My Background

Hello! My name is Inkara, and I am 22 years old. I am from Oskemen, which is the eastern part of Kazakhstan. My educational journey took me to three different schools. My first school was school number 27, which was conveniently located near my home. I attended from first to sixth grade. Afterward, I enrolled at Nazarbayev Intellectual School (NIS), where I studied from seventh to twelfth grade. In tenth grade, I participated in the FLEX program for one year in the United States. Throughout the exchange period, I went to a Catholic school.

Factors That Led Me to Choose NU-Q over Other Destinations

I chose Qatar based on my FLEX experience. During that period, I realized that, while I did not want to live in the USA, I highly valued their higher education system, particularly at the university level. Their schools did not strike me as very appealing. That insight drove me to decide that I wanted to study at an American university—but not in the United States.

As I began studying my opportunities, I came across several universities in the Middle East. I applied to universities in Europe, Qatar, and the United States, including New York University, Northwestern University in Qatar, and Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan, all of which accepted me.

Furthermore, I examined opportunities in Europe applying to the Stipendium Hungaricum program in Hungary. However, during the interview, the Kazakh representatives suggested to me that Qatar would be the best fit for me as they needed students who would go 100% to Hungary.

I found out that Northwestern University in Qatar was an American institution, and I still believed that an American education gave some of the best prospects. Education was, and still is, something I value deeply. For me, it was more than simply academics—it was about pushing through my comfort zone.

NU-Q had the best faculty, world-class journalism facilities, and a global reputation. Professors from all over the world taught there, and their journalism program, known as the Media program, was regarded as one of the best in the world due to the success and renown of their US campus. They brought that same program to Qatar, which allowed me to benefit from an exceptional education without studying in the U.S. Since I didn’t want to study in the U.S., this was the perfect opportunity for me.

That’s when it became clear: Qatar wasn’t just another option—it was the best option for me. Ultimately, I chose Northwestern University in Qatar.

GPA, IELTS, SAT: My Academic and Test Results During the Application Process

My GPA was approximately 3.7 or 3.8 out of 4. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't a perfect 4.0, either. My IELTS score was 8.0. However, I must admit that my SAT scores were on the lower side—roughly 1290—while most people aim for 1400 or higher.

Extracurricular Activities That Made My College Application Stand Out

For me, it was all about the extracurriculars—I was doing everything, everywhere, all at once. FLEX, organizing events, planning, volunteering, studying, basketball—there were so many different things I was involved in.

I also joined a journalism program in Oskemen, Kazakhstan, which was a small initiative led by a local journalist. I still remember my parents not even knowing about it. I used my own money to pay for one class, which felt expensive at the time. However, it was such a fun experience. I did little things here and there, all based on what I liked and what interested me. These extracurriculars strengthened my profile and college application.

Balancing Academics and Extracurricular Activities

When I came from the Future Leaders Exchange Program (FLEX) after spending a year in America, I realized that my academic abilities, particularly in math, were weaker. The classes in the U.S. weren’t as challenging, and I struggled to adjust when I came back.

As I returned, I didn’t do as much extracurricular activity during my 11th year of school. I concentrated only on my classes, which helped me ease into 12th grade afterwards. However, 11th grade was just about classes, classes and classes. Nothing else.

Since arriving from FLEX, I still remember my tenth grade. Important exams are held at NIS following the 10th and 12th grades. After 10th grade, I received a D in mathematics, which was an eye opener. In my 11th grade year, I realized I would have to work hard to get back to where I had been. It was challenging, and at a certain point I thought of leaving NIS as it was overwhelming. Nevertheless, you have to prioritize what is important in order to make time for what you want to achieve.

How my College Essay Reflected my Journey

I wrote about friendship. Obviously, it was about my year abroad because that was my first time ever being abroad and being alone. I don’t think this experience happens to everyone, so that was the focus of my essay. However, it wasn’t about having a fun experience or the worst experience—it was about the realization that I never had a problem with making friends until I went to the U.S.

I attended a private Catholic school where everyone had known each other since the first grade, and I was just a random international student who came for one year. No one really cared about me—they didn’t hate me or love me. They were simply indifferent. That was the hardest part.

I wrote about this indifference because, usually, people either hate me or love me, but I had never experienced indifference before. I wrote about how I dealt with it. I had to learn to be by myself and focus on what I enjoyed, which was reading news, analyzing, writing down my thoughts, and creating things that I liked. This whole experience made me realize that I am truly a journalist, that I care about what’s happening in the world, and that when I have to be alone, I can embrace it. The key point of my essay was about that realization.

