My background and high school

I studied in Egypt at a private school following the British curriculum, completing IGCSEs and A-levels. For my IGCSEs, I studied eight subjects: English, Math, Combined Science, German, Computer Science, ICT (Information and Communication Technology), Chemistry, and Physics. I received A* in all of them. For A-levels, I completed three subjects: Math (which I have already finished) with an A*, and Physics and Arabic (both currently in progress). My predicted grades for the two remaining subjects are also A*.

We didn't have rankings like American schools, but based on my grades, I would estimate being in the top 5 to 10 percent of my school.

The test-optional route

Given my grades, I decided to skip the SAT and ACT entirely. It would have been difficult to prepare for these tests simultaneously while doing my A-levels and IGCSEs, so I went test-optional. I didn't even attempt them once.

However, I did take the Duolingo English proficiency test and scored 140/160.

Early Decision to NYU Abu Dhabi

From early on, I knew that I wasn't going to apply internationally unless it was for NYUAD. Otherwise, I would have stayed in Egypt and attended AUC (American University in Cairo). It was NYUAD or nowhere else for me.

The main reason was the liberal arts education. Most universities in Egypt are very major-focused, especially in STEM fields. They don't want you to venture into different areas, which was important to me. I love physics and math, and want to study mechanical engineering, but I also want to try other disciplines. Universities here put so much pressure on STEM that it almost hurts your mental health. It's a constant workload with no room for exploration. I didn't want that. I wanted something where I'm able to do other disciplines as well as STEM.

I also didn't want to go to the United States in general. And in Qatar, there aren't good STEM majors outside of Qatar University, which doesn't offer the lifestyle I wanted. So NYUAD became my clear choice.

Starting early: the four-year journey

I started thinking about studying abroad in Year 10, about two years before applying. But my engagement with NYUAD began much earlier. I started emailing them in Year 8, which was almost four years ago. I asked about requirements and what I needed to do to get financial aid.

Initially, I looked at the cost of attendance and thought it was insane, so I dropped the idea. But then I learned that NYUAD offers need-based financial aid and that the process was simpler than I thought. By Year 11, I decided to apply and started working on my Common App and essays.

Demonstrated interest

One thing that really helped my application was that my admissions officer knew me before I even submitted. My regional admissions officer actually remembered me from before my application.

In October, before submitting my application, I emailed NYUAD asking if I could meet an admissions officer in person. They told me that the admissions officer for Egypt was coming soon, but wasn't visiting my school. He only visits certain Private schools in Egypt. I was disappointed but didn't give up.

They gave me the list of schools he would visit, so I started emailing all of them. Two emails bounced back, two schools said no, but one school took a chance on me and agreed to let me come to their university fair. I'm so grateful to that school counselor.

I went to the fair and met the admissions officer. I kept asking him questions the whole day. I probably annoyed him, but I genuinely had a lot to ask, and these were real questions I needed answered before submitting my application. I think it showed him I was taking this seriously and demonstrated genuine interest. Not many people go through the trouble of emailing multiple schools just to attend a university fair.

When I arrived at Candidate Weekend, he remembered me. An email can go a long way.

My Extracurricular Activities

Girl Scouts and the World Scout Jamboree

My most impressive and favorite activity was being a Girl Scout. There's an event called the World Scout Jamboree, and we call it the World Cup of Scouts. It's the biggest scout summit, happening every four years, just like the Olympics. However, you can only do it once because the age bracket is 14 to 17.

In 2023, I participated in South Korea. The event gathered 45k participants from 130 countries around the world. Just getting accepted into Egypt's delegation was incredibly difficult: you have to be in the top 5 percent of scouts in your country.

Starting my own opportunities

My school doesn't offer many clubs or extracurriculars, which was frustrating but common for international students. So I started founding my own: Model United Nations. We're having our event in a few days.

Research on homosociality

I wrote a research paper on how homosociality influences behavior among high school boys. This was something I unknowingly started observing a long time ago. I would get frustrated at how boys wouldn't be themselves because of social pressures. I started compiling notes, and eventually realized this could become actual research.

I contacted many journals to publish it and got rejected multiple times. One journal is currently reviewing it, and I should hear back in about a week. The biggest challenge was that most competitive journals won't accept research from a high school student without a professor as lead author or co-author. I tried contacting local professors but kept getting rejected.

My advice to anyone doing research is to start early and email many professors. Having a professor with you makes the publishing process much easier.

Writing a sci-fi novel

I wrote a full novel called "The Museum of Forgotten Futures." It's science fiction but has a moral story behind it, inspired by books I read when I was younger. The story follows a girl who ventures into a museum filled with hobbies and talents that were forgotten and are now fading away. She feels sad that her own hobbies are also fading, so she tries to pick them up again.

New York Academy of Sciences

I participated in the New York Academy of Science Junior Academy. It was definitely fun, but felt a little unorganized, and my teammates weren't as motivated as I hoped. As team lead, coordinating people from India, Oklahoma, and Canada across different time zones was a challenge. 

