My Background
If I look at my teenage years, my journey began in Kerben, a small town in Aksy region of Jalal-Abad, Kyrgyzstan. Up until my high school years, I was a good student, participating in some competitions and projects. But studying abroad wasnāt even a consideration for me back then.
As I was living in a rural area, it was not common for our students to aim at studying abroad. It seemed something unachievable back then. Everything started to change in eighth grade when I joined a self-development project organized by a FLEX alumni. That experience planted the first seed of ambition. Later, I joined a mentorship program called EduMentor, where my mentor introduced me to opportunities for studying abroad and the options available to Kyrgyz students. She also shared the Instagram profile of Aydana Assylbekova, a student at NYUAD. Inspired by Aydanaās story, I realized that earning a scholarship or financial aid at a prestigious university is achievable, opening the door to pursuing education there.
Extracurriculars
Since I come from a small town, I felt my background was limited compared to those applying to U.S. universities. Back then, I believe our town was less aware of international competitions and hackathons. With few opportunities available, I focused on creating my own projects and getting involved in volunteering. My friends and I were among the first to start self-development and volunteering initiatives in our town, striving to inspire others and make a difference in our community.
So, here are some of my activities:
Class President (Grades 5-10): I served as the class president for five years. Though this might seem like a small role to some, it was an incredible journey of character development for me. I managed a class of 38 students. Managing such a diverse group taught me critical leadership and communication skills. I learned how to delegate tasks effectively and find unique approaches to motivate my peers.
TechGirls (10th Grade): I was accepted into TechGirls, a STEM-focused program organized by the U.S. Department. It was planned as an in-person program at Virginia Tech University, but it was held online due to COVID-19. During the program, I learned front-end web development and attended inspiring sessions with NASA engineers. Learning about their work and personal journeys in these sessions influenced me to switch from planning to study neuroscience to computer science.
Internship at Assistant Assistant (Silicon Valley Startup): My first internship was with a Silicon Valley-based startup, where I worked as a data analyst. My role involved gathering and analyzing data related to package deliveries, particularly in pharmacies during the COVID-19 pandemic.
COVID-19 Social Project: During the pandemic, I organized an online project to help students from Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan continue their personal and professional development. I organized sessions with speakers like psychologists and startup founders.
TED Talks Club at AUCA: After school, I attended the Next Generation Academy, a foundation program offered by the American University of Central Asia (AUCA). I received a full grant that covered all my expenses there. At AUCA, I founded the TED Talks Club to give a platform for students to share ideas and inspire others.
Application process
When I was in my final year of school, I got selected for Kadam - a program organized to support high school students in Kyrgyzstan with the university application process abroad. The program was initiated and organized by MIT graduates Kainar Kamalov and Zamir Akimbekov along with ProKG club. Kadam provided mentorship, as well as SAT and TOEFL preparation sessions. Through this program, I met many inspiring people, including my mentor, Aichurok Kamalova, a postgraduate student in the Neuroscience department at NYU. She greatly supported me in improving my essay writing and professionally organizing my activities list. On the other side, my sister was one of my biggest supporters as a mentor, teacher, and proofreader of my essays.
Personal Statement
In my personal statement, I focused on an issue deeply personal to me: gender equality. Growing up in my town, I often faced gender stereotypes that seemed to limit opportunities for girls. As a result of my long reflection, I realized that these stereotypes have played one of the important roles in building my character as a teenager. Therefore, I decided to open this topic in my essay, focusing more on the issues I have faced and the steps I took to break the stereotypes and bring a change to the community.
Looking back on my experience of writing personal statements, I realize one of my mistakes was starting a bit late. Essay writing isnāt just about putting words on paper; itās also about reflecting on your 17- or 18-year-old life and drawing meaningful lessons. Thatās why I believe the earlier you start, the more time you have to reflect and shape your story. I would also advise against focusing too much on ādecoratingā the essay with hooks and fancy words during the initial stages. Instead, I think itās important to first choose the right topic and story. The rest part is about crafting the essay itself, making it clearer and prettier.
