u/sukikys_99

**Demographics**
Vietnamese, senior at a public high school with pretty limited resources (most of my experiences came from cold emailing / reaching out myself)
Very high financial need for the US; budget around **$20k/year**

**Academics**
GPA: **9.3/10 (Grade 10), 9.6/10 (Grade 11)**, rank 1/844
**SAT 1520** (retaking in Sept), IELTS 7.5
No AP/IB offered at my school; chose the hardest courses available
Named one of my school’s most well-rounded students

**Intended major**
Flexible: **Cognitive Science, Psychology, HCI, or Psych paired with CS/Data Science.** I care about the combination more than the label.
Broadly interested in how environments shape what people feel, and how we can actually build spaces where people feel they belong. I like research, but I don’t want to stay on a purely academic track. I want to research + design + build.

**Research and work**
\- Long-term internship at the biggest neuroscience startup in my country working with **brain-mapping/EEG research**. Trained in the underlying science and worked with research data + student participants.
\-Independent mixed-methods study on different - ways young people process emotion, combining behavioral research with data analysis and advised by a professional in the field.
\-Two summers as an **R&D intern at a youth mental-fitness startup**. Did user research that helped shape the company’s product direction; later designed and tested a web product end-to-end based on usability findings.

**ECs (condensed)**
**- Founder & director of a youth-led platform** helping underserved children and teenagers discover their strengths, express themselves, and find belonging through creative, social, and community experiences. It runs on **two branches:**
**- Shelters:** recurring creative/storytelling programs reaching **300+ children across multiple shelters/care facilities**. I developed and iterated the program with some grounding in psychology and behavioral research, then expanded it into projects where different generations (elders) can create and exhibit work alongside one another.
**- Open community:** bringing the work to the wider student population through **large public events, charity sports tournaments, art/photography activities, exhibitions, and an online gallery/community.** Larger events have reached **hundreds of attendees.**
Lead a **20+ person cross-functional team** across R&D, tech, events, and communications. We’ve kept the project running for several seasons largely through our own fundraising, events, and sponsorships rather than outside grants.
**- Academic lead of my school’s psychology club:** peer-support programming reaching hundreds of students, a large school-wide event, and an educational content platform that grew to a few thousand followers
**- Built and shipped a study web app** used by hundreds of students, with strong repeat usage during peak test-prep season
**- Led a team to create an emotional-education program with a professional center** for younger children, and helped lead a hospital creative/play program reaching children across multiple hospitals
**- Event production:**
\+ Produced a student charity concert whose proceeds funded long-term hospital programming, and a **school-wide concert for 2,000+ students**
\+ Co-founded an amateur football league with **200+ players**; class president throughout high school
\+ Artist and photographer, submitting an arts portfolio
\+ Organized sketching events across my city that attracted 60+ participants

**Awards (kept general on purpose):**
**-Top placement** in an international psychology competition
**-City-level prize** for a designed emotional-learning product for children
**-Silver medal** in a team STEM water rocket competition -(team lead)
\- Regional biology award
\- City-level sports medal

**Languages:**
Vietnamese native, English advanced, some
Cantonese and Mandarin (open to learning another language)

**Long-term goal:**
I want to design and build **“third places,” physical and digital**, where young people gather, feel like they belong, and come to understand themselves through being there. Research matters to me, but I don’t want to be only a researcher on a purely academic track.

**Current US list:**
Mostly need-meeting LACs plus a few mid-size privates, spread across ED/EA/RD. My ED1 is Pomona (I HOPE I MAKE IT 😭).

