How a Vietnamese Student Won the Fully Funded Utrecht Excellence Scholarship to Study Economics and Business Economics at Utrecht University

I am Duong Nguyen. I am 24 and from a small city in the Central Region of Vietnam. In August 2019, I came to the Netherlands for my Bachelor’s at Utrecht University as one of the 3 scholarship recipients of Utrecht School of Economics. I chose Economics and Business Economics as my major and Applied Data Science – R Language as a minor.

The journey to Utrecht University starts with a coincidence. I came across a photo posted on the university’s program. I saw the color of life and resilience in a small branch of red holly shrubs surviving in the extreme winter and bringing a unique color to the life of Utrecht. I could immediately feel a strong connection between the personality I have developed through my hard time living in an underdeveloped area and daily efforts to sustain my family’s life.

At that moment, I decided I wanted to be there to see and touch the trees with my bare hands. The second reason was, of course, the generosity of Utrecht University in terms of financial and mental support. I found both financial and academic professional support there, so I came.

Utrecht Excellence Scholarship Details

I was granted the Utrecht Excellence Scholarship for International students in 3 consecutive years by Utrecht School of Economics, Utrecht University. The scholarship fully covered the tuition fee and also living expenses. After deducting the tuition fee, the remaining amount would be transferred directly to my bank account. This was something I found impressive, as we could utilize and manage the scholarship in the way we expected. This was not the only source of financial assistance I received during my study. Support comes to the right people when they really need it and ask for it.

During the COVID-19 outbreak, I could hardly afford my living expenses, regardless of having the scholarship, and could not continue my part-time jobs. I sent an email to the financial department of Utrecht University, clearly asking for their short-term support. The University still immediately granted me 300 euros, as a small urgent support for my rent. This came as a surprise to me, as there were a lot of students having financial constraints, but not so many of them reached out for support.

The second time, I received a rare chance to fly home in a government rescue flight after two years on the waiting list, with a price ticket rocketing to 1,300 euros. I again asked, with not much hope since this expense was not the university’s responsibility. Still, I got half of the flight ticket.
These events gave me a lesson that support comes when we ask. If we don’t ask for what we want, things never happen. And support only comes to those who have good purposes. I am still very much grateful for my university’s generosity and humanity.

Educational Background

One of the common requirements for enrolling in a Bachelor’s degree in the Netherlands, especially for Vietnamese students, is that you should be from a gifted high school, otherwise, your credits are not equivalent to the Dutch education. I studied in a provincial gifted high school in Ha Tinh, my hometown, which was also ranked among the top high schools in Vietnam. My academic performance was average to good. With a GPA of 9.0, I stood competitive among other applicants.

However, I learned from my experience that having an outstanding academic record was not the only criterion, since the university also considered other aspects in assessing a student’s potential and suitability for the program.

How Did You Prepare to Apply to Utrecht University?

I had an interesting story related to the standardized test scores to share. I took both the SAT and the IELTS to fulfill the basic requirement of the application – evidence of English proficiency. I eventually chose to submit the IELTS certificate test only, as my SAT score was not as high as I expected.

I applied with my first test result in IELTS with a grade of 7.0. Unsatisfied with the score, I retook the test and got 7.5. Then I sent an email to the admission committee asking to upload this certificate as it could help to strengthen my competitiveness. To my surprise, the university was happy to proceed with my first test, simply because it met the language requirement, and they could also see my willingness to learn and make progress.

My lesson here is that, again, demonstrating your personality and traits is as important as having good grades. So be confident that you stand on more than a chance to prove yourself.

How Did You Prepare to Apply for the Utrecht Excellence Scholarship?

This is a challenging process, I would say. Starting from imagining yourself studying abroad, gathering information, building up CVs, writing motivation letters, to finalizing the application takes time, effort, and even pain. I applied for scholarships in different universities in Austria, Italy, France, America, and finally ended up in the Netherlands.

What fueled me throughout this repeated process was a simple but firm belief that I could make it to the end, regardless of obstacles or failures. I kept telling myself after every rejection letter that a better opportunity was waiting ahead of me. If I could make another effort, I would be a step closer to what I wanted to achieve.

For me, studying abroad was not my dream, just because I could make it, so it should be a within-reach reality, not my dream. After 4 years of continuous preparation and trials, I got the full scholarship to put my plan into practice.

What Do You Think Made Your Application Stand Out?

My academic performance made me equivalent, but self-awareness, personality, and ideology made me stand out. Knowing yourself is important. I could clearly explain what I expected from the university and my potential value to the course, as well as the organization. Any small and practical contribution is counted at Utrecht University. So don’t mind how big your impact is, it is fairly valued within this society.

We both love discovery, developing potential, and working towards sustainability. I put as much effort into the social projects related to reducing environmental footprints as in my academic and personal life. Therefore, we see a good match in the way of thinking and making actions.

What Would You Have Done Differently if You Were Going Through the Process Again?

No, I have tried my best, so I enjoyed the trials, challenges, and successes throughout the journey.

What Advice Would You Give to Those Looking to Apply for a Similar Scholarship?

Your dream might not be able to bring you to success, but self-discipline would. We might give up or postpone our dreams because of life challenges, or because they are short-term wishes, or we are not in the mood to take action today. Self-discipline, on the other hand, makes plans reachable as you will need to work on them every day, regardless of your feelings and interests.

So my advice is to consider receiving a scholarship to study abroad as a plan, or an objective of your youth, instead of being a single goal of life. Believe it, it is within your capability, and you will get it in the near future with continuous efforts, self-trust, and determination.