My background and high school
Hey, everyone! My name is Artsiom. I’m 17 years old, from Belarus, and an incoming freshman at LCC International University.
Last year, I graduated from a regular public high school in a small city where opportunities were almost non-existent. As soon as I found out about the possibility of studying abroad—specifically in the US—I didn't hesitate to immerse myself in this complex process. Nobody around me knew how it worked, and there was no clear path toward an international education. However, that did not prevent me from navigating the system entirely on my own using free resources on social media.
Coming from a small town taught me a vital lesson: if opportunities don't exist around you, you have to create them yourself. That mindset allowed me to launch my own projects at an international level and apply for programs I once considered completely out of reach: global initiatives, summer schools, mentorship programs, and academic competitions. Those experiences connected me with peers worldwide and completely changed the scale of what I believed was possible for my future.
Why I decided to study abroad
Studying abroad was never a childhood dream of mine. Honestly, it happened unexpectedly.
During my first admission cycle (2024–2025), I applied exclusively to universities in the United States. Like many international students, I wasn’t just looking for a strong education; I was looking for a realistic way to afford one.
To my surprise, I found success. I received multiple offers, waitlists, and even a full-tuition scholarship. But that cycle also taught me one of the hardest lessons of the entire process: getting accepted and being able to attend are two completely different things. Even with large tuition awards, the remaining cost of attendance was impossible for my family to cover. That realization hurt more than any rejection letter.
After graduating from high school in 2025, I made an immediate decision to take a gap year and apply again. I knew I would regret stopping too soon. I rebuilt my entire application from scratch: I prepared for the SAT, retook my English proficiency exams, rewrote my essays, expanded my extracurricular work, passed interviews directly with the colleges themselves, and completed third-party interviews through InitialView and Vericant, spending months learning how to present myself more coherently and strategically.
By the end of my second cycle, I had submitted more than 75 applications across the US and Europe. Across both cycles combined, I applied to over 100 universities and received approximately $1.37 million in collective scholarships and financial aid offers.
But somewhere along the way, my mindset shifted. I stopped asking, “How do I get to the United States at any cost?” and started asking, “Where can I genuinely grow, belong, and build a sustainable future?” That question eventually led me to Lithuania.
Countries I have considered
My first application cycle taught me that international students with significant financial need cannot afford to rely on only one country or a single dream school.
During my second cycle, I expanded my geographic scope across the United States and Europe, exploring universities in Switzerland, Croatia, Bulgaria, Greece, Germany, Kosovo, the United Kingdom, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Lithuania.
Some of my most notable offers included:
- Becoming the only international finalist among roughly 300 applicants for a prestigious full-ride scholarship at the University of Puget Sound.
- Receiving strong merit aid from Hope College.
- Earning substantial scholarships from Franklin University Switzerland, RIT Croatia, Constructor University, Hult International Business School, and several other American-accredited universities across Europe, such as the American University in Bulgaria and The American College of Greece.
- Receiving admission to the highly selective TETR School of Business.
At first, I was mainly searching for prestige, rankings, and funding. Eventually, I started looking for something deeper: a place that actually aligned with who I was becoming. Lithuania stood out because it offered something rare: balance. It offered affordability, safety, long-term stability within the European Union, and the flexibility to build an academic and personal life without constantly feeling overwhelmed by financial pressure.
Why LCC International University
What drew me to LCC International University was the environment.
LCC combines an American-style liberal arts education with a genuinely global community. Students come from more than 60 countries, and many professors are from the United States and Canada. Compared to massive universities where you can easily disappear into the crowd, LCC feels deeply personal and human.
The university’s small class sizes, close faculty relationships, exchange opportunities, internships, and leadership-focused environment made it feel like a place where I could continue growing instead of simply collecting a degree. For the first time during my application journey, my final decision stopped feeling purely strategic. It actually felt right.
My Stats: GPA / DET / SAT
- GPA: 9.1/10
- Duolingo English Test (DET): 140/160 (C1 Advanced)
- SAT: 1270 (630 Math / 640 R&W)
Note: I applied test-optional to the majority of my schools, but taking the exam during my gap year helped solidify my profile. My testing expenses were fully covered by EducationUSA.
Extracurricular activities
Here are some highlights from my profile, but not all. The complete list of my activities, honors, and projects can be found on my LinkedIn portfolio.
Honors and Awards
- EducationUSA Opportunity Funds Program (2025): One of only two nationwide awardees selected in Belarus.
- Harvard Undergraduate International Relations Scholar Program: Two-time participant and full scholarship recipient (2024).
