Introduction and Background

I come from an immigrant background and moved from Lithuania to the United Kingdom as a child. This naturally created challenges for me around culture and language. However, this has also strongly motivated me to do well for myself and support my community, as they welcomed and supported me throughout my childhood. I guess there is a sense of duty to prove myself to my host country (the United Kingdom) that comes from my migration background, which has motivated me to be ambitious.

Academic and Stats

AS Grades: AAA in Politics, English Literature, and Law

Predicted grades: AAA

A Level grades: AAB in Politics, English Literature, and Law (respectively). Did not meet my predicted grades, but Bowdoin did not really care due to holistic admissions. This was due to a very busy year for me.

SAT score: 1250 (I am NOT a maths guy) - Didn’t submit

Fun fact: Bowdoin College was the FIRST to go test-optional for admissions in 1969. Around 50% of students are admitted to Bowdoin as test-optional applicants. Although this may not apply to other colleges, at Bowdoin, not submitting an SAT/ACT score generally won't hurt your application. Of course, if you have a good score, absolutely share it! But if you don’t, then don’t worry.

Honors and Awards

1. National Award - Sutton Trust Fulbright CBO; 1/132 chosen from 1800+ applicants. Summer school and admissions help.
2. National Award - National Pool Lifeguard Qualification. I received this during my part-time job as a lifeguard.
3. National Award - ‘Talent for Writing’ certificate from ‘Young Writers’. This was a writing competition that I won, which led to the publication of my poem.
4. State/Regional - ‘Student of the Year’ on University of East Anglia outreach program, rated highest for my research project.
5. State/Regional - Won annual debate competition at college, secured a spot on the regional team; led to mentoring others.

Extracurricular Activities

1. Academic Participant in an Oxford outreach program, Wadham College, University of Oxford. This was a two-year law program called ‘Think like a Lawyer’ in which I attended academic law sessions and 3 in-person events (2 at Oxford and 1 at Linklaters, a law firm).
2. Career Oriented: Work Experience at Freshfields Law Firm, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
3. Academic: Participated in Mock Trial Competition twice, Young Citizens. My college participated in the National Bar Mock Trial twice, and I represented them both times. We achieved 2nd place out of 6 colleges in 2024.
4. Career Oriented: Participant in SMBP work experience week, Social Mobility Business Partnership This was a work experience week designed for students (1 of 24 selected) from socially mobile backgrounds. It involved visiting different professions, such as a football club and a law firm, and learning more about the work done there.
5. Work (Paid): Lifeguard and Activity Trainer. This was my consistent, part-time role I had during college. I gained my NPLQ and basic experience. I gained my NPLQ qualification with top marks and was one of four employees selected to attend a conference in Wales.
6. Community Service (Volunteer): Political Campaigner and Councilor Candidate for a Party This was one of my first major extra-curricular activities; it started quite randomly but became my biggest, most consistent commitment. It involved canvassing, social media campaigning, and running as a local councilor candidate! I still regularly participate in this EC during my gap year, and I'd recommend anyone do something similar, as it shows real drive and initiative!
7. Community Service (Volunteer): Youth Councilor in Youth Town Advisory Board, [anonymous] Borough Council. I was a Youth Councilor and later the Vice-Chairman of my Youth Council, managing a budget of £3000 and chairing debates in the council chamber.
8. Debate/Speech: Debate Ambassador and Mentor. Organized junior debate competition; Participated in English Speaking Union debate competition; Mentored winning 4-person team; won college debate competition.
9. European Parliament Ambassador/UK representative, European Parliament. I was one of five people chosen to represent the UK at an event at the European Parliament, and I taught people back home about the EU and how it works.
10. Science/Math: Team Leader on 'Smart Energy Challenge', Collaboration between EEEGR and Optio It was a 6-week research project, and I organized a team and began working on it. We won the project, and it was a great insight into a whole other field of work and opportunity. We also presented our innovation to energy companies at a conference.

On the Common App, there is a section called ‘responsibilities and circumstances’ that adds context to your activities. These were mine:

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Responsibilities and circumstances

• Assisting family or household members with tasks such as doctors’ appointments, bank visits, or visa interviews
• Interpreting or translating for family or household members
• Working at a paid job to contribute to my household’s income
• Living without consistent heat, power, water, or access to food
• Living without reliable or usable internet

US-UK Fulbright Commission

Before joining the program, I had no idea international education was even an option for me, as I was too focused on Oxbridge(Oxford and Cambridge). The program (Sutton Trust Fulbright US Program) is exceptionally competitive, only for UK students from disadvantaged backgrounds, with around a 7% acceptance rate. They support their students through three residentials: 1 in the UK, 1 virtual, and 1 in the USA, all focused on exploring US international education. You can find details here.

You also did a 7-day residential stay at MIT; can you share your experience of staying there and visiting many colleges across the USA?

This was what convinced me to apply to the USA. I was based at MIT, but it was mainly just a room for the 5 nights, as we explored much of New England during the week, with a mix of educational visits (visiting college campuses (MIT, Harvard, Amherst, Bowdoin, Bates)) as well as cultural activities (WNBA game, Boston Tea Party Museum, Quincy Market). This was a fully funded trip, and the main reason the Sutton Trust Fulbright US Program is so competitive.

