTS 7.5 score and had not taken the SAT," her mother recalled.

Over the next week and a half, Nhi and her advisor rushed to finalize her applications. She spent most of her time filling out forms, writing essays, and completing financial aid documents.

A fashion collection designed by Nguyen Tue Nhi that won the second prize in a competition organized by a fashion design school in Italy in 2024. Photo courtesy of Nhi

For Nhi, the most challenging part was writing her personal statement. Unlike French universities, which require straightforward responses, U.S. college essays demand a compelling personal story that reflects the applicant’s personality and values.

In her 600-word essay, Nhi wrote about expressing love without words, opening with a vivid scene when her grandmother collapsed and was admitted to hospital for stroke.

"I stood in the hallway, hearing my aunt sob. Inside the room, my grandmother lay surrounded by machines and wires."

She described how unable to find the right words, she showed love through small acts—visiting her grandmother every week by bicycle, interpreting her hand gestures, knowing when she wanted water, adjusting the TV volume, and massaging her feet.

"My love for my grandmother wasn’t expressed through words, but through the smallest acts of care," she explained.

For her supplemental essay, which asked about her passion, Nhi wrote about upcycling denim jeans into handbags and selling them on Instagram. Using old jeans from family members, she redesigned and repurposed them, giving them a new life. Every few months, she created a small batch of bags and sold them online.

A bag made from a pair of used jeans trousers by Nhi.

She expressed her ambition to integrate sustainable fashion into her future career and hoped that more businesses would adopt recycling models to protect the environment.

According to Dang Ngoc Lan, Nhi’s application advisor, while the process was rushed, her application effectively highlighted her strengths.

"Nhi’s strong extracurricular record played a key role," Lan noted.

She had participated in various school activities, including piano performances, the school band, basketball club, and fashion shows. She also ran a small business selling upcycled handbags.

Her academic performance was strong, with a 94 out of 100 GPA and an A in A-Level Business. In addition to English, she had B1-level proficiency in French and basic knowledge of Japanese and Korean.

These factors helped compensate for her lack of SAT scores, making her application stand out.

Nhi will begin her studies in the U.S. this fall. She hopes to pursue a master’s degree after graduation and find a career that aligns with her strengths.