Before I talk about my stats and all, I would really urge all of you to at least read the “My thoughts” section if you don’t have time to read all of the story.

Introduction and Background

Hey! I’m Valer, from Armenia. I’m currently a high school senior at European College in Armenia(private school), where I study Management and Governance. The difficulty of my college classes is similar to that at the universities in Armenia. Outside of school, I really enjoy walking around Yerevan with friends and having long conversations about life. I also love reading. My top three authors are Jane Austen, Dan Brown, and Margaret Mitchell, and my all time favorite book series is Harry Potter. 

Academic Grades and Stats

My high school GPA from 9th through 12th grade is 9.75 out of 10. I ranked in the top 3% of my class. At Northwestern, I was admitted to the School of Education and Social Policy, and I currently plan to double major in Social Policy and International Studies, with a minor still undecided (maybe econ). Of course, that can still change as I explore more. I took both the SAT and the DET. I applied as a test-optional applicant and did not submit my SAT score, and my DET score was 145.

Extracuriculars

1. AI Summer Camp Co-Facilitator and Assistant
2. Competitive College Club member
3. Theater actor
4. TEDx Youth Speaker
5. 150+ hours of volunteering
6. USAID Civic Engagement Program participant
7. Co-organizer of some sessions in the debate, speaking, and peer tutoring activities

Being the Co-Faciliator at an AI camp

As a student connected with American Councils and EducationUSA, I was selected to support FAST Foundation’s AI Generational Summer Camp about career orientation and professional development for 300 high school students from across Armenia. During the one-week program, I worked with three other selected students as a co-facilitator on the organizational side, helping coordinate sessions and support industry speakers. It was a fast-paced experience that taught me a lot about teamwork, responsibility, and how to stay effective in high-pressure settings.

Volunteering and my 150+ hours

My volunteering experience was mainly built through RunRight Events Company, which is centered around social impact, education, and youth support in career. I volunteered for multiple expos and cultural events. One of the most meaningful experiences for me was helping organize a visit to a children’s support center, where our goal was to provide the children with a genuinely joyful time and remind them that they are seen, included, and valued as part of society. I also volunteered with JuileAnjel, where I helped with sorting and managing the logistics of clothing and winter necessities for people living in inaccessible areas and for displaced families. Through both experiences, I became more connected to the people and needs around me, and volunteering became something much more personal than just service hours. 

Organizing sessions in our School’s student-led activities

A big part of my impact at school came through student-led activities that created more space for discussion, initiative, and peer support. In 10th grade, I became one of the organizers of our school’s speaking and debate club. We held discussions, debates, movie-watching sessions, and book talks based on ideas students themselves suggested, which made the club feel very open and alive.

Alongside that, I also helped peers on a volunteer basis by tutoring them before exams whenever they needed support. Later, during my senior year, I was part of the team that organized the first MUN event in my school’s history. The event brought together more than 30 students from different departments of the school. My role was mainly focused on communication, especially helping connect the ideas and demands of students with the school administration so the event could actually happen. What I liked most about that work was being able to turn student interest into something real and lasting.

My life as a theatre actor

I joined a theater club in 5th grade, and since then, theater has been one of the biggest passions in my life. Acting, reciting, performing, and everything connected to that world have stayed with me for years. During my time in theater, I participated in several performances focused on the social life of Armenian people across generations, the impact of war, and the social and psychological changes our people have gone through as a nation. Those performances were both artistic, emotional, and deeply reflective for me. Beyond acting, I also helped with the technical and organizational parts of performances, especially with music and other stage needs that were essential to making the whole production work.

EducationUSA

As a first-generation and low-income student, studying abroad once felt almost impossible to me. I did not grow up with the kind of resources or guidance that make the U.S. college application process feel understandable or realistic. Even imagining myself applying, let alone being accepted with full funding, felt far away. That completely changed when I found EducationUSA Armenia. They offer advising services for students who want to pursue higher education in the United States, and then I joined their Competitive College Club, which is a 10-month program for seniors with an acceptance rate of around 8 to 10 percent. After being selected, I attended weekly sessions on the U.S. education system, university research, essay writing, public speaking, standardized test preparation, and worked on countless other skills. I also had constant access to the main advisor, who played a huge role in supporting my entire application process, as well as mentors and interns who were always there to answer questions and guide us. EducationUSA Armenia gave me direction and the confidence to believe this path was actually possible for me.