**What I’m asking:**
\- Universities in **Asia** with strong Psych/CogSci/HCI and real scholarship money for international students. **Full-ride or near-full-ride tiers specifically**, not partial merit.
**- US university campuses in Asia, or joint/hybrid programs**, worth applying to with this profile.
\- US schools I might be missing that **meet full demonstrated need for internationals** and lean applied/building-oriented rather than heavily theoretical.
\- An honest read: **does a profile like this actually reach the major scholarship tiers in category 1, or am I aiming at the wrong bracket?**
**One thing I know I don’t want:** programs that are purely theoretical with no making or building involved.
Thanks to anyone who takes the time. Happy to answer questions in the comments :)

**Demographics**
Vietnamese, senior at a public high school with pretty limited resources (most of my experiences came from cold emailing / reaching out myself)
Very high financial need for the US; budget around $20k/year

**Academics**
GPA: 9.3/10 (Grade 10), 9.6/10 (Grade 11), ranked 1/844
SAT 1520 (retaking in Sept), IELTS 7.5
No AP/IB offered at my school; chose the hardest courses available
Named one of my school’s most well-rounded students

**Intended major**
Flexible: Cognitive Science, Psychology, HCI, or Psych paired with CS/Data Science. I care about the combination more than the label.
Broadly interested in how environments shape what people feel, and how we can actually build spaces where people feel they belong. I like research, but I don’t want to stay on a purely academic track. I want to research + design + build.

**Research and work**
\- Long-term internship at the biggest neuroscience startup in my country working with brain-mapping/EEG research. Trained in the underlying science and worked with research data + student participants.
\-Independent mixed-methods study on different - ways young people process emotion, combining behavioral research with data analysis and advised by a professional in the field.
\-Two summers as an R&D intern at a youth mental-fitness startup. Did user research that helped shape the company’s product direction; later designed and tested a web product end-to-end based on usability findings.

**ECs (condensed)**
\- Founder & director of a youth-led platform helping underserved children and teenagers discover their strengths, express themselves, and find belonging through creative, social, and community experiences. It runs on two branches:
\- **Shelters**: recurring creative/storytelling programs reaching 300+ children across multiple shelters/care facilities. I developed and iterated the program with some grounding in psychology and behavioral research, then expanded it into projects where different generations (elders) can create and exhibit work alongside one another.
\- **Open community:** bringing the work to the wider student population through large public events, charity sports tournaments, art/photography activities, exhibitions, and an online gallery/community. Larger events have reached hundreds of attendees.
\- Lead a 30+ person cross-functional team across R&D, tech, events, and communications. We’ve kept the project running for several seasons largely through our own fundraising, events, and sponsorships rather than outside grants.
**- Academic lead** of my school’s psychology club: Initiated a peer-support programming reaching hundreds of students, a large school-wide event, and an educational content platform that grew to a few thousand followers
\- Built and shipped a study web app used by hundreds of students, with strong repeat usage during peak test-prep season
\- Led a team to create an emotional-education program with a professional center for younger children, and helped lead a hospital creative/play program reaching children across multiple hospitals
**- Event production:**
\+ Produced a student charity concert whose proceeds funded long-term hospital programming, and a school-wide concert for 2,000+ students
\+ Co-founded an amateur football league with 200+ players; class president throughout high school
\+ Artist and photographer, submitting an arts portfolio
\+ Organized sketching events across my city that attracted 60+ participants

**Awards** (kept general on purpose):
\-Top placement in an international psychology competition
\-City-level prize for a designed emotional-learning product for children
\-Silver medal in a team STEM water rocket competition -(team lead)
\- Regional biology award
\- City-level sports medal

**Languages:**
Vietnamese native, English advanced, some
Cantonese and Mandarin (open to learning another language)

**Long-term goal:**
I want to design and build “third places,” physical and digital, where young people gather, feel like they belong, and come to understand themselves through being there. Research matters to me, but I don’t want to be only a researcher on a purely academic track.

**Current US list:**
Mostly need-meeting LACs plus a few mid-size privates, spread across ED/EA/RD. My ED1 is Pomona (do i even have a chance 😭).

