Via panel sessions and discussions, USGuide’s this year conference “You Can Do it 2019” held in Hanoi last weekend was a bridge that linked students who are seeking opportunities to study in the US with 12 experienced guests who had gained scholarships from the US government and prestigious universities. 
An overview of panel session. Photo: USGuide
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USGuide study abroad conference which is also known as “You Can Do It” (YCDI), has become the trademark since 2005 which has helped Vietnamese candidates find motivation with the speeches delivered by US alumni and provided them lots of insights into the challenges and opportunities of student's life in the US.
In his motivational speech, Ph.D Tran Viet Hung who is the founder of Got It, Inc., a tech startup, a VEF Fellowship winner in 2007 and who obtained his Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Iowa pointed out five great lessons that he garnered after years of studying in the US.
Accordingly, Vietnamese candidates should firstly prepare well their English before studying overseas because they would be shocked with lectures in English at US’ universities despite gaining high scores in IELTS, TOLFE or GRE tests.
Secondly, students should seek bits of help from the US alumni via joining their networks or groups on social media to have a better understanding of the US life as well as other useful information related to their majors.
Thirdly, once in the US, students should take maximum advantages of their school resources including free courses, school facilities such as office, library, and computer, among others for their studies as well as teamwork.
Next, building networks with alumni and good people are considered very important and helpful as they are the best mentors who can help the students navigate future career path and also their life far from home.
The last but not least, instead of flying back to Vietnam or vacationing somewhere during school breaks, students are suggested to join some internship programs to gain experience and soft skills that help them in their future jobs.
At the panel session, the guests shared their experience in the application process for scholarships from US universities, how to highlight convincing scholarship essays and their job experience in some leading corporations in the world.
The event also included round table discussion, in which attendees and guests conducted direct exchange; and information booths where attendees got information about their planned universities.