Stats
SAT: 1310
TOEFL: 104
GPA: 5.0 / 5.0
How I Dealt with Rejections and Moved Forward
I applied to several universities including Simmons (accepted with the President Scholarship), Franklin and Marshall, Amherst, Stanford, and NYU (waitlisted) etc. These rejections, especially after a second attempt, were difficult to process. The rejection from New York University hit me the hardest because I had made it to the second round and had high hopes. When I got the news in June, I cried and couldnāt help but doubt myself. For a while, it felt like all the effort Iād put in, even from a young age, hadnāt paid off.
In July, I received an acceptance from Stipendium Hungaricum (SH), a fully funded scholarship program for studying at universities in Hungary. In the end, I had two options: stay in Kyrgyzstan and study at the American University of Central Asia (AUCA) with a 90% scholarship or go to Hungary. Although AUCA offers a good quality education, I chose Hungary to experience studying in a different culture.
Looking back, I see that it was one of the best things that could have happened. I met many intelligent, kind, and open-minded people, formed true friendships, and had the opportunity to work closely with professors who had inspiring and fascinating academic backgrounds. The first year was also a great time to recover from the two intense years of the admission process and fulfill energy for future aspirations.
Scholarship benefits
As a Stipendium Hungaricum scholarship holder, you will receive the following benefits:
Full coverage of tuition fees
A monthly stipend of HUF 43,700 (approximately EUR 110)
Free dormitory placement or a monthly contribution of HUF 40,000 (approximately EUR 100) towards accommodation costs
Medical insurance
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Why I Chose Debrecen University and Later Transferred to ELTE
I chose Debrecen University in a rather unexpected way. When I was applying to SH, my primary focus was on universities in the United States. However, since SH allows you to choose only two universities, I searched for the best computer science programs in Hungary. As highly-ranked institutions, Debrecen and BME Universities became my top choices.
Ending up in Debrecen was a good thing in certain ways. The city is quiet with fewer distractions, which helped me recover after the stressful application process. However, I realized that Debrecen didnāt offer as many professional opportunities, such as internships and networking.
Thatās one of the main reasons I decided to transfer to ELTE University in Budapest. ELTE is located in the capital city, where there are far more opportunities for growth, both professionally and personally.
Both universities have their strengths: Debrecen offers a supportive, community-like environment, while ELTE is ideal for those looking for a more dynamic and challenging academic experience in a city with a lot of opportunities. Looking back, I believe transferring to ELTE was the right decision for my goals and aspirations.
Current projects in ELTE
At ELTE, I lead the Google Developer Groups on Campus ELTE (student Club) - part of the global Google Develop Groups community, an initiative to support technology people in their professional and personal development. For this year, our team consists of 20 students who organize events like career workshops and competitions aimed at helping students improve their programming and problem-solving skills, as well as networking. For this semester, we have organized 2 events with the software engineers from Citibank, Prezi, MSCI, DocuSign, and TikTok. But more events are planned for the new year. Besides my studies, I am also working as a technology Intern at Morgan Stanley - American investment banking. Additionally, I am working on research in the Modeling Lab of the Numerical Analysis Department under the supervision of one of my professors.
Final Advice
My advice to high school students is to develop critical thinking. Do not do something just because your peer is doing it. It's like understanding why you are learning the theory in math, not just memorizing it. Learn to strategically build your plans based on yourself and statistics, not on the emotional sparks of competition. It is always good to determine what is yours and what is not. Believe in yourself. A bad grade does not make you a fool. More successful groupmate does not make you a failure. Just because some smart people could not ace the task does not necessarily mean that you will not be able to. Another thing is, to take responsibility for your life. The sooner you do, the better. There will be many success stories and opinions about what you should do, but the only person responsible for making decisions is you. Whether you succeed or fail, the consequences will primarily affect you; therefore, make mindful decisions based on your needs, strengths, and dreams. Stay positive. What Iāve realized is that, whether you feel sad or happy, life will go on. If thatās the case, why not live with a cheerful mindset?
