My Background

My name is Lalik and I'm from Armenia. I was born in Yerevan, the capital city of Armenia. A few years later, I moved to Dilijan to pursue my education. There, I attended different schools for each stage of my studies. I began at Dilijan Central School for middle school and later continued my academic journey at Dilijan High School. After graduating, I moved back to Yerevan for a year. I went to Abovyan Pedagogical University, left after a year, and started my gap year before going to study abroad.

Why I Chose to Study Abroad

I had this idea for a long time – since my studies in middle school, or even earlier – because I was always involved in international programs. For example, I participated in a variety of programs and activities at UWC Dilijan. Being part of the international community showed me that the school’s way of learning and its values felt familiar and matched well with what I believe in. Besides this, my brother studied in UWC, and after his graduation, he went to study abroad, so he was kind of a role model for me. Considering all of this, I basically knew that that was going to be my future too.

Why LCC?

So when I took a gap year, I was researching universities, and I ended up applying to three or four universities, probably. I didn’t apply to many universities, and I didn't do a lot of research, which I could have definitely done better and more. In the end, I got accepted to three of them. LCC was the most convenient one in a way that there were already a lot of Armenians, which at that time was a good advantage for me because having a community of people of the same nation as you makes your studying abroad journey much easier. Between the U.S. and Europe, I preferred the second one, which gave LCC an advantage more, since it’s located in Lithuania. It wasn’t that I specifically chose Lithuania or LCC, but overall compared to the other universities I got accepted to, the advantages of LCC and Lithuania were much higher than the other ones. That’s ultimately what led me to choose it. Also, as an Armenian, it was easier for me to navigate through the visa and TRP processes because the LCC admissions stuff were aware of the specifics and visa requirements for Armenians, and they would help us with all the necessary information. The application system of the U.S. was much more complicated for me at that time.

How I Became Interested in Business

My decision to pursue business was quite unexpected, because I was never considering that field during my school studies. However, that changed when I started a small business of my own, and I found myself genuinely excited by the work I do. It made me realize that I confidently want to start a career in business, to eventually launch and grow my own project. So I chose business administration.

Just a few months before starting at LCC — during the summer — I landed an internship in marketing. At first, I was simply learning some basics, and then I was offered a full-time job. I truly love the work I do nowadays. I do Google and paid social advertising, so I am really passionate about it. At LCC, I chose the International Business Administration major since I plan to launch my marketing agency — or perhaps a startup — in the future.  The experience and knowledge I have gained in marketing will be valuable later while building my business, so that's why I continued with general business administration.

Stats

Because I applied three years ago, I have to say that the application process can be changed a little. Firstly, you need TOEFL or IELTS. One big advantage that LCC had was that it did not require the SAT, even for the business program. So I just took the TOEFL. In 2024, the TOEFL passing score for LCC was 68, and I got 92/120. Other than that, you also have to take an exam for LCC itself. If you have the scores of your national leaving examinations, you can just add those scores to your application. If you don't have that, they have a Skills and Knowledge exam that you have to pass. I had scores of national examinations, but as too much time passed since that period, I had to take a Skills and Knowledge exam. In conclusion, those are the tests I gave. Regarding the GPA, again, there wasn’t a concrete minimum score you should have. I was required to submit my high school transcripts only. My GPA was 8,5/10.

Application: Essays, Extracurricular Activities, Interview

In the application, they have several questions — the typical ones you would always expect: why did you choose LCC, what is the program of your choice, and why should we choose you? For a recommendation letter, I didn’t need one, and same situation was with the cover letters. Because of the fact that the interview stage is later, the application itself doesn’t require a lot. The more important part of it was transcripts and extracurricular activities, also athe pplicant’s background generally. Then in the interview, they would cover the rest of the questions.

I barely did any volunteering activities, although I know that it helps a lot when you're applying to universities. But I always tell everyone that it's more important what kind of leadership activities you did. During those years, I held my focus exactly on leadership activities. One of the programs that I attended was called the Dilijan Leadership Program. It was in UWC, and it had a format of a one-week program that would teach you about leadership, and you'd do various activities. Other than that, I think the biggest thing I mentioned was the small business I started. Because I was applying to the business program, it was a relevant and important thing to include in the application. I also noted that I studied fashion design, and after that, I started my small business. I told them how it happened, how I started, what kind of outcomes I had, etc. I also mentioned that now I'm stopping it to continue my education in business and that I’ll continue expanding it later.

