The greatest benefit of studying a dual-degree program is NOT having an international high school diploma.
In fact, you do not need to have a diploma from an international high school to apply for scholarships or meet the requirements to study abroad. You only need a Vietnamese high school diploma and IELTS/TOEFL scores to qualify for admission in English-speaking countries.
Therefore: having an international high school diploma offers NO additional advantage if it is merely to meet the requirements for studying abroad.
The first benefit is that you will become exceptionally fluent in English compared to only studying the Vietnamese curriculum. Instead of thinking in Vietnamese, you are forced to think in English. Just the act of having to think, reason, and work in English alone helps you get closer to a “native speaker” level. This benefit is infinitely valuable because no matter how good you are at practicing for TOEFL or IELTS, if you don’t put it into practice, it remains a dead language. With an international program, you have a goal to reach and visible results to see, rather than just an IELTS/TOEFL certificate that anyone can take a test for.
That is why those who study abroad using English are always far superior to those staying domestically (even if their IELTS/TOEFL test scores might be lower) because they have been “immersed” in an English-using environment.
The second major benefit is that you learn how to think, write, solve problems, present, and critically reason in exact accordance with advanced educational systems (US, UK, Australia, Canada). The learning style of the international, Anglo-American system relies mostly on self-study, reading extensively, and engaging in critical discussion, where there is no rigid right or wrong, and no absolute truth. You will know how to conduct research from scratch when writing an essay. When doing a scientific research project, you will understand its practical applicability and why it needs to be researched.
These mindsets, currently with the exception of exceptionally good public schools, are mostly not taught thoroughly to young people. The curricula remain outdated. Learning still emphasizes rote memorization. It is a huge waste of time.
US High School Diploma issued by Mizzou Academy (University of Missouri)
Therefore, if one doesn’t have the money to study a 100% full international program, having the experience of studying a few subjects will ensure that when working with foreigners or studying abroad later, young people will no longer feel out of place.
The third major benefit is that holding an international high school diploma will significantly reduce academic pressure at public schools for young people. One way or another, you will receive an international high school diploma if you study seriously. International programs allow exemptions for certain subjects already studied at public schools, so students no longer need to study frantically or stay up late night after night to get a good or excellent diploma at public schools.
This immensely lightens the burden in two ways:
- a) young people do not necessarily have to desperately force their way into famous high schools to study frantically;
- b) young people have time to do what they like (sports, extracurriculars, etc.) instead of becoming nearsighted and hunchbacked from studying.
And the final benefit, only then, is having an international diploma. Satisfying the pride factor is also extremely important. My child is also studying at an international school just like everyone else’s! Every university is ready to evaluate students holding British or American diplomas (of course, your child still has to compete to be accepted).
My advice is to try to pursue a dual-degree program if possible, but you must definitely make a trade-off: if you study a dual-degree program, do not expect to excel at the Vietnamese curriculum. Being average is quite enough. Do not be greedy and want everything. Focus on what is important. That’s all there is to it!
