My name is Amira. I graduated from the Nazarbayev Intellectual School in Pavlodar city, and this year I was accepted into 9 universities worldwide, all with full funding. I am planning to start my studies at Brown University this fall

My background

I always had a question in my mind about where I would study after school. My focus was always on seeking opportunities to study on a full scholarship anywhere possible. To achieve this, I strived to excel in my studies and engage in extracurricular activities. However, I didn't have a clear idea of studying in the US until the moment of application. It wasn't until the 11th grade when I participated in the FLEX program in the US that I realized what a great country it is for education, with some of the best universities in the world. This realization motivated me to consider applying to US universities. From that point onward, I approached the application process more consciously, even though my knowledge about it was previously limited to indirect information.

Colleges I applied to

I applied to Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar and the University of British Columbia in Canada, along with around 20 universities in the United States. I was accepted into 9 universities, all of which offered full-ride scholarships. These include Carnegie Mellon University, Colby College, Northwestern University, Amherst College, Wellesley College, University of British Columbia, Williams College, Dartmouth College, and Brown University.

Why I chose Brown University

On March 30th, I received all the results from the universities. The following morning, March 31st, I faced a dilemma as I had a month to make one of the most difficult decisions of my life. It was an incredibly challenging process. Initially, I received an offer from Colby and thought I might just go there. However, on the same day, invitations came from Wellesley, Amherst, and Williams. Later, I was also accepted to Northwestern, making me consider going there. Then came the responses from Dartmouth College and Brown University. I had also received responses from universities in Qatar and Canada, but by that time, I didn't consider them as seriously since I had offers from Ivy League institutions. To be honest, I would have been happy attending any university as long as I received full funding. So, I didn't have a "dream university" per se. My main decision came down to three universities: Northwestern University, which ranks in the top 10 in the US and top 25 in the world, and Dartmouth College and Brown University, both part of the Ivy League.

Every day, I attended different sessions offered by the universities. After getting accepted, they had a website with various sessions where I could experience their classes, get to know the professors, and learn more about each university. I interacted with current students during these sessions. My decision seemed to change every day, but deep down, I was more inclined towards Brown University, and I eventually decided to go there. What attracted me to Brown University was its open curriculum and location. The open curriculum allows me to take any courses I'm interested in, without any required courses, unlike Northwestern University. This appealed to me, especially after experiencing the Kazakhstani system, where we were told what to study. Moreover, Brown University follows a pass/fail system instead of grades. This means that if I want to challenge myself with a course in an area where I lack knowledge, I can take it as pass/fail without worrying about getting a low grade. For instance, if I want to explore a computer science course without much prior knowledge, I can take it pass/fail, preserving my GPA while gaining new knowledge. The flexibility of Brown University's system is what truly attracted me