Background
My name is Hayk, I’m 17 years old, and I’m from Yerevan, Armenia. I recently completed the 11th grade at the Physmath Specialized School and will be moving to UWC Dilijan this fall. Growing up in the capital and attending one of the most academically rigorous schools in Armenia helped shape my passion for analytical thinking and problem-solving 🤗.
How I Learn about UWC and Why I Decided to Apply
Just a few weeks before the UWC application deadline, I joined the Samsung Innovation Campus (a program during which students learn Java and mobile programming), which happened to be hosted on the UWC Dilijan campus. At that point, I had never even heard of UWC. I applied to SIC simply because I wanted to learn new skills. But my feelings changed the moment I stepped onto the campus.
I started to research what that school is, who studies there, and how I can become part of it. So I decided to apply to UWC.
Application Process
The first stage of the UWC application involved writing many essays, attaching achievement/honor certificates, and academic transcripts. When applying, I had around a 9 out of 10 GPA for 10th grade, and now, after finishing 11th grade, my GPA is 9.8125 out of 10.
Note that in the Armenian educational system, 9 and 10 are both viewed as excellent (therefore equivalent to 4.0). Also, it’s worth pointing out that my previous school, Physmath, specializes in mathematics, physics, and informatics (we have applied classes), so getting higher grades specifically in those subjects is even harder.
The essay section had 11-12 short essays (50–150 words) and 2 long essays (200–400 words). The final essay, in particular, was deep and reflective. We weren’t just expected to write our opinion; we had to find real solutions and outline specific steps we’d take to create impact.
My Activities
During the whole process — essays, interviews (both online and offline) — I spoke about many of my activities, and looking back, I can mention a few of them that I think had a significant impact on my application.
Android Development Student & App Project Lead @ Samsung Innovation Campus 🧑💻
Developed UtemQez — a voice-controlled, AI-powered recipe application using Generative API and Firebase
Won 2nd place in “IT School Chooses the Strongest!” – 2025 contest (Social Projects category, 79 total projects internationally)
Co-Founder & Program Lead @ Physmath Unibroad (Club) 😊
Mentored students to 10+ top university offers with $1.32 million+ in aid — up from 2–3 offers/year with little to no aid
Led 10+ meetings with reps from NYU Abu Dhabi, CMU Qatar, Duke Kunshan, SJTU, and others
Web Development Tutor & Tech Career Advisor @ IT in Villages NGO 🧑🏫 (Attached Certificate)
Taught Web Development (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and React.js) to dozens of students from the countryside for 350+ hours
Helped students build LinkedIn profiles and write CVs
Competitive Chess Player ♟️ (Attached Certificate)
Played 100+ tournaments, including 3 international competitions
Earned Arena International Master (AIM) title
Peak FIDE rating – 1681; National rating – 2023
Journalism Contributor @ Borderless 📰
Interned at Borderless as a journalist, interviewing 10 students admitted to international universities
Published articles with a total of 4,500+ views
React Front-End Developer @ 3 organizations and 1 project, which was selected as one of 10 Finalists out of initial 30+ projects in Social Impact Award 2024 in Armenia (Attached Certificate)
Test Phase
The invitation to the mandatory test phase was sent to everyone who applied. It included math and logic sections.
Interview Stage
For the interview, I booked the earliest available time slot. Both of my interviewers were Armenian alumni of UWC. Though sometimes there could’ve been an option to do some part of the interview in Armenian, I moved forward entirely in English.
None of the questions I had prepared for came up. Instead, I got tricky global and some personal situational questions.
Choosing College. Why UWC Dilijan?
In the first stage of the application, we ranked our top three campuses. Mine were:
UWC Dilijan
UWC South East Asia (Singapore)
Li Po Chun UWC of Hong Kong
I was drawn to tech-strong campuses with Computer Science in IB (also I’m fascinated by Asian cultures 🏯). Dilijan was familiar (thanks to SIC), and that gave it a comforting edge. In the end, I received the letter saying that I was nominated to UWC Dilijan.
Financial Aid & Scholarship
We got our results just before the deadline to send a financial form. Only seven days — and those forms were no joke. Some documents had to be requested from different places, so my advice is to start immediately.
Plans After Graduation
I want to continue my education by doing a bachelor's in Engineering, or Computer Science, or Computer Engineering, or something else. I’ll surely know when applying because experience in a new school, especially at UWC, can change everything. I’ve got some universities in my mind — but I won’t reveal them until I (hopefully) get in 😝.
Advice to UWC Applicants
Be honest
Don’t stress during interviews
Give your application time
Be ready for surprises
Never give up
