On February 26 2023, Center for Students Consultancy, Assistancy and Start-up collaborated with the Youth Union to organize a Talk show: The 3rd term Student story with the topic "Studying or Playing? Which one should be focused on?" with guests who are alumni and students with excellent achievements such as:
- Ms. Võ Nguyễn Minh Thùy: Founder of LỌ - Refill Station, Manager of Little Trap Project of CLEAR RIVERS Project, Consultant for The Water Agency Project and Aus4 Innovation - CSIRO.
- Ms. Đỗ Thị Minh Trang: English Lecturers at Can Tho University - Center for Foreign Languages, German NGO - Water Project Collaborator, International Cooperation Specialist at Department of Foreign Affairs of Can Tho City, Trade Marketing Supervisor - BSG Song Hau JSC
- Mr. Đỗ Minh Khôi: 1st Prize in Maker to Entrepreneur Program Contest, Odon Vallet Scholarship 2022, Vietnamese Delegate at ASEAN-Korea Youth Summit 2022, US Government Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative 2023 (YSEALI) Short-Term Scholarship
The show attracted nearly 200 students with different majors and courses, with the aim of sharing and consulting on common problems encountered during their university studies.
The speakers received many questions with a variety of topics such as: how to learn English, how to manage your time effectively, how to understand yourself, how to get scholarships,...
Regarding the foreign language learning experience, Minh Khoi said that at first he still had difficulty in learning English and doubted himself, not knowing if he could do it or not. However, he still tried, persevered with his goals and eventually achieved the best results. Therefore, Minh Khoi's advice to students when learning a new foreign language is to be persistent with the goals that you have set. In addition, for vocabulary learning, we can use the Spaced Repetition method to review the vocabulary we have learned and we should learn more about pronunciation and how to use words in the right way.
"Nowadays there are many students who have problems with poor memory, forgetting all the things they have to do in school, work,... What can students do to overcome this problem?”
Ms. Minh Trang proposed drawing a time management model, such as urgent things, important things should be put first, what is not important and urgent will be less priority. In addition, it is possible to draw a specific work timeline so as not to miss any stages to complete that work.
Ms. Minh Thuy added: "It's good to use tools to help us manage time, but we also need to train our brains to remember, so we shouldn't be too dependent on tools."
"Many young people can understand the world very well, but deep inside themselves, they don't know who they are, what they like, what they don't like, so they may choose the wrong major and then get bored. In this case, what can we do to solve this problem?"
Ms. Minh Thuy shared: "I majored in English Studies, but now I'm working in Project Development, but that doesn't mean I chose the wrong way because I can still use what I've learned into my job. Therefore, studying a certain major does not mean that we only know about that major, we can use the knowledge we have learned to apply to many other jobs. My advice is to experience more to learn more new skills and knowledge outside of your field of study. In addition, if you don't like the major you're studying, think carefully and change it. You should not give up affecting your academic results and mental health".
Ms. Minh Trang: “Everyone has their own periods when they don’t understand themselves and always wonder “who am i” everyday. Currently there are many tests on the internet that you can discover yourselves, which strength you have, what you are suitable for, or using Dermatoglyphics to help you understand more about yourselves. We should spend a specific time everyday to reflect on ourselves, don’t let life cycle make us lose ourselves and our purpose. Be brave to break the comfortable zone to find your true self and don’t be afraid of being wrong, you can fix it constantly.
Lastly, to answer the questions of the topic, Mr. Minh Khoi had a very interesting answer: “Whether you focus on studying or playing will depend on who you are aiming for. If you want to focus on the path of research and academics, you should spend more time studying (60% studying and 40% playing), so that you can both focus on learning but also help yourself stay connected with people. On the other hand, for those of you who are more active and want to participate in projects, you can spend 60% playing and 40% studying. You should put yourself in extra-curricular activities, projects to make yourself more flexible to match your own direction, but also constantly learning to hone and improve self-knowledge".
Some photos of the event:
