Hello! I’m Arshia Anahita from Dhaka, Bangladesh. I’m in my final year of A levels at Scholastica, Uttara. I recently joined students from over 150 countries for a two-week residential summer program at Yale. As for a bit of background, I’m taking Maths, Physics, Further Maths, and CS at A levels and hope to major in some field of engineering at a US university. At Yale, I was part of the IST track (Innovations in Science and Technology), where I enriched my knowledge while making unforgettable memories.
Motivation Behind a Summer Program
My older brother attended YYGS in the summer of 2019, and hearing his firsthand account of the experience, I decided at an early age that I wanted to do the same! I started working on my application for Early Decision in September 2024, knowing how prestigious and selective it was, but I had nothing to lose by applying. Academically, what differentiated IST from my high school science studies was its focus on all the fields. Learning more about the sciences I’m not pursuing at A levels is something that broadened my worldview and allows me to approach the subjects I do study from a much more innovative perspective. As for personal growth, it was my first time staying all alone in dorms in an unfamiliar country and handling passports, documents, and money all on my own. I feel that this provided a window into the college experience. In many ways, missing home made me want to learn more about and appreciate my own country as well.
Why did I choose the USA and YYGS?
Despite the political turmoil, the US is still a developed country with plenty of facilities and opportunities, so I would say I’ve always had a soft spot for wanting to study there. I did consider other countries and programs, but not as much. For example, I looked into the Oxford Summer Program, but unlike Yale, they weren’t as generous with scholarships. From my research, it’s not nearly as diverse as YYGS either. I feel that Yale truly prioritises student quality over their ability to pay extraordinary sums of money, and I wouldn’t have been able to participate without a hefty scholarship. Besides, my brother mentioned that the professors and mentors were not only experienced but also friendly and welcoming.
Application Process + Credentials
Firstly, I applied for Early Decision, the deadline for which was October 20. I started working on my application in September and received my decision in December. I would highly recommend going for ED or at least starting to work on your application early, as this lets you focus on the details and leaves time to change things later. I also got priority for track selection and was able to apply for a visa and book flights earlier.
The primary requirements were age 16-18, fluent in English, and being a first-time participant. I had to submit an activity list, one 400-word essay, one 200-word response, and two fast-take responses. It also required school transcripts from 9th grade onwards and a recommender. I’ve always had good grades, scoring As and A*s all throughout school, as well as in my O levels, but there are no specific grade requirements. My recommender was my 9th-grade English teacher. It can be anyone, but the longer the person has known you, the better! Submitting English fluency tests is optional. My school’s Cambridge curriculum is entirely in English, and my O-level English grade sufficed.
In the unofficial transcripts section, I sent in my SAT results. Alternatively, it could also be any subjects students have appeared for privately. There was a section for listing down all past awards/recognitions - my highlights were 7th place at a national CS camp and national recognition for singing.
The activity list and essays are what make or break your application. You can list 1 main activity and 3 additional activities. My main activity was editing/videography - a huge and defining part of my life. I mentioned making fundraising documentaries for an old home, doing an internship in a marketing agency, and editing a national advertisement. I suggest applicants pick something they’re very passionate about, something close to their heart. Besides activity details (such as time spent, association with any organisations, etc.), I had to submit a small 100-word essay on why it’s meaningful to me. My additional activities were my club leadership positions(CS and Robotics), music, and voluntary work, including using my editing to help people and teaching graphic and tech skills to disabled people.
Next, the essays - please don’t plagiarise or use AI. Just think deeply and be authentic with whatever you write. My 400-word essay prompt was - “Please reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief/idea, what prompted your thinking, and what was the outcome?”. I basically wrote about the challenges I faced as a South Asian girl in technology, especially in a country where misogyny and a patriarchal mindset still influence societal opinions. I questioned this belief and wrote about the time I did an internship where a boy was initially delegated harder tasks, whereas I ended up outperforming him in the end. All of your essays should be impactful, and make sure to represent where you’re from.