My crochet brand

I have a local crochet brand where I make baby clothes, cardigans, and scarves. It's small but growing, and I run it with my brother while my parents help when needed. This became the subject of my Common App essay.

Other activities

I did an internship with Succeed by Immerse Education as part of their Student Leadership Council. Being in a Discord community with students from all over the world opened my eyes to what I could be doing, which motivated me to start research and pursue activities that could get me into college.

I also work as a teaching assistant for physics and A-level math, where I help students with notes, correct exam papers, and hold office hours.

Honors and awards

While I don't think my awards were super impressive, they showed consistency. I listed my selection to the World Scout Jamboree again in the honors section because it's highly selective. I was an honor student at my school, where I gave a speech to Year 10 students about time management. I got second place in a regional Computer Science competition with prize money. Lastly, I was a runner-up in an Immerse Education essay competition.

My Common App essay

I rewrote my essay's main idea seven times and wrote three complete essays before settling on the final one. I wrote about how the first thing I ever crocheted was a full cardigan.

Usually, beginners start with small projects like pencil cases or bookmarks, but I went straight for a cardigan. This was insane for a first project. I used this to show how motivated I am and how I wanted to start running before walking. The essay demonstrated my love for creating things, and by the end, I connected it to engineering. I showed that just as I create through crochet, I want to create more things in the future through engineering.

Addressing the engineering fit

I was worried that my application didn't look "technical" enough for engineering. I had art, leadership, and various interests, but not typical engineering activities. Those fear-mongering admissions TikTokers made me anxious about whether my major aligned with my extracurriculars.

But I think my essay connected everything. It showed my love for creating and problem-solving, and I tied it to why I want to pursue engineering. The conclusion was that just as I'm creating things now, I want to create more in the future through engineering.

Financial Aid

I received about 90% financial aid. We were definitely hoping for a bit more aid, but after all the hard work I put in, my parents wanted to support me as much as possible and contribute the necessary amount.

Receiving substantial aid is definitely challenging. Two of my friends from Egypt also got into NYUAD but couldn't accept their offers because of inadequate aid. It's heartbreaking when you're qualified and accepted, but finances prevent you from attending.

Candidate Weekend experience

Candidate Weekend was terrifying because I stress out easily, but it was so much fun. We became like a family by the end, and now we're on an Instagram group chat that never goes quiet.

The flight with Egyptian students was one of the first to land, so at first it was just us and Kazakhstan. We arrived on Wednesday and stayed at the Dusit Hotel in Abu Dhabi until Thursday, when other flights came in. We hung out in the hub with games to socialize.

On Friday, we went to campus and did a desert trip. We each brought a special object from home as an icebreaker. I brought my locket pendant with a photo of my kindergarten graduation inside and talked about how I'm motivated to work toward that little girl's dream.

Saturday was the big day with interviews and the English assessment. The assessment was different from previous years. Instead of multiple choice, we read a passage and listened to a 10-minute voice recording from a professor, then had 20 minutes to write by hand about both points of view on the topic.

The interviews were with faculty, not admissions officers. They asked typical questions like why NYUAD, what does global education mean to you, and describe a point of failure in your life and how it helped you. It felt like the supplemental essays, but in conversation. I couldn't prepare beforehand, which actually calmed me down. I just had to answer truthfully and honestly. That's what they wanted.

We went home on the 7th and heard back on the 11th, very quickly. From Egypt, five of us are already committed through the Early Decision round.

Resources That Helped Me

Honestly, the only resource I used during my entire application process was Borderless. I didn't use anything else. I tried those Common App essay reviewers, but they were either not free or would give you one try, tell you your essay was terrible, then ask for $20 a month to tell you why.

I started using Borderless when the new app launched, right when I was writing my essay. It was exciting watching new features appear. I used it before the activity review was even a thing. Then I woke up one morning and saw it was there, and I was really excited.

I used it for my Common App essay, my Bridge Builders supplemental, and reviewed all my activities there. I think the activities review really helped because another student from my school applied, but sadly got rejected. We compared our applications since he's applying again, and we concluded it was definitely the framing and wording of the activities section that made the difference.

My Advice for Future Applicants

• An email can go a long way. This applies to universities and opportunities. Always email, even if you're not eligible. If you're only a year off the eligibility age or not from the country they typically select from, email them anyway. Show interest. Emails are basically how I got into college.

• Start early and get a professor if you're doing research. This is crucial for publication.

• Demonstrate interest authentically. Don't be afraid to go the extra mile. Finding that university fair and meeting my admissions officer took effort, but it was worth it.

• Be authentic in your application. You don't need to be perfectly aligned with your major. My activities were all over the place, but I connected them through my essay to show my genuine interest in creating and problem-solving.

• Don't be discouraged by rejections. Whether it's journals, professors, or schools not letting you attend their fair, keep trying. Rejection is part of the process.