Linh Do

02/01/2018

ENGL 102 – 029, Professor Scott Stein

Vietnamese Students Should Pursue Higher Education in the United States

At 18, things change for most of us. We are old enough to vote; we are old enough to

donate blood; we are old enough to buy a house; and we are expectedly old enough to be

responsible for our own actions. At 18, we are standing in the life intersection excited and nervous.

In front of us are thousands of paths leading to the future ahead: education, career, and other big

life plans. For the few invaluable years before fully turning into an adult, it is necessary that each

of us make the right choice regarding our ‘last’ education experience. Should we attend colleges

right in the same place we have always been since the day we were born, or should we pack our

bags to study in a foreign country?

My answer is very simple: ‘Where are my suitcases, mom?’.

First and foremost, the most important factor to be taken into consideration must be about

education. Students in American institutions have both freedom and support in their academic

career. Students are allowed to choose their courses, instructors, as well as the time they want to

attend classes, based on the school’s available schedule and the requirements for their major. The

autonomy given to students lets them choose what they think are important, so they do not feel

forced to do things they have no interest in or find pointless. To an extent, it boosts their

performance dramatically more than a student who is forced into classes, which is the case of

Vietnamese students. They are mandated to take Philosophy, a very abstract and hard subject,

regardless of the majors or national universities they enroll in. Even worse, most classes only have

a small amount of available sections (2-3): if you do not register in time, you will have to wait for

another semester, which eventually might affect your graduation. Moreover, nobody expects
college students to find out exactly what they want to be professionally – in fact, most of us only

have a vague idea of what we want to pursue in the future. Colleges in the United States grant

students opportunities to change their majors after experiencing the courses for 1-2 year(s),

whereas in Vietnam, students are mandated to stay in the chosen major for the next 4 years. If they

really want to change it, the only way is to retake the college entrance exam which is a very

stressful and difficult test.

Another benefit of attending an institution in the US is the exposure to new methods of

teaching. Novelty serves as a stimulus engendering a rush of motivation to explore because it

creates an anticipation of reward (Cooper, 2013). Humans are also likely to take in new

information more effectively if we approach it with different means. For example, a Chemistry

course is consisted of lecture, recitation, and lab; an English course might combine project-based

work with seminar discussions; a computer science class might involve an idea pitch activity, etc.

Students first process information with visual and auditory materials in lecture then the information

is strengthened by hands-on activities and observations in labs. On the other hand, in Vietnam,

most lessons are lectured with the aid of power-points. The lectures are teachers-centered, and

barely call for interaction from students. When it comes to natural sciences, Vietnamese

universities only sometimes have laboratories. However, these laboratories are usually very

outdated, and the equipment is no longer common and widely used. American universities, in

contrast, are very well-funded mostly from federal and state property taxes. Laboratories and other

facilities are new, adequate, and modern. Students also have access to valuable resources such as

libraries, writing, math, and counselling centers or people such as advisors, mentors, tutors,

professors through office hours, etc.

Not only limited to academic resources, Southeast-Asian countries, especially Vietnam, do

not usually appreciate the value of art and music. They place academics subjects over any other
‘unimportant’ subjects, so it is not so surprising that the competition in the ‘important’ ones such

as math, banking, law, etc. increases dramatically over time. Not all students were born to become

an accountant, a lawyer, a doctor, or a politician. Some were born to become artists, singers,

painters, and dancers. In fact, according to congly.vn journal, each year, Vietnam has a rate of

approximately 1 million students committing suicide from academic pressure, the number two

cause of deaths after traffic accidents (C, 2016). In US colleges, art and music are treated fairly as

any other subjects with the its own department, funding, and opportunities for students to perform

such as choirs, orchestra, ensembles for music, or portfolio day, and museums for art. These

opportunities are not open only for art/music majors; every student with the passion and ability

can participate. US education helps you grow more holistically because they value other parts of

you rather than just academic side.

Such an advanced, comprehensive education system comes with a high price. Many

families who are still on the fence about studying abroad question their affordability of this

investment in their children’s future. The good news is many colleges offer students with different

types of financial aid: need-based, need-blind, meet-need, merit scholarships, grants, etc. The

eligibility of these aid is mostly based on your academic results and the income of your household.

In 2016-2017, 425 of 1293 schools providing data on this topic to U.S. News claimed they awarded

aid to international students – a ratio 1:3. In 2016-2017, University of Chicago, Columbia,

Harvard, Stanford, and Yale University are recorded to give aid of at least $58,000 to international

students individually – this amount is enough to cover the tuition fees. About other expenses such

as room and board, some students have other choose to move out of the dormitories in their

sophomore years to save money.

Another problem is the doubt of their abilities and success in a whole new environment

using a different language. The best way to hone language skills is to completely immerse oneself
in the culture. Language command should be brushed up on because language is a valuable skill

to add to resumes. Nevertheless, studying new materials in a new language is still undeniably

challenging, especially when competition with native-speakers is inevitable. However, research

dating back from 1898 reveals that competition can actually improve performance. The

psychologist Norman Triplett discovered that a cyclist will be likely to ride faster with the presence

of another cyclist (McLeod, 1970). Eleanor Roosevelt once said: ‘Women are like teabags. You

don’t know how strong they are until you put them in hot water.’ I totally agree with her, except

for the fact that I would like to expand her scope: everyone is a tea bag; we do not know what we

are capable of until we really try. We’d be surprised at how we find ways to cope with hardships.

There are meant to be challenges on our way to success. What makes the mediocre ubiquitous

carbon diamond is the pressure.

Studying abroad might not be for everybody, even though moving to a new country might

seem like a dream come true. You picture yourself standing on top of the Empire State Building,

waving hands at your neighbor Jennifer Lopez in Bel-Air, or wind running through your hair as

you are driving through the Sunset Boulevard. Then, the thought that you are going to be a college

student going away from home and leaving your loved ones behind sinks in. The winter is colder

when you are alone, and you walk back to an empty room every day by yourself. I agree that

parting ways with your family and friends is not going to be easy, but so are most of the choices

we have to make in life. Giving yourself some quality alone time helps you learn a lot about your

capabilities. You have spent enough time learning about others, college is when you find

yourselves. You will be able to cook and clean after yourself; you will learn to cope with things at

your own pace; you will become more independent and mature; you will explore chances and

aspects that interest you; you will find you – the hidden but most sincere version.
References

C. (2015, May 06). Tự tử học đường và những con số đáng báo động. Retrieved February 02,

2018, from http://congly.vn/xa-hoi/giao-duc/tu-tu-hoc-duong-va-nhung-con-so-dang-bao-dong-

95552.html

Cooper, B. B. (2013, May 21). Novelty and the Brain: Why New Things Make Us Feel So Good.

Retrieved February 02, 2018, from https://lifehacker.com/novelty-and-the-brain-why-new-

things-make-us-feel-so-g-508983802

McLeod, S. (1970, January 01). Saul McLeod. Retrieved February 02, 2018, from

https://www.simplypsychology.org/Social-Facilitation.html