My TEDx Talk

During my junior year, I had the chance to represent EducationUSA Armenia as a TEDx Youth Speaker at UWCDilijan TEDx, where I gave a talk about my experience with choosing a career. More specifically, I focused on the parental and social stereotypes that often shape how children and young people make decisions about their future, their profession, and the kind of person they want to become. The process was both exciting and demanding. Preparing for the talk meant reflecting a lot, organizing my thoughts clearly, and making sure what I said felt personal but also relevant to the audience.

About My Essays

Your essays are the most important part of your application to show who you are. I am just gonna casually say what I wrote concisely, as each essay is unique, I mean, essays should be based on your experiences, and how interesting and funny you can make it is the real challenge. Write essays that the AOs can remember and vouch for.

Personal Statement

My personal statement was based on the tension between responsibility and passion; it was about my interest in theatre and family responsibility. I tell the story of how my parents didn’t want me to go to a theatre club, so without telling them, I got myself enrolled and then later demanded an official signature from them to confirm my enrollment.  Theatre is something very close to my heart, so when I wrote an essay about it, it really showed my passion for it. Your personal statement shouldn't just be about your problems, traumas or issues, but instead what matters is how you overcame those and how you challenged yourself.

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Why Northwestern

Northwestern was actually my favourite university, and I even did ED there, so I already knew a lot about the college before I wrote this ‘WHY US’ essay. Your ‘WHY US’ must be specific, like it's only for them. I wrote about my academic interests in education and social policy with specific Northwestern opportunities, showing how I would extend my experience into structured community engagement, research, and student support systems.

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Colleges I applied to

• Northwestern University; Accepted after being deferred from ED to RD, with full aid worth around $101,000 annually.
• Northwestern University in Qatar; Accepted with a full merit-based, loan-free scholarship worth about $79,000 annually.
• Columbia University; Rejected.
• Duke University; Rejected.
• Williams College; Rejected.
• Franklin and Marshall College; Rejected.
• Clark University; Rejected.

My thoughts

I know how overwhelming this process can feel, especially when you come from a system that works very differently and you are trying to figure everything out as you go. One of the biggest things I would recommend is finding people who are going through the same process. If you cannot find them in your school or community, find them online, even on places like Reddit. Have people around you who will support your big dreams, question them when needed, and help you keep going until those dreams become real.

Also, I know that “be yourself” is probably one of the most overused pieces of advice in the world, but I would put it differently. Admissions officers are just people trying to learn about other people. You are not writing a legal defense for why you should not be rejected. You are showing a real person who you are, what matters to you, and how you think. They are humans and they know that a 17 years old person is not supposed to have figured everything out, and even if so, then who would even need a college? Make sure your application sounds the way your friends know you. Especially as an international student, you will hear again and again how competitive everything is becoming, and that is true, but hard does not mean impossible. I still open my portal sometimes just to look at my acceptance letter again to make sure my acceptance wasn’t an accident because part of me still cannot fully believe it happened.

And my final piece of advice is to reach out. Always reach out. Build connections with people and put yourself in spaces where you can learn from others. Talk to counselors, students who got in, mentors, or anyone who may be able to answer even one question you have. Be respectful of people’s time, of course, but do not be afraid to ask. A lot of what helped me came from simply reaching out when I did not know what to do next. So feel free to reach out to me as well! You really never know what one conversation can change.

You got this. 

P.S: Even if you don’t have cracked extracurriculars, you are still gonna get in(probably), provided that your essays and personal statement are really interesting and show who you are truly to the story you want to shape. Colleges love potential, and they can understand potential. Btw, whatever r/chanceme tells you, do not believe them.