5 tips to hunt for Canada scholarships from HSU English Language Studies student

‘With good foreign language skills, Phan Minh Anh – a 4th year student majoring in English is not only a bilingual MC of many events at HSU, you also ”win” many exchange scholarships abroad.’ The most recent is the ASEAN-Canada Scholarship (SEED Scholarship) of Centennial College (Canada).

Phan Minh Anh has just finished a semester of more than 4 months at Centennial College – Top 4 largest public colleges in Canada with 47,000 students. To study here, Minh Anh went through a stressful scholarship approval process. You are one of the 5 students of Asia and the only student from Vietnam to receive the Centennial scholarship in the fall semester of 2023.

Here are some experiences that Minh Anh has distilled and wants to share so that more and more other students have the opportunity to study abroad:

1. Good English

To hunt for scholarships, the main prerequisite is a foreign language. Minh Anh shared, thanks to learning English at HSU, the process of studying and presenting in English from the first year, you have been equipped with enough English for the study abroad journey. “I was also supported by the lecturers of HSU’s Faculty of International Languages and Culture to write a very detailed letter of recommendation. ‘Moreover, the brothers and sisters at the International Cooperation Department are also very supportive in the process of preparing the necessary documents and nominating scholarships.”’

2. The essay is very thorough

Sharing about the scholarship consideration process, Minh Anh said that most of the scholarships require essays to present motivation, in addition to letters of recommendation from lecturers or from workplace managers, so Minh Anh’s advice for students is to take time for their essays to be well-groomed, see the scholarship’s selection criteria and list their strengths, then write the article and re-read it as many times as possible. ‘You can also ask former scholarship scholars or teachers to take a look at it for advice, as well as edit the most perfect and convincing essay.’

3. Good letter of recommendation from teachers

Besides the essay, a good recommendation letter from the lecturers also contributes greatly to building the credibility and success of your study abroad profile. “Always show your openness and ability to teachers in the learning process when you have the opportunity. ‘Teachers are always ready to support writing letters of recommendation, especially teachers at HSU are extremely enthusiastic.”’ It is thanks to the process of actively participating in the activities of the dean, especially in leading bilingual programs, connecting international students to study at the school, Minh Anh is loved by many teachers at HSU.

4. Understand the type of scholarship and the school you want to attend

‘In addition, with the experience of ”hunting” scholarships for a long time, Minh Anh shared that there are many types of scholarships with different criteria, so understanding yourself and the scholarship criteria is aimed at to help students easily achieve their goals.’ Besides good academics, it is also very important to participate in extracurricular activities. So, balance the excellent academic performance and participation in other social activities to make the application profile more prominent and convincing.

5. Don’t give up

‘The message that Minh Anh wants to send to students who also want to hunt for scholarships to study abroad like him is: ”Luck Is What Happens When Preparation Meets Opportunity”.’ ‘Minh Anh said that before ”receiving” an ASEAN-Canada scholarship, he was also ”failed” many other scholarships.’ “The luck factor is also very important in applying for a scholarship, I have also been rejected by other scholarship funds before receiving this scholarship, so do not give up, but always prepare yourself the necessary skills and documents for applying for a scholarship, so that when the opportunity comes, you are ready to grasp immediately,” the English Language student shared.

The experience of studying in Canada is one of the great memories of Minh Anh’s 4 years of university. Being friends with many other international students, experiencing the festivals, cultural activities of the land of maple leaves and the world’s leading education has helped him add a new page in his adult journey. In particular, the academic environment and friendliness of teachers in Canada are extremely friendly and open, the knowledge and relationships gained in the last academic semester are the luggage for Minh Anh to continue to pursue his academic path.

Minh Anh shared that, thanks to learning English at HSU, the process of studying and presenting in English from the first year, you have been equipped with English for the study abroad journey. “I was also supported by the lecturers of the Faculty of Agriculture and Rural Engineering to write a very detailed introduction letter. ‘Moreover, the brothers and sisters at the International Cooperation Department are also very supportive in the process of preparing the necessary documents and nominating scholarships.”’