My background

I was born in Balkhash, Kazakhstan. This is a small city in the southern part of our country and is located next to Balkhash Lake. When I was a sixth grade student, I applied to the Nazarbayev Intellectual School, and fortunately, I got in. My parents stayed in Balkhash, but I moved to Karagandy and lived in the dormitory for a couple of years until COVID-19 hit our world. After quarantine time, I started living by myself in the apartment. I am now a 12th grade student at an NIS Karagandy school.

Why study abroad

Whatever opportunities are ahead of me, I will just get them, no matter what I come up with later. For instance, when I was a 10th grade student, I applied to the FLEX program, which is the Future Leaders Exchange program. I became a finalist and spent a year in the United States in Colorado Springs. I traveled a lot that year. For instance, I went to Florida, Orlando, Disney World and Universal, San Francisco, and New Mexico. Exploring the United States and seeing all these beautiful destinations and sites motivated me to return there by getting my bachelor degree and studying at their colleges. Additionally, I was well prepared to study abroad, since I have lived for several years by myself in Karagandy, where I need to cook, clean the apartment, and do my chores by myself. Also, my major that I am going to pursue is data science and biomedical engineering. That type of major does not exist in Kazakhstan, or it is extremely hard to find.

What countries I considered during my application journey

Since I studied in the United States for one year during my senior year, I thought that I am going to study there. However, I did not want to limit myself and applied to universities in Germany and China. I considered Germany as an option for me because I love their culture. I had childhood friends and relatives of my host parents who were also German. During my exchange year, I went to Denver to Christmas Kindle Market. It is a tradition in Germany and all of that made me excited to apply to German universities.

Talking about China, universities there provide you with a good set of knowledge for your bachelor degree. Of course, it makes you to get in top tier master's degree programs easily. Secondly, my friends were accepted to Chinese universities, and I knew that I would definitely find my friends back there.

Why Drake University

Drake University is one of the most suitable options for me and I consider it a right fit that suits my interests on the part of extracurricular activities and academics.

Financial aid

I got full-rides at Jacobs University in Bremen, NYUSH, Drexel, and Drake Universities. 

Stats & Extracurricular activities

My GPA is perfect, 5.0, and IELTS, 8.0. I took the SAT, but I applied test-optional.

I got an opportunity to do research work with Murat Baday from Stanford University on glioblastoma, which is brain cancer cells. In addition, I got an opportunity to work with the National Research Institute of Kazakhstan. I mentioned the FLEX program, where I spent my exchange year in the US, and the WYLET program, where I visited Washington, D.C., for a week during my exchange year. There were 30 students selected from thousands of applications. I was the only person from Kazakhstan who represented our country. I worked closely with American Consulates and the US Department