Before the trip, I was very skeptical about studying in the United States, as I was too focused on political issues within the US, which I think I gave too much attention to as I had never visited the United States before. The visit completely shattered that, as I realized the USA is much more than just what I see on the news. Actually hearing from students and admissions officers in person about all the amazing opportunities they offer, and about colleges I never even heard of, like Bowdoin, became my top priority choices and usurped the positions of Oxford and Cambridge from my rankings. 

The most valuable lesson I took from the trip was that each college brings its own value to your life, and it's really about finding your fit. Before the visit, Harvard would have ranked much higher than Bowdoin for me, but after visiting both campuses, Harvard seemed like nothing compared to Bowdoin, simply because Harvard was not my fit and Bowdoin was.

Essays and Personal statements

My Common App essay had the central theme of politics being present in everyday places (yes, you can write about politics, but nothing controversial or supporting a specific group).

 My first supplemental was based on the line, 'to gain an appreciation for the work of others, and criticism of your own work'. I wrote examples for both.

There was another prompt which was mainly about navigating differences -  I talked about my experience immigrating to the UK from Lithuania, and how that made me empathetic to ensure everybody feels included, heard, and understood.

I spent about two months refining my essays; I was very passionate about making sure they were perfect. I sought feedback from every source I could (my English Literature teacher, my friends, my mentors). This is your main chance to show the admissions officer who you are and how you think, so make sure it is engaging, interesting, and importantly, an accurate depiction of who you are and what makes you passionate.  Your essays, along with recommendation letters, make up about 30-40% of your application weightage, so take your time and do your best.

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Financial Aid

Bowdoin is very generous with their financial aid. They are need-blind for international students and need-based. This means your admissions chances aren't impacted by your financial situation, and the financial aid department will make sure your package meets your needs. For me, my financial package met my needs, making it possible for me to accept my offer and attend Bowdoin College. 

All financial aid is grant-based, meaning you do not have to pay it back. This means you graduate debt-free and do not have to worry much about finances during your four years at college. Bowdoin further supports its students by famously providing every student with a free MacBook Pro, iPad, and Apple Pencil, as well as on-campus work to support their studies.

Likewise, I received close to full aid.

Application Process

As I was sure about ED-ing Bowdoin, I wrote my first Common App essay draft in June and began supplementals in September.

**How tough was the Common App application journey? **

Probably the most stressful experience of my life. Even with all the support I received from the US-UK Fulbright Commission, it was incredibly stressful. I completely deleted and chose a new format for my Common App essay about 3 times before I even started speaking with my mentor, and I redrafted it at least 5 times. The word count and making sure it was PERFECT were intense, but also very rewarding.

How many recommendation letters did you submit?

I submitted 2 letters of recommendation. One from my Law teacher, and one from my politics teacher. Based on the advice I received, more recommendations can only harm your application because they give the Admissions Officer more work. Unless it is necessary for your application (e.g., your whole essay is about sports, so your recommender is your coach, or you did an internship and the recommender can write a detailed letter explaining you QUALITATIVELY), I'd stick to the minimum the college requires (usually 2).

Did you submit any video response?

Yes. I think I messed up mine completely because I panicked, but I guess it didn't matter because I got in. I think the video is more of a vibe check than an assessment of your application.

**Also, did you submit additional application materials, like a graded paper or a visual arts portfolio? **

No. You can submit it, and you do not need to be from an arts/film background. For a visual arts portfolio (at least for arts), they give it to the arts faculty for assessment, so the assessment is quite rigorous.

Did you mention any personal projects?

The only project I spoke about was my STEM project, and I added it to show intellectual curiosity. As a liberal arts college, Bowdoin loves to see applicants explore different fields, which I think played a big part in my application being successful, as I wasn't just a ‘humanities guy’ but a ‘humanities guy who explored STEMM AND succeeded’.

Gap Year

Honestly, I needed a bit of a break. When I applied for the gap year, I reflected on my summer ahead(my schedule was quite full). I felt everything was rushed, and I hadn't really had time to relax and focus on things like swimming, running, the gym, art, etc. I would highly recommend, if given the chance, that students take a gap year before university (as in, apply to university usually, then defer enrolment), as it reduces the stress of ‘what am I doing in the future?’ as you have your enrolment waiting for you, giving you probably the only year you’ll ever have where you can genuinely relax without feeling guilty about it. Also, deferring admission is easy at Bowdoin: email your regional admissions officer, and they will guide you.

Tips and final thoughts

Prepare sooner rather than later -  Here is how I prepared:

• Ranked my top 10 colleges after researching strategic options
• Strategic = Can give me enough financial aid
• Chose my ED1 college and began immediately exploring it through virtual events (go to every one you can find! Colleges host them all the time), and researching specific programs at the college I would love to do.
• I started writing essays and asked anybody I could for feedback (I asked literally everybody: my teachers, my friends, even my classmates).

I think the biggest, most important thing is to find your FIT. Think about:

• Why does the college suit me?
• What are your interests? How is college X going to help you explore those? What are the vibes of the campus? Do you prefer a large or small cohort? City or town? East or West Coast? Liberal arts college or research university? All of these questions will help you naturally write good supplemental essays that focus on the colleges that genuinely fit your needs
• Why do I suit the college?
• What do you bring to the college? Are there specific programs you would be taking part in? Why should the college invest in YOU?