Professor Vo Thanh Hai, Duy Tan University Vice-Provost, gives this advice to applicants during the 2016 university and college enrollment season. He also remarks on the modifications and additions that have been made to the 2016 High Graduation Examination.
- The Ministry of Education and Training drafted new regulations on University and College Enrollment and on the HGE. The guidance was clear. Can you comment on the changes please?
The changes have addressed previous limitations. Specifically, each province now holds their own exam, with consistent HGE subjects and organization, which will benefit the examinees financially, ease their stress and alleviate problems in the big cities.
The Ministry has also provided more autonomy for universities and colleges in enrollment procedures, by preventing students from changing their enrollment preferences between admission rounds, and by reducing admission days from twelve to ten in subsequent rounds.
Nonetheless, I believe that MOET should allow students to sign up directly for admission at the universities, which is advantageous for them and more convenient for everyone.
- Which advantages will the adjustments to the HGE bring to students and institutions, particularly to private schools?
The main advantages are that students will take the exam in their own province, sign up for admissions online, have four areas of study to choose from in the first round and six in subsequent rounds. Moreover, examination subject combinations in each area are being expanded and admission procedures will be more flexible. So candidates will be able to choose from a broader range of subjects and schools.
At universities, candidates will no longer be able to change their initial choices, which reduces the number of applications per candidate, giving more stability and cutting back on the proportion of fake applications to both public and non-public schools.
The new draft regulations also address the minimum education qualifications required for college and university entrance, which will enable colleges to enroll students more easily and reduce the stress on students not meeting the minimum requirements for university.
In addition, MOET will also allow schools to develop their own admission procedures, based on high school results, which is extremely advantageous at private schools.
With admissions based on HGE results, private schools are limited to applicants meeting minimum requirements, at the expense of annual enrollment objectives. So ,when the ratio is too low, the opportunity for private schools to enroll is reduced, except in certain majors that the universities were well-known for.
- Do you have any advice for the examinees on choosing a major and a school before the exam?
Facts show that, in past years, many students wanted to select a school before they chose a major. This led to situations where many of them achieved poor results because they took too many exam subjects or ended up studying the wrong major, or were not admitted, in spite of having high marks.
It is therefore important that students take their time to think about their personal interests and choose a major before choosing a school.
I believe that then they should then rank potential schools offering their preferences. Then they can select their examination subject and sign up for admission.
In this way will they will be able to gain the necessary exam results and be admitted to the major and the school of their choice, to avoid wasting their own and their family’s efforts, money and time.
(Media Center)