- BioLeague Biology Olympiad (2024): Ranked 15th globally (Top 0.5%) out of 2,900+ participants.
- The Knowledge Society (TKS) Global Program (2024): Awarded a $4,050 excellence scholarship.
Leadership & Projects
- EGLOP (International Environmental Initiative) | Founder & Lead Strategist: Launched a global waste-reduction and reforestation initiative engaging 50,000+ participants across 30+ countries, reaching 2.7M+ views on educational content, and partnering with Stand For Trees to plant 300 trees in Latin America.
- ECOSTAIN (Global Sustainable Economics Club) | Founder: Built an academic club of 240+ members, authoring 70+sustainability and economics research briefs and launching an International Economics Olympiad.
- Venture Forge (Academy of Entrepreneurship) | Founder & Head Instructor: Developed a student-run academy with 4,000+ members, designing a 100-lesson curriculum to guide student startup development.
- PEAK & COJFAA | Sustainability Mentor & Media Manager: Designed platform content for 3,300+ sustainability learners and managed media strategy for a 1,500+ member study abroad community.
College Essays
My essays focused heavily on identity, environmental awareness, personal growth, and the relationship between people and the environments that shape them.
For privacy reasons and to eliminate any plagiarism risks, I prefer not to share my exact Personal Statement publicly. However, the core idea behind it centered around several ordinary objects sitting on the shelf above my desk. Each object represented a different stage of my life and growth. Through them, I reflected on masculinity, environmental responsibility, family, self-definition, and the process of finding meaning within my own experiences rather than constantly searching for external validation.
At its core, my essay was about learning how to repair, redefine, and reimagine both myself and the world around me.
My application timeline
My application journey lasted almost two full years across two complete admission cycles. Managing more than 75applications during my second cycle alone required extreme organization.
I used Notion to structure my entire college list, tracking deadlines, financial aid requirements, essays, interviews, and status updates. I color-coded universities based on deadlines and continuously improved my application materials throughout the year.
One thing I learned is that international students requiring substantial financial aid often need both quality and quantity. You can have an excellent application and still face financial limitations due to institutional budget caps.
I also strategically leveraged both the Common App and Scoir (Coalition App). Scoir became especially useful because it allowed more flexibility with application numbers and offered expanded character limits for extracurricular descriptions. Most importantly, I treated my application as something alive. Throughout my gap year, I continuously updated my resume, project metrics, and achievements, sending meaningful updates to universities as my work evolved.
Resources I used in the application process
Several resources played an invaluable role during my journey:
- Mentorship & Funding: The EducationUSA Opportunity Funds Program and the Bright Belarus Mentorship Program.
- Platforms & Strategy: Borderless, College Essay Guy, and Perplexity for deep university program research.
- Organization Tools: Google Docs and Notion.
- Regional Networks: Eastern European and Russian-speaking Telegram channels dedicated to global admissions, which provide incredible localized insight and crowdsourced advice.
Having mentors and networks who genuinely believed in my potential kept me moving forward during the most difficult moments.
Using Borderless
I used Borderless throughout my application journey to learn how to structure my extracurricular activities, improve my essays, research universities, and most importantly, read stories from other international students.
At times, the admissions process can feel extremely isolating. Seeing other students navigate similar financial and structural struggles made the entire experience feel much more human, grounded, and realistic.
Cost of attendance & Scholarship at LCC International University
Compared to universities in the United States, the overall cost of attendance at LCC International University is significantly more affordable while still offering a high-quality, Western-style international education experience within Europe.
I received both a strong financial aid package and a merit scholarship that fully allow me to study at LCC. The financial aid process required separate applications and documentation, while consideration for the academic merit scholarship was automatic upon evaluation of my profile.
How much does it cost to apply
Surprisingly, almost nothing. Through application fee waivers, targeting zero-fee universities, and structural support from programs like EducationUSA Opportunity Funds, I managed to complete both massive application cycles without personally paying application fees.
Final pieces of advice
- Always have structural backups: Financial aid budgets are unpredictable. Apply to domestic options or affordable regional universities alongside your dream reach schools.
- Stop living in an application bubble: Pay way less attention to what everyone else is doing. Don't trick yourself into thinking that spending ten hours on Reddit reading other people's stats will give you a magic formula. Your time is far better spent actively researching universities or putting real energy into your own projects and activities.
- Broaden your geographic targets: If you need significant funding, do not over-rely on a tiny list of highly selective US institutions. Look into excellent American-accredited options across Europe.
- Protect your energy: Do not let admissions consume your entire identity. Your value isn't defined by an acceptance letter; there is an exciting, vibrant world happening right outside your door while you apply. Keep living your life!
