Class of 2021 - A class of extraordinary resilience and determination

The academic year 2020-2021 was like none before in the school's decade of history. Amid times of uncertainty that altered nearly every aspect of their life at sixth form, our Class of 2021 graduates who, by successfully finishing their courses during a pandemic, have affirmed BVIS’s characteristics of resilience and the ability to improvise during hardship.

A class of extraordinary resilience 

With 48 dear members, our Class of 2021 has been the largest cohort since the school was established back in 2011. Some of them have spent all of their memorable academic journey at BVIS from the very beginning, whilst others have recently joined us over the last few years. Regardless of when they enrolled, our students quickly made the group a close-knit, strong and supportive community.

And while some BVIS traditions - cap toss, in-person commencement speech, and the grand Graduation Ceremony with applauds from families, friends, and well-wishers are currently on hold, as the nation walks into new social distancing measures, the tradition of committing to academic excellence driven by a spirit of free inquiry remains as strong as ever. 

Amidst their international exams that continued safely throughout the pandemic, students found many ways to reimagine their BVIS experiences. They worked closely with teachers to discover new ways to engage successfully within a Virtual Learning Experience. They self-organised independent peer groups through TEAMs for exam revision outside of school time and volunteered to run their self-led charity projects which affirms the bonds that they have with their community and the sense of social responsibility that they maintain as global citizens. And while the pandemic uncertainty is truly exceptional, the resilience of our students has been extraordinary. The class of 2021 defied the odds, have rewritten their own scripts and will surely serve them well for whatever may come next in their exciting futures.

Shared by Simon Higham, Principal that: "Over the last 2 years, we have all lived in truly unprecedented times. For you all, it has been a challenge that has combined uncertainty with inconsistency and concern. Yet through these times, one factor has remained a constant and a shining light that I personally have drawn strength from. That shining light is derived from the resilience, grit and determination of every BVIS student, teacher and family."

The next chapter  

We are proud to inform you that our graduates of Class of 2021 have received offers from the following, prestigious institutions: 

Given the current challenges posed by the pandemic worldwide, 36% of our graduates decided to continue their higher education at home in Vietnam. The US accounted for 19% of the total university acceptances and ranked 2nd in our students most popular destination. 8% of our students are heading to Netherlands with the rest receiving great offers from other different countries, including the UK, Canada, Hungary, New Zealand and France. 

The destinations recorded so far from our cohort saw a variety of career aspirations in different fields including Business Management, Marketing, Engineering & Computing, Economics & Finance, Psychology, Biomedical and much more. This diverse range of pathways is credited to dedicated students and teachers and the wide range of option choices available within our internationally-recognised A Level program. 

The path towards success requires much more than just an excellent academic profile 

This year’s university admissions are unlike any other. Traditionally, admission requires standardised language exams, but the pandemic has upended the process.  

According to the Wall Street Journal, with nearly 1,600 colleges in the United States cancelling their requirements to submit SAT or ACT scores, colleges worldwide saw a record-breaking increase in applications this year. The most prestigious universities reported even larger bumps, making this the most competitive admission year in its history. And while this could be a disappointing reality for those in our class of 2021 who have tirelessly put their efforts into intensive preparation for SAT, one of the things they have learned is that life can be unpredictable and that the path towards success requires resilience. While this year may be an unprecedented time to venture into college life, BVIS’s graduates have already proven they are prepared to thrive as the next generation of innovative, independent leaders. 

All of this happened as students strictly followed the new, carefully developed robust set of health and safety measures that continues to keep our community safe throughout the pandemic. The unique challenges and the resilience required to overcome the odds has made our graduates grateful to those at BVIS who helped make it possible. Because of their dedicated teachers, supportive parents and a strong wider school community, they have made it successfully to the end in order to start a new and exciting beginning. 

A special thanks to the Class of 2021 for keeping the spirit of BVIS so alive even in uncertain times, with their resilience defined by intense collaboration, intellectual thinking, and the ability to adapt in uncharted territory. The celebration of seeing those who have been with us since our first day over a decade ago, is a reminder of why BVIS is here now and why it will continue to be the place to cherish for many years to come after our graduates have marched out our doors to take on the world.