**What I’m asking:**
\- Universities in Asia with strong Psych/CogSci/HCI and real scholarship money for international students. Full-ride or near-full-ride tiers specifically, not partial merit.
\- US university campuses in Asia, or joint/hybrid programs, worth applying to with this profile.
\- US schools I might be missing that meet full demonstrated need for internationals and lean applied/building-oriented rather than heavily theoretical.
\- An honest read: does a profile like this actually reach the major scholarship tiers in category 1, or am I aiming at the wrong bracket?
One thing I know I don’t want: programs that are purely theoretical with no making or building involved.
Thanks to anyone who takes the time. Happy to answer questions in the comments :)

**Demographics**
Vietnamese, senior at a public high school with pretty limited resources (most of my experiences came from cold emailing / reaching out myself)
Very high financial need for the US; budget around $20k/year

**Academics**
GPA: 9.3/10 (Grade 10), 9.6/10 (Grade 11) ranked 1/844
SAT 1520 (retaking in Sept), IELTS 7.5
No AP/IB offered at my school; chose the hardest courses available
Named one of my school’s most well-rounded students

**Intended major**
Flexible: Cognitive Science, Psychology, HCI, or Psych paired with CS/Data Science. I care about the combination more than the label.
Broadly interested in how environments shape what people feel, and how we can actually build spaces where people feel they belong. I like research, but I don’t want to stay on a purely academic track. I want to research + design + build.

**Research and work**
\- Long-term internship at the biggest neuroscience startup in my country working with brain-mapping/EEG research. Trained in the underlying science and worked with research data + student participants.
\-Independent mixed-methods study on different - ways young people process emotion, combining behavioral research with data analysis and advised by a professional in the field.
\-Two summers as an R&D intern at a youth mental-fitness startup. Did user research that helped shape the company’s product direction; later designed and tested a web product end-to-end based on usability findings.

**ECs (condensed)**
\- Founder & director of a youth-led platform helping underserved children and teenagers discover their strengths, express themselves, and find belonging through creative, social, and community experiences. It runs on two branches:
\- **Shelters**: recurring creative/storytelling programs reaching 300+ children across multiple shelters/care facilities. I developed and iterated the program with some grounding in psychology and behavioral research, then expanded it into projects where different generations (elders) can create and exhibit work alongside one another.
\- **Open community:** bringing the work to the wider student population through large public events, charity sports tournaments, art/photography activities, exhibitions, and an online gallery/community. Larger events have reached hundreds of attendees.
\- Lead a 30+ person cross-functional team across R&D, tech, events, and communications. We’ve kept the project running for several seasons largely through our own fundraising, events, and sponsorships rather than outside grants.
**- Academic lead** of my school’s psychology club: Initiated a peer-support programming reaching hundreds of students, a large school-wide event, and an educational content platform that grew to a few thousand followers
\- Built and shipped a study web app used by hundreds of students, with strong repeat usage during peak test-prep season
\- Led a team to create an emotional-education program with a professional center for younger children, and helped lead a hospital creative/play program reaching children across multiple hospitals
**- Event production:**
\+ Produced a student charity concert whose proceeds funded long-term hospital programming, and a school-wide concert for 2,000+ students
\+ Co-founded an amateur football league with 200+ players; class president throughout high school
\+ Artist and photographer, submitting an arts portfolio
\+ Organized sketching events across my city that attracted 60+ participants

**Awards** (kept general on purpose):
\-Top placement in an international psychology competition
\-City-level prize for a designed emotional-learning product for children
\-Silver medal in a team STEM water rocket competition -(team lead)
\- Regional biology award
\- City-level sports medal

**Languages:**
Vietnamese native, English advanced, some
Cantonese and Mandarin (open to learning another language)

**Long-term goal:**
I want to design and build “third places,” physical and digital, where young people gather, feel like they belong, and come to understand themselves through being there. Research matters to me, but I don’t want to be only a researcher on a purely academic track.

**Current US list:**
Mostly need-meeting LACs plus a few mid-size privates, spread across ED/EA/RD. My ED1 is Pomona (do i even have a chance 😭).

**What I’m asking:**
\- Universities in Asia with strong Psych/CogSci/HCI and real scholarship money for international students. Full-ride or near-full-ride tiers specifically, not partial merit.
\- US university campuses in Asia, or joint/hybrid programs, worth applying to with this profile.
\- US schools I might be missing that meet full demonstrated need for internationals and lean applied/building-oriented rather than heavily theoretical.
\- An honest read: does a profile like this actually reach the major scholarship tiers in category 1, or am I aiming at the wrong bracket?
One thing I know I don’t want: programs that are purely theoretical with no making or building involved.
Thanks to anyone who takes the time. Happy to answer questions in the comments :)