Quoc Dat and Ms. Dieu Hanh, teacher, after the international biology competition
Dat must pass 2 exams including 1 theory and 1 practical exam. The knowledge of the exam is not only in general biology but also about modern knowledge of the field of life science.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Dieu Hanh, Head of the Biology Department at Quoc Hoc High School for the Gifted, who accompanied Dat in the last exam, said, “Dat's result is the best achievement of the Vietnamese group in the subject this time. Dat's theory test was in the top of 10 best countries.”
Right after Dat entered the school, the school teachers discovered Dat's intelligence and sharp thinking, so they started to orient and put him in the school's excellent students team. For the past three years, the school has contacted Hue University of Agriculture and Forestry, and Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy to give Dat opportunity to do experiments and improve skills. This is the third time that students at Quoc Hoc High School for the Gifted participated in the International Biology Olympiad. They all ranked first in the Vietnamese biology team.
Sharing the results, as well as efforts during the journey to participate in IBO 2022, Dat said, “Despite facing health difficulties, my friends and I all encourage ourselves to try our best for the country.
As for the secret to high achievement, Dat said that there was nothing too special, he just made a detailed plan and tried to complete the goals he set out. To do well in biology, one should first be passionate about the subject. From mastering basic knowledge right from the classroom to the sense of self-study and doing scientific research.
Dat is good at English. He searched for biological terms in English so that he could read more books and look up more information on the internet. Biology is a multidisciplinary science, so if he wants to do well in this subject, he needs to be good at other subjects, such as math, chemistry, physics, etc. Dat studies biology with passion and he knows how to balance learning and entertainment, sports, etc., so he doesn't feel pressured.
“In fact, biology has very high applicability to all fields such as medicine, biotechnology, microbiology, plants, agriculture, etc., so the more I learn and do research, the more passion for biology I have. This subject has many interesting things. In particular, biology is associated with everyday life, and biology can be studied anywhere, in any situation.”
Because of his passion, outside of school, Dat always appreciates self-study. In order to be able to analyze the facts and phenomena of biology, he often studies through images to make it easier to grasp the problem. When facing with a problem, he often asks related questions and then tries to find a solution to understand the problem deeply.
Winning a silver medal at the 2022 International Biology Olympiad is the first success for the curious student. With the desire to become a doctor, Truong Van Quoc Dat enrolled in Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy to continue pursuing his dream.
Story and photo: An Nhien