UPENN WHARTON SEs

Write a short thank-you note to someone you have not yet thanked and would like to acknowledge. (We encourage you to share this note with that person, if possible, and reflect on the experience!) (150-200 words)*

Dear Hoang Minh,
    As you probably remember, I was pretty much a loner back in primary school. I still remember the times, back in fourth grade: when we hid behind the lunch tables in the cafeteria from the school security guard, after running around the school hallway - breaking the school rule. Or when we used to play pranks by throwing wet paper tissue at others' bathroom stalls. You were my one and only friend that I had. You were always proud to introduce me to your friends. You made my life so much brighter and filled with memories of joy and happiness. Because of you, I've grown to be much more sociable and welcoming to meeting new people. Because of you, I don't have to live in regret of not making friends. Because of you, I enjoyed life. Thank you for all the laughter you brought me. Thank you for changing me into a more open and cheerful person. What you did meant the world to me, though I have never said it before.

    Your forever best friend,

                 Dat

How will you explore the community at Penn? Consider how Penn will help shape your perspective and identity, and how your identity and perspective will help shape Penn. (150-200 words)*

    I was raised in a very traditional and political Vietnamese family. Every Tet Holiday - a Traditional Vietnamese holiday -  I go into the fields to the really old gravestones of my ancestors and "invite" them back to join our family for Tet. In addition, I have been listening, conversing, and meeting politicians all my life, developing my own political perspective through them. 

    Besides contributing to Penn's diversity with my Vietnamese culture and political view, I come with a passion for math. I expect to meet people at Penn's undergraduate math society, exposing me to new angles on math and sharing my views. Moreover, Penn has a math contest club, which organizes a math contest annually, in which I could participate and help organize the competition, making the club more vibrant and invested. Additionally, since Penn has a very vibrant and diverse international community, I will encounter new traditions and cultures as I make new friends there. Lastly, I look forward to focus on civic engagement, a quality that I've been yearning to participate in. 

Considering the specific undergraduate school you have selected, describe how you intend to explore your academic and intellectual interests at the University of Pennsylvania. (150-200 words)*

    UPenn Wharton School provides a flexible curriculum, innovative learning, leadership development, and knowledge for action. These four aspects will be crucial for my journey in pursuing business analytics at Penn. First, with a flexible curriculum, I can get a head start on graduate school as I look to pursue a Master's degree in the US. Secondly, innovative learning is vital in developing my creative thinking through participating in the various teaching methods - seminars, case studies, and lectures - that professors at Wharton provide. Thirdly, with leadership development in Wharton's classes, I will be advancing my leadership skills through group-related activities as a team leader, especially in the case studies. Lastly, through Wharton's knowledge for action quality, the program supplies me with hands-on experience in starting a business with Venture Lab through Wharton Leadership Venture. Wharton also has a research program that will help me to dive deeper into solving complicated business problems.

NYU SE 22-23

NYU was founded on the belief that a student’s identity should not dictate the ability for them to access higher education. That sense of opportunity for all students, of all backgrounds, remains a part of who we are today and a critical part of what makes us a world-class university. Our community embraces diversity, in all its forms, as a cornerstone of the NYU experience.
We would like to better understand how your experiences would help us to shape and grow our diverse community. Please respond in 250 words or less.

    I come from a middle upper-class Vietnamese family of politicians. My mom, dad, and four of my aunts and uncles work in the government. I have the opportunity to listen to conversations and stories of national event planning, infrastructure development, and political conflict during dinner whenever my dad joins in, though it's not too frequent due to the nature of his job. I get to meet new people with important roles in Vietnam's government system: some are my dad's subordinates; some are his bosses. They work in various places such as the Department of Tourism, the Hanoi People's Committee, the Congress, and the Vietnamese Communist Party. They speak quite loudly at times when we meet up for a meal, so it's quite hard not to eavesdrop. Through the many conversations and encounters with these people, I have developed a sense and thought process similar to that of a politician: I, too, am careful in my words and actions and always think one or many steps ahead.
    However, though being raised and directed on a path toward politics, I find myself gravitating toward business. In my worldview, business and politics pretty much go hand in hand with each other; they complement each other to build economic growth, so I believe my political views are relevant to my journey to pursue education at NYU Stern Business School. With my distinct perspective on politics and passion for business, I will bring to Stern School a voice they’ve not yet heard.

NYU SE 21-22

 

We would like to know more about your interest in NYU. What motivated you to apply to NYU? Why have you applied or expressed interest in a particular campus, school, college, program, and or area of study? If you have applied to more than one, please also tell us why you are interested in these additional areas of study or campuses. We want to understand – Why NYU? (400 word maximum)

    NYU has always struck me as a popular and prestigious school in the US, especially its Stern Business School. Growing up, I was always fascinated by successful businessmen: Elon Musk for his car business - Tesla; Bill Gates for his tech business - Microsoft. Their businesses made vital contributions to human lives and inspired me to start my own company in the future although I came from a family in Vietnam where my parents are politicians, not business people. With that goal in mind, I believe NYU Stern Business School would contain the best environment for my education and growth.

