Shadowing Practice: Essay Writing Tips | VinUniversity Admissions Application - Learn English Speaking with Video
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So why are we asking you to write an essay as part of your application to VIN Uni?
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We're trying to get a little bit more insight into you as a person, specifically in four attributes, ability, aspiration, creativity, and commitment.
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This essay will focus on aspiration and commitment.
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We want to know your aspirations and your commitments as a person.
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So how can you be successful in this essay.
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The first thing is make sure you answer the question.
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We want to hear your personal story
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and we want you to describe a real event from the past in which you've really persevered and tried hard to achieve.
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The second part is to describe an aspiration for the future
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and we want you to describe something which is really meaningful that you really want to achieve sometime in the future.
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The important thing is to describe and show show us that you have some characteristics.
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Show us that you have drive.
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Show us that you have initiative.
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Show us that you have perseverance.
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And show us that you want to dream big and achieve something in the future.
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How do you get started with this essay?
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My first advice is read the question really carefully.
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Read it 10 times to make sure that you understand what is this question asking you to do.
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Second, I'd recommend to make a list or a mind map of all of the different ideas you have for this topic.
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After that, give it to a friend or a teacher and and get some feedback on your ideas.
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Are they relevant?
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Do they work in this particular essay?
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And number four, after you finish writing, make sure you get lots of different feedback from different people and revise your essay so it's the best it can be.
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So how do you organize this particular essay?
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It's actually a very simple organization.
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Probably we'll start with the introduction.
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And in introduction, you're going to set up exactly how are you going to organize your two main parts.
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And the two main parts are commitment and aspiration.
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After you talk about those in the body paragraphs, the conclusion would do a nice simple summary of what was your main commitment
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and what is your main aspiration for the future.
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So you can see it's a very simple structure, just two main body paragraphs, one for each of the two questions.
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Here are some tips for success in this essay.
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First of all, get personal.
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This essay is for the panel to get to know you as a person.
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So make sure it's about you and it's personal, not about something somebody else did, not about something in theory you would like to do, about you personally.
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Number two, be truthful.
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We want to know what you actually did in the past and what you actually want to do in the future.
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So please don't make things up, don't embellish the truth, make it truthful.
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Number three, not too formal.
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This isn't a super formal essay.
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It's a very personal essay.
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So you don't have to worry about being academic, being too formal.
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We just want to know about you as a person.
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Number four, don't just describe the what, but also the why.
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If you only describe your ambition for the future, it's not enough.
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We want to know why do you want to achieve this goal in the future.
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So don't just describe the what, but also the why.
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First, one tip is that because a very short book is a very short book, we can only read the best information for the book.
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So we need to read from 1 to 3 books for the book, and we need to read the book for the book.
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So that the book is not to be a long book.
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And the tip is that because we read the book is often a good source of the
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we write a book for a book that is just like the book
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that I sent you then it doesn't need to be needed
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so we need to write a book that is a story to tell you about the story
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I have two words to you
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first is that you don't need to use the words that are so very important And more importantly, we need to focus on how to explain the story to people read the story.
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And second, you don't need to become anyone else.
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Because if you are in your own business, then you will see the ability of your business.
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With me, to do a good business, first we need to connect the topic of the business with the practicality.
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From there we can bring out the ideas and the creative ideas.
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After finishing the writing, Please remember to write the words, the words and the words of the text so that you can be perfect and better.
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And if you can send the teacher, friends, friends to see.
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The second question is very useful for you.
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Why Practice Speaking with This Video?
This video is a goldmine for English learners aiming to improve their speaking—especially if you’re prepping for college applications or personal essays. It’s packed with natural, conversational language used in real-world contexts, like explaining goals and sharing personal stories. Practicing with it helps you master clear, persuasive communication—a skill vital for interviews, essays, and everyday interactions. Plus, the structured advice on organizing thoughts translates directly to better speaking flow. Try shadow speech (repeating the speaker’s words aloud, mimicking their tone and pace) to build confidence in expressing ideas coherently.
Grammar & Expressions in Context
The speaker uses several practical structures you can apply immediately:
- "We're trying to get insight into you as a person, specifically in four attributes: ability, aspiration, creativity, and commitment." This colon to list attributes structure is perfect for clarifying key points. Use it to organize ideas in speeches or discussions: "I focus on three priorities: health, work, and family."
- "How can you be successful in this essay? The first thing is make sure you answer the question." The question + direct answer format creates engagement. Try it in conversations: "How do you start a presentation? The first step is to greet your audience."
- "Don't just describe the what, but also the why." This "the what... the why" phrase emphasizes depth. Use it to explain motivations: "When sharing goals, talk about the what (your target) and the why (your purpose)."
Common Pronunciation Traps
Watch out for these tricky words in the video:
- "Aspiration" (uh-spuh-RAY-shun): Don’t rush the "ray" sound—stress the third syllable. Mispronouncing it as "uh-SPIR-ay-shun" can confuse listeners.
- "Persevered" (pur-suh-VEERD): The "veer" part is soft—avoid overstressing the "per." Practice saying it slowly: "I persevered through the challenge."
- "Embellish" (im-BEL-ish): The "bel" is short, not "bell." Say it as "im-BEL-ish," not "im-BELL-ish," to sound natural.
Use shadow speak techniques—play a short clip, pause, and repeat—to nail these sounds. A good shadowing site can help you compare your pronunciation to the speaker’s, making it easier to fix mistakes. With practice, you’ll turn these traps into strengths!
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is read · be needed |
| Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group | the best |
| Obligation: must / have to / need to saying that something is necessary | have to worry · need to read · need to be |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | will focus · we'll start · will see |
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.