My 200-word response topic was “We want to learn more about your background, beliefs, values, and the important people in your life. Please tell us something about something that has influenced you or articulated how it shaped you”. I wrote about growing up in Dhaka, my background, personal beliefs, and details about my country. Another topic was “Someone offered you a box with every inanimate object you’ve ever lost. What was the first thing you were looking for and why?”. Mine was about losing a puzzle piece from a 1000-piece puzzle when I was younger. I introduced a lot of symbolism and how, if found, I would not only reminisce about my childhood but also contemplate growing up and having lost some pieces of myself.
Another topic was - “What’s one skill/talent/hobby you’ve always wanted to learn?”. I went for a very niche skill - lockpicking. When I was younger, my grandmother with dementia would sometimes lock herself in her room and forget. Back then, I wish I had known lockpicking so I could be there for her. I also had to write a small piece on why I chose YYGS, what I would contribute, why I picked my track, etc. As for resources, I didn’t utilise anything external at all. Most of it is reliant on activities/achievements/grades you’ve already accomplished, and just be genuine with the essays!
Why did I pick IST as my track?
Yale offers 4 tracks: IST (Innovations of Science and Technology), PLE (Politics, Law, and Economics), LPC (Law, Philosoph,y and Culture), and SGC(Solving Global Challenges). I have studied science my whole life, so I naturally gravitated towards the unique opportunity to explore more about science and technology. IST was also the only track that matched my future career aspirations to work in tech. SGC was my second choice. Ultimately, what you get assigned is up to Yale, so getting in early gives you an edge in terms of getting your first choice.
Cost of Attendance + Scholarship
The cost of attendance was $6500, but I got a hefty scholarship where I only had to pay $1000. The total cost is inclusive of all meals and accommodation as well. There’s a separate application for financial aid. I submitted a statement of need, parents’ employment details, proof of income, etc., so just all of my family and financial details. There was also an additional place to write further on why I felt I needed the scholarship.
Classes, seminars, and projects
There were lectures in big halls with professors from various universities, such as Harvard and Brown, and they’d share about their research. Professor Brian Scassellati shared about working on assistive robots to help people with disabilities. Another interesting one was Professor Duffy on transforming the sound of heartbeats to music. Whereas lectures are compulsory for everyone in the track, we get to pick our own seminars. Among the seminars I picked were Network Theory, Ethics of AI/ML, Bioinspired Robots, The Butterfly Effect, how an autopsy works, etc. I would suggest selecting seminars on topics that align with your career path.
At the end of the day, we had breakouts with an assigned family of 15 people and a “dad” or “mom”. This was more of a bonding session where we discussed the day’s activities with our family members. We also had a Capstone project and a Symposium. Capstone is basically a research project which starts from the very first day. My topic was related to Computer Science, and I presented my research paper in front of everyone on the last day. Symposium was a 2-day course, 4 hours per day. I chose a hackathon, and we figured people might have trouble making friends at YYGS, so we made a website that was a bit like friendship Tinder. Academically, YYGS does not promote a competitive environment; the focus is on learning.
Making Friends, Connecting + Networking
It was very easy to make friends as I’m a social person by nature. The people were also extremely friendly, and I felt comfortable striking up a conversation. Everyone was super polite and respectful, and I faced no discrimination/prejudice. Outside of class, we had a lot of free time. We spent our time exploring the campus, playing in the courtyard, or eating outside with friends. We played volleyball, had parties, karaoke nights, and even put together a group dance performance for the talent show! It was inspiring to hear about everyone’s future plans and bond over common struggles as international students.
Biggest Challenge
I initially struggled with the physical aspect of having to walk a lot. One campus to another is around 15 mins, and then we also had to be at the dining area for meals. I also had to get used to the curfew at 9:40 pm. Some people got kicked out for breaking the curfew, so don’t try to bend the rules!
Takeaways
I learnt a lot about different study types. For example, in the US, there’s a lot of emphasis on creativity and philosophical thinking, whereas thinking outside the box is not as common in Asian cultures. Learning about people’s cultures was also very enjoyable - I got to try chocolates from Kazakhstan! I just became more conscious of the world I was living in. Overall, don’t be afraid to try new stuff and talk to new people! Learn as much as you can, talk to mentors, and make connections.