    I have traveled to many big cities throughout my life: Tokyo - Japan, Paris - France, London - Britain, Rome - Italy. Out of all of those, I find New York to be the most significant, being the most bustling area in my opinion, filled with many delicious cuisines of several distinct cultures, which would fit in my best interest regarding living commodities. Also, I find New York City to be a very diverse and culturally mixed area to interact with different people, which would be a huge advantage for me to build up connections.

    NYU provides access to a wide range of professional development programs. In these programs, I could get help with career exploration, recruitment preparation, and connections with employers. The Business School Degree in Business has a flexible curriculum, while still focused on the 12 areas of business, allowing me to be able to also develop in my own area of interest: business analytics. Additionally, this degree supplies a four-course sequence that brings an in-depth view of the impact of business on society - the Social Impact Core - which fits my aim to start a business beneficial to society while still being able to create great profit. I believe these aspects are very essential and practical for my future since while studying in a flexible program, I am still provided a world-class education.

    In conclusion, I look forward most to joining NYU as I will apply here with my early decision as all the factors that interest me, such as location, culture, program, and living commodities, fit my expectation of what my college life will be like.

Home vs US (Personal Essay)

    Every day in Vietnam since I was 10, I traveled by bus to school and passed by many street food vendors, reminding me of my days in kindergarten: excited to meet up with my sister every afternoon to eat "bánh bột lọc" - a small flour cake with shrimp and mushrooms. It's safe to say this dish made up a big part of my childhood. When I come to the United States for summer camps and vacations, I search for every dish that is similar to it but nothing could remind me of its taste. All I find are Western dishes. 

    My parents, sister, and Cookie, my poodle, have been there for me in all crucial moments throughout my childhood. They make me feel like the most unique and loved person on the planet: my mom gives me kisses on the cheek every morning; my sister cooks lunch and dinner every single day; my dad gives me big allowances to eat delicious food with my friends.

    Tet Holiday, colloquially known as the "Lunar New Year", is a traditional Vietnamese holiday, derived from the Chinese Lunar New Year, for our family to gather, spend time together and celebrate a new year as well as to look back and appreciate the year that had passed. It will always be in the back of my mind, the picture of my busy and contented family during Tet: my nieces and nephews running around in bright red and yellow "áo dài" - traditional Vietnamese clothing - with bright shining smiles on their faces as they love to be around lots of people; my mom and aunts busily preparing for the enormous Vietnamese food platter; and me, filled with joy and excitement as receive plenty of lucky money - a tradition to wish other people a lucky new year during Tet. 

    Nhat Minh or, as people close to him call him, "Bốp" has been my best friend since middle school; he has been the main source of joy and emotional support in my school life. When I scored a 3-pointer in a basketball match, he cheered me on, making me feel like the MVP of the match. When I received a bad literature test result, he alleviated and encouraged me by paying for the "bún chả" - a dish of grilled pork and noodles - when we go out after school to brighten my mood. Although these things might sound cliché, it only takes those small actions of his to make up the positive and cheerful person I am today. I would love to continue to spread this energy to those I will meet in college as I make more friends there.

    College is a period that will be different from person to person, but for me, it will be a big sacrifice. Sacrificing all that I have back in Vietnam: my friends, family, and Vietnamese cuisine and traditions. All these aspects are what make me the proud and happy Vietnamese citizen I am today, but I believe I am ready to become a global citizen. To share my culture and tradition with others as well as to receive and appreciate their customs, I look forward to college life in the United States, finding a new and more sophisticated "bánh bột lọc".

Picture of "bánh bột lọc" - source: vntour.com.vn

Initial impression at Yale - Dat July 2023

     Upon arrival at Yale at 1 AM in the morning in which I arrived earlier than everyone else, I was exhausted and stressed out from all the waiting and paperwork at the airport. After meeting up with my counselor, Matthew, I felt very welcomed. He greeted me with great energy and even took me on a mini-tour despite it being nearly 2 in the morning, which flipped my arrival experience. The next morning, when I gained more consciousness of the surrounding environment, I was quite disappointed by the dorm commodities as there was no air conditioning in the dorm room so I sweated up quite heavily and was shocked by the temperature outside as I formerly believed that the climate in America would be quite cold based on my past experiences and knowledge on it. Then, I took a walk throughout campus and found that it's pretty small, but this also means that it'll be convenient for me to spend a minimal amount of time traveling to classes. Lastly, I also love Yale's dining hall as it was very well-designed with such antique designs and food that are well-cooked. In conclusion, I was really pleased by how welcoming people were to me and how the campus was really well-designed, other than the dorm.

Yale's Campus - source: Internet

Yale's Trumbull dining hall - source: Internet