A pivotal shift: student becomes top scorer at military technical academy

Phi Quang Triet, who initially planned to pursue medicine and pharmacy, changed his academic path after discovering the semiconductor industry, ultimately becoming the top-scoring civilian student at the Military Technical Academy.

Speaking on behalf of nearly 700 new civilian students at the Military Technical Academy's (MTA) opening ceremony on 18/9, Phi Quang Triet expressed his overwhelming joy upon receiving his admission letter with a score of 29,75 out of 30.

"This is the most significant milestone in a student's life", said the new student in semiconductor and nano technology, adding that he never expected to become the top scorer.

Phi Quang Triet. *Photo: Duong Tam*

From his early days at Doan Ket - Hai Ba Trung High School in Hanoi, Quang Triet had focused on the A00 subject combination (math, physics, chemistry) for university entrance, aiming for medicine and pharmacy. At the time, he believed a career in this field would contribute to public health, though he was unsure if it suited him.

In his 11th grade year, Triet read extensively about policies promoting semiconductor industry development and forecasts for human resource demand. Delving deeper, he became increasingly interested, seeing great potential given Vietnam's shortage of high-quality labor and the limited number of universities offering this major. Soon after, Triet learned that the Military Technical Academy was reopening its civilian enrollment after a six-year hiatus.

"In that moment, I thought I could attend the academy to both study a field I love and experience a disciplined military environment", Triet said.

With his changed goal, Triet also shifted his study focus from the A00 combination to A01 (math, physics, English). He faced little difficulty, having excelled in English and won first prize in Hanoi's city-level excellent student competition.

After about 10 days of enrollment, Triet felt his choice was the right one. Contrary to his initial perception of the military academy's "absolute seriousness", Triet found the learning atmosphere enjoyable, with open and enthusiastic teachers and friends.

However, the student felt somewhat overwhelmed by the significantly larger volume of knowledge compared to high school. Triet realized he needed to change his study methods, reading textbooks and materials before class.

"If I don't read ahead, I might not be able to follow the entire lesson", Triet stated, acknowledging he would face many challenges pursuing a "relatively new" field.

At the opening ceremony, Major General, Professor, Doctor Tran Xuan Nam, Deputy Director of the Military Technical Academy, advised new students to set clear academic goals, foster a spirit of self-study, confidently ask teachers questions, and acquire foreign language, digital, and technology mastery skills.

Triet regards his teacher's advice as a guiding principle for the next four years. He also aims to participate in scientific research or student Olympic competitions, graduate about one year early to enter the job market, or pursue higher education.