About me

Shalom! My name is Nadira Ryskulova (follow me on LinkedIn!), and I am from Kazakhstan.

My TikTok: @nadirakatz

My Instagram: @katznadira

I am currently graduating from the Canadian International School Astana. This (2026) August, I will begin my studies at New York University Abu Dhabi after receiving ED1 admission. I plan to major in Psychology and Social Research & Public Policy.

I studied for five years at an all-girls boarding school, the Kazakh-Turkish Lyceum (KTL). It is a fairly strict and conservative school, so when I transferred to the Canadian International School, I felt relieved by the “liberal” atmosphere I had been lacking before. 

I believe this freedom allowed me to think bigger and act bolder: I could never think I’d be working at a rehabilitation center, collaborating with UNODC in Vienna, and writing a book.

I have never been a patient in a rehabilitation facility; I was involved solely in a professional capacity, working there as an intern.

When I First Thought About Studying Abroad

I first began thinking about studying abroad in seventh grade. Since KTL is one of the most competitive schools in Kazakhstan, students were given access to numerous online forums and workshops on international education. I attended all of those sessions, understanding that education opportunities are available beyond Kazakhstan and Russia. Before sixth grade, I had been firmly convinced that I would study in Saint Petersburg—but as you can see, that plan has changed. In eighth grade, I delivered lectures at our school’s psychology club, enrolled in Moscow State University’s online psychology course, and occasionally wrote fanfiction about my friends and their rather unfortunate (male) crushes.

I won numerous national competitions across KTL branches—in English, Russian, and poetry. Over time, the awards accumulated, though most of my recognition came from poetry writing and expressive reading competitions.

These experiences helped me gain admission to the Canadian International School on a full-merit scholarship and strengthened my applications to my first academic programs—Pioneer Academics and Veritas AI.

Overall, I have never paid for my education, yet I have consistently received a high-quality one. I wanted to continue this trajectory in my university studies.

Exams and Academic Profile

My SAT score is 1520. At NYU Abu Dhabi, that is around the median. In my honest opinion, once you score 1510 or above, you are already in a relatively safe range.

My IELTS score is 8.5 overall: 9.0 in Listening and Reading, 7.0 in Writing, and 8.0 in Speaking. I prepared for only about three weeks.

As for GPA, I hold two diplomas—one under the Kazakhstani curriculum and the other a Canadian British Columbia Dogwood Diploma. My Kazakh diploma was a 5.0 out of 5.0, and my Canadian average was 93/100 (essentially a 4.0 GPA). Honestly, the SAT was the most challenging part. I began preparing in April of 10th grade and only achieved my target score in May of 11th grade. I took the exam four times, alternating between periods of intense preparation and breaks. My biggest mistake was attempting to prepare by myself; hence, I misinterpreted studying materials and my own errors. If possible, I recommend working with a competent tutor. Within just one month of finding the right tutor, everything finally worked out—and my score rose to 1520.

That said, I actually do not regret the time or, of course, the money I wasted on the SAT. In fact, that tutor is now (at least, I would say so) an amazing friend of mine.

P.S. SAID, you’re the best!!! I’m happy we have met. XOXO

Why NYU Abu Dhabi

I chose NYU Abu Dhabi because of its research infrastructure—particularly labs that align with my interests, such as the Sreenivasan Lab, which focuses on working memory. I believe that research on working memory may help us better understand the origins of schizophrenia. At present, there is no definitive scientific explanation, and that uncertainty is precisely what draws me to the field. NYUAD is deeply research-oriented and provides high-end facilities for psychology research—MRI and CT imaging, dedicated interview rooms, and advanced laboratory equipment.

The global mobility opportunities were also significant. NYU operates campuses in Shanghai, Abu Dhabi, and New York, along with numerous global sites. Students can spend a semester abroad or enroll in a J-Term—a short, intensive two-week course—in cities such as Paris, Seoul, Sydney, or Florence. I love this level of academic and cultural exposure.

On a more practical note, financial support played an important role as well. NYUAD is known for its generosity beyond standard financial aid packages. For instance, if I secure an unpaid internship abroad, the university may provide funding to cover travel and living expenses.

And perhaps a more stupid reason: I wanted to live somewhere fun and warm, in a safe country, not in the middle of nowhere. NYUAD is incredibly international, and many of my friends study there, which was also an influencing factor.

