Harvard bound

Voranaddha Vacharathit

Most people probably think of a prospective Harvard scholar as someone who fits a certain mould. Straight A's, perfect English, a bookworm, maybe, and someone who has laid out concrete plans for every step toward a future career. Instead of trying to fit into this pattern, what if it all comes down to three words: the right attitude?

Voranaddha Vacharathit, a graduating senior at Ruamrudee International School, secured a full scholarship to Harvard University this autumn. Rather than preparing months in advance, however, she decided to apply for the scholarship only two weeks prior to the application deadline. At that time, Voranaddha had already secured a full scholarship to study at Mahidol University. Going to Harvard, she says, had not been on her initial agenda. Only after the guidance of her mother's friend did she begin to think about Harvard. From that moment on, the rush to complete the paperwork began.

"There is no trick or secret to getting accepted into Harvard, except for perhaps, some fabulous parents, teachers, and staff who are willing to help you," Voranaddha wrote in the school's newsletter. But the most important factor, she adds, is oneself. "Assuming that a person has everything, he may still not succeed academically. Those are just possessions. Whether or not you choose to be well-educated and well-prepared for college, depends on you. You have to show a lot of perseverance," she says during an interview with Learning Post.

To a large extent, all events that lead to today has helped shape Voranaddha's attitude toward life. As a part of her father's duty at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, her family was constantly on the move. At the age of six, Voranaddha moved with her family to Geneva, Switzerland. After four years, at the age of 10, she returned to Thailand to study grade four at Ruamrudee International School, before moving again to France for grades seven to nine. At the age of 15, she returned to Thailand and continued her studies at Ruamrudee until high school graduation.

Besides the ability to speak Thai, English, and French fluently, Voranaddha acknowledges that the experience of living in three countries has helped broaden her horizon and experience. She recalls that with each family relocation there was a new and challenging beginning. Having gone through several adjustments and encounters with unfamiliar settings, she learns to try her best at everything she does.

This attitude explains why Voranaddha always chooses to test her own intellectual limits. At Ruamrudee, she took the pre-university International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma programme in higher level chemistry, higher level biology, higher level English, standard business, and standard French. The reason behind doing so, she says, is simply to challenge herself.

But a perfect academic performance alone is not the most important element that got Voranaddha into Harvard. The other essential element, besides extra-curricula activities and teachers' recommendation letters, is her personality. In the interview part of the application, says Voranaddha, personality - not good grades - is what counts. And in her case, she went through three interviews.

"Grades are not important in these interviews. Rather, [the interviewers] want to find out who we are. We must have a good personality. We must say what we mean, even if sometimes it's not so nice on the ears. But it's what we really think. This way, we can convey our personality," she explains.

In many cases, students walk out of interviews with a better picture of what they actually want for themselves. To Voranaddha, the interviews whetted her academic appetite. Now, she looks forward to beginning her first year at Harvard, where she will be majoring in biology, before continuing on to medical school.

Going to a medical school and becoming a doctor is how Voranaddha roughly pictures her future. But things may change again, as she collects more experience along the way. Becoming a doctor, she says, is a potential but not a fixed career path. "To be honest, most good things that have happened to me are coincidental," she says. "When I do something, I don't think whether or not it will help me in the future. I do it because I want to. I don't plan too much. The key is to do the best in everything and at every moment."

One thing she knows for sure, though, is that she will return to Thailand and work. Despite having lived half of her life abroad, Thailand, she says, is her home. "It doesn't mean that I'm setting out to save Thailand. It means I will perform the best in my occupation, whatever that will be," she says with a determined voice.