The Timeframe and Steps I Took to Complete my Application

It took me six months to prepare because I started during the summer. Basically, there was a program organized by some high schoolers or university students in Kazakhstan. They focused on the university's pre-application process. What they offered was to review your application—if they accepted it, they would then help you prepare for the real application. I applied to this program, and it pushed me to start working on my application during the summer. If it weren’t for that program, I believe I would have procrastinated endlessly.

During the summer, I started preparing a list of universities, researching them, drafting my first essay, and creating a database of everything about myself—honors, awards, achievements—basically everything I had done. Over time, I kept adding to it. From August through November, I just kept improving and building my application.

I initially applied for early action to NYU and got accepted, but I didn’t get the full scholarship. The tuition was $30,000 - $50,000 per year, which wasn’t enough for me. So, I applied for a regular decision at Northwestern and other universities. Northwestern came out of nowhere in November or December. I even remember the deadline: January 1st. While my whole family was celebrating and preparing for New Year’s, I was working on my application. In the end, it took about six months of constant effort to make my application better and better.

Funding Education in Qatar: Loan Systems and Scholarships

Actually, right now, they do have merit scholarships, but when I was applying, they didn’t. It was just a loan, and I got into a loan-based scholarship.

A loan basically means you have to work a certain number of years in Qatar. If you’re outside of Qatar and not working for affiliated companies, you have to give about 15% of your salary, and you can do this for your whole life. It’s not really a bad situation, especially since this is a Muslim country, so there is no interest like in the U.S. In the U.S., if it’s loan-based, there’s a huge interest, and people end up paying even more while working. I think the situation I got into is easier.

By the way, the loan system has changed. It doesn’t matter whether you work in Qatar or outside; you have to contribute 40% or 35% of your salary. According to the system, I personally have to work for six years in Qatar.

The Internships and Research Opportunities

I was a research assistant at my university and at Virginia Commonwealth University. The research at VCU was a lot of fun because my name was included in a book. For my internship, I had to watch many movies, including old Soviet films, and read books to analyze and discuss equality in USSR media.

As a research assistant at Northwestern, I worked on a similar job, but it focused on a different topic. I also interned at Al Jazeera, in a podcast studio in Spain, and at Alkass Sports Channel in Qatar.

Interestingly, Northwestern requires students to participate in a JR (Journalism Residency), where you dedicate an entire semester to an internship. That’s how I went to Spain for my podcasting internship. The process involves preparing your portfolio and application, which is then submitted to the JR committee. They assign students to respective sites and cover the flights, accommodation, and food through scholarships, as the tuition for that semester is fully allocated to the internship.

Working on Campus and Maintaining a Balance with Academics and Social Life

I worked for four years at my university, often holding down two or three jobs at once. It wasn't difficult to keep up since I lived on campus and was always nearby. The majority of the job was done remotely. You would go to campus and speak with the professor if required, but generally, you would write and conduct research. In that regard, it was not tough to alter everything. However, there were situations, particularly during exam week, when the week before finals was jam-packed with ridiculous deadlines, and I had to complete everything at once.

A University Moment I Will Never Forget

When I graduated, and my parents came, it was a memorable moment. Also, there was a program called Service Learning Experience (SLE), where we went to Malaysia to plant trees. You forget about everything and become focused on the physical work of planting trees. I was with a group of students and two advisors from the university. It was a team-building week during which you opened up. The conditions were harsh, but it was a great experience.

Essential Advice for Students Going Through the Application Process

I think it’s not really about the university—it’s about YOU. It doesn’t matter whether you get into an American fancy school or any other university in Kazakhstan or around the world. I used to think that the better the university, the more opportunities you have, which is also true. However, now I work with people who made themselves by learning English, mastering their job, and acquiring certain skills.

I’m not against education—everyone has to get an education—but it doesn’t always have to be super fancy. You will always learn new skills, and you can work anywhere in the world. I know that a lot of people get stressed when they don’t get into their dream universities. I think that’s okay because the skills you need to learn, you will learn. Everything that has to come will come. There’s no reason to feel super sad about not getting into a university or to feel overly happy just because you got in.

For me, I thought I needed to be in the best school and the best university, and I didn’t think about the rest. But the rest is still there—there’s life after university, which a lot of people don’t think about. It’s really important to think about that as well. Where do you want to work? Do you want to work? Do you want to be a professor? Let’s not stop at a bachelor’s degree—do you want to pursue a master’s? You always need to ask yourself certain questions. Don’t be super fixated on universities; also, think about your job, your goals, and what you really want.