International students graduate with a master's degree and enter a doctorate online

 International students graduate with a master's degree and enter a doctorate online

After nearly two years of returning to Vietnam, Ba Toai still could not return to school in China because of the epidemic, so he had to defend his master's degree online and enroll for a doctorate online.

Doan Ba ​​Toai graduated with a bachelor's degree in International Economics and Trade from Wuyi Academy in 2017, then studied for a master's degree and is currently a doctoral student at Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University. Toai is currently the assistant director of the International Institute and an assistant professor at the Faculty of Economics, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University; served as vice president of the university's graduate student body and vice president of the international student body, Wuyi Academy.

As a student, Toai received many awards for academics, research and graduated from university with excellent honors. With 9 years of experience living, studying and working in China, a 27-year-old graduate student from Hai Duong is becoming a bridge for Vietnamese students to come to universities here. For the past two years, Toai has not been able to return to China because of the epidemic, has undergone an online graduation ceremony and is currently studying for a doctorate online.

Toai shared:

On January 25, 2020 (the 1st day of the Lunar New Year), I returned to Vietnam, the person who stormed the Huu Nghi border gate, Lang Son, that year. At that time, the epidemic situation in China was not serious, all international students thought that Covid-19 was just a common flu, after a few weeks, at most a month, it would be fine. But no, the epidemic became more and more intense, and in mid-February, schools in China officially informed all students to switch to online learning.

Toai visited Wuhan University in 2019, before the outbreak of the disease. Photo: Character provided

Toai visited Wuhan University in 2019, before the outbreak of the disease. Photo: Character provided

I am extremely nervous because this is an important semester: the master's degree. My thesis is not good, I am not confident enough to be able to solve it without direct guidance from the teacher. At that time, I just tried to do my best, solving one thing at a time. My professor is also very enthusiastic, the school and the teachers in the department also help me, so I finished the thesis.

I defended my master online in June 2020 and got good marks. After that, I was able to study for a doctorate in Economic Management. In September of the same year, I officially entered the online PhD program.

For international students, studying online is really difficult. Many of you signed up for the one-year program, wanting to experience it first, but because of the epidemic, you had to stay at home. It is even more difficult for those studying at university, master's or doctorate to win a full scholarship such as CIS (Confucius Scholarship) or CSC (Chinese Government Scholarship) when there is no specific policy so far. They still have to go to class on time, living expenses in Vietnam have to pay for themselves. It is not easy to study specialized subjects online because they cannot exchange or exchange after school for a deeper understanding.

It's not easy for international students doing research like me because in addition to studying, we must have scientific articles - a mandatory condition to graduate.

Studying online, it is difficult for international research students to gain practical experience as well as teach in an educational environment. The school also allows me to teach some classes for students but that is not enough for me to improve.

Studying online at home in Hai Duong in November 2020, after returning from China and not being able to return because of the epidemic. Photo: Character provided

Studying online at home in Hai Duong in November 2020, after returning from China and not being able to return because of the epidemic. Photo: Character provided

At the doctoral level, we have to independently research and work independently, but we still need direct direction from the professor, instead of messaging via Wechat or QQ. The professors are all very busy, can not always sit and wait for your message.

The story of online research is also a problem that gives me a headache. I live in Hai Duong and my hometown is always on the anti-epidemic map at times, culminating in August 2020 or the beginning of last year. Every time I plan to do a field survey in mangrove areas, find out about the income of households and the ecosystem in the provinces, the disease flares up again.

Over the past two years, many international students have had to drop out of school to work, earn money to live, and support their families. Those of you who are trying to maintain your studies are worried about how this subject will be, how that subject will register for credits, textbooks, different types of curriculum are incomplete, the study time is not stable, reduce the spirit of learning. Their health is also affected by sitting in front of the computer for 6-8 hours a day "looking at nothing" because the more they learn, the more they don't understand.