Financial Aid & Scholarship

You apply for financial aid after you're accepted. The university will separately send you all the emails and how to navigate through it. You can apply for either need-based or merit-based aid. Need-based aid is the one where you show your financial situation. You give some financial details about your life — the salary of your parents, your salary, and the spending of your family, and some more points needed and noted in the application — and the university would decide based on that how much scholarship you should get, how much you're able to pay, and then you will be informed that amount. You can send a waiver, which has a meaning of a message for them to reconsider. You can also apply for merit-based scholarships. Before going, there are just a few types of merit-based scholarships. One of them is called the Caucasian Scholarship, which is given to Armenians, Georgians, and Azerbaijanis, and it’s a 100% scholarship for the first year of your studies. There's also another scholarship that gives 100% to the student who was accepted with the highest score. When you're accepted, you get an acceptance score. It's based on your grades from high school, your application, and your interview. They give you a score, and the person who was accepted with the highest score gets the scholarship. And finally, the president scholarship, which is given to 4 outstanding students every year. It’s again a 100% scholarship but throughout your entire studies. The challenging part of this one is that you have to be able to keep it. If your GPA drops below 9.5 or at some other point you stop being qualified for this scholarship, you will lose it. As for the financial aid, you have to reapply for that every year, and it can get reduced each year. 

Student Life at LCC

After spending a year at the Armenian university, I can confidently say that student life in Europe is far more active, engaging, and vibrant. It is exactly what I have always wished for, what I imagined, and even more. I was really living the best student life. During the time I lived in a dormitory, we were hanging out with my roommates and my other friends from university in our shared areas, in the kitchen. We would cook together. All of these experiences were great. The student life and activities of the Armenian community in LCC are also dynamic. Of course, sometime after, I got introduced to the Lithuanian weather, which is awful. Lithuania is usually very cold and rainy, so it kind of brings the experience a little down. It still didn't ruin my experience. But after three years, obviously you get used to some place and it becomes a little less exciting than it was in the beginning. 

My Erasmus+ Experience

Right now, I'm not in Lithuania. I'm studying in Spain at the moment. I'm doing my Erasmus here, which has brought my experience 10 times higher. I would say that I am thankful to LCC for providing this experience to students because LCC allows a lot of students to go to Erasmus. If we're talking, for example, about Armenian universities, they would choose one or two people a year for Erasmus. At our university, at least 10 or more students take part in Erasmus — I’m not sure of the exact number, but it’s definitely a lot. We have a wide range of options, including different countries, universities, and majors to choose from.

Plans for the Future

I am not considering doing a master’s right after graduating from LCC. My plans are surely to stay in Europe, and I will most probably move to Germany for work purposes. Getting a master’s degree — I will surely do it in the future, probably in business management or some other business-related major, but I will see how it goes. Maybe I will choose a more specific niche to do a master’s in, but probably not in the upcoming few years. I’ll focus on my work, and then choose a specific program to complete my master’s in it.

Advice to International Applicants

• Start confidently. It may seem complicated and scary at first, but taking the first step is the most important part. Once you start applying, things begin to unfold, even if the process continues to feel overwhelming.

• Be ready for the documents part. It’s never easy, especially for Armenians. The visa process and all the bureaucracy involved can feel more than difficult. But know that you won’t be alone. Universities are generally very responsive and supportive. You can reach out to them at any time, and they will help you with anything you need.

• Do much better research than I did. There are many great universities in the world, and you need to choose the one that’s right for you. Choose a country or a major you’re interested in, and search for international universities in that area. Look at the ratings and reviews. Talk to current students if you can — they will give you the most accurate and honest insights.

• Be very precise with what you want. Your choice of university will shape not only the next four years of your life but also your resume and your future career. Check the classes they offer. Are you more interested in a liberal arts education, or do you prefer advanced, specific courses in your chosen field?

• Be prepared for the difficulties when you arrive at the university. The first week after you arrive at your university might feel awful. You won’t understand what’s going on, and the totally new environment will be difficult to enter in. You may also experience homesickness. But remember, that feeling will pass. After that, the best part of your life will begin.