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Activities, Honours and Essays

If you would like to see my full application—essays, honours, and extracurriculars—you can find them on my LinkedIn (@Nadira Ryskulova). In this article, I will highlight the strategy behind them, along with my vision on it. Across my application, the themes of acceptance, anti-fragility, and a deliberate striving toward fundamental understanding of the world around me formed a central thread. These ideas manifested through three primary media within my application: addiction research, creative writing, and community service.

In addiction research, I reached what I would call a high altitude. I was funded by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to travel to Vienna and collaborate with other youth experts. I co-authored two scientific papers under the guidance of respected mentors, and through networking across various initiatives, I secured an internship at a rehabilitation center. My NYUAD supplemental essay focused on my experience there and how I learned to collaborate effectively and empathetically with individuals in recovery (the full essay is available on my LinkedIn).

Creative writing holds profound significance in my life—I really expanded on it in my personal statement. I received a Silver Award in the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition, selected among approximately 53,000 applicants worldwide. I also founded an international youth literary journal, collaborated with talented editors and writers, and published my own book (which I prefer not to link, as it is deeply personal).

In community service, I initiated several projects that gained recognition, including being named a finalist for the RISE Challenge and many other projects. On a more interesting note, I am also a DJ and a drummer.

Overall, through all the media I have described, I achieved a certain level of expertise or mastery, which I believe made me a strong candidate. In more familiar terms, I built an effective personal brand.

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The Acceptance Moment

I was not overly emotional because, for some reason, I was absolutely certain I would get in. 

Whenever an NYUAD admissions officer visited our school, I made it a point to meet her—introduce myself, establish contact, and ask thoughtful questions. I attended three online information sessions, and in one of them, I was the only participant. I like to think that I left a positive impression, especially since I stayed afterward for a conversation with the presenter. During the summer, I also attended NYUAD’s University Prep Program.

I think it is important to strategically build relationships with the universities you plan to apply to. I began my little “NYUAD-likes-me” operation at the start of 11th grade, and since then, I have carried out a deliberate sequence of actions that demonstrated my avid interest in the NYUAD.

Preparing for the Move

Everything is going smoothly. I need to finish school well; I want to get straight A's. I started going to the gym to get in shape. I'm reading a lot now: I read three books in January, and I'm reading a long one in February. 

What I’m Looking Forward To

I'm really looking forward to the academic part—attending lectures, studying psychology specifically. There are a lot of subjects at school that I don't like. 

I want to work in labs, go on internships, make friends from different countries, live in another country, play sports, go swimming, and do rock climbing. I'm really looking forward to this leap in quality of life. 

How This Journey Changed Me

While writing my personal statement (PS), I was astounded at how the major events of my life had wired what matters to me, what my values are, and who I am. Solving that personal puzzle and arranging it into a reader-wise palatable form was a big challenge (I wrote my PS for six months), especially as I explored rather difficult themes. 

It was a process of violent self-reflection, and my friends—especially Kirill—played an immense role in it. Kirill (my ultimate best friend) sat with me for seven hours straight the week before our deadlines, brainstorming and rewriting my personal statement line by line.

Because he has known me for such a long time, he was able to help me see myself from an outside perspective. He brought to me patterns in my thinking and small details I would have otherwise overlooked—all of which eventually became the foundation of my essays. Kirill is a real genius, and I am more than certain we will soon see him on Borderless and many other reputable platforms.

Although the application process itself was tedious, it crystallized my understanding of what I want to do with my life. On Freud’s theme, I am of Todestrieb—” death drive” or the idea that certain human drives are oriented toward dissolution. In a biological sense, this is embodied in apoptosis, the organism’s process of programmed cell death.

I do not mean self-destruction. In a very simplified quintessence—or just “so”—I want to push my mind and body to their maximum, to extract everything that might improve the lives of others.

Through this lens, the application process became less about admission and more about self-awareness. I believe that everyone emerges from the application process stronger than before.

Advice for Future Applicants

“Plagiarize” it.*

Look at other applications within your major—their extracurriculars, their honors. I shamelessly repeat – “plagiarize” it*.

Google the competitions successful applicants have won, and try to compete in those as well. Draw inspiration from their extracurricular profiles and assess the scale of impact you might realistically achieve. Study their trajectories and extrapolate them into your actions.

Instead of merely imitating or borrowing existing portfolios, fully absorb, reinterpret, and transform their influences into entirely new and uniquely own paths.

Just allow me to quote Pablo Picasso, who said, “Good artists borrow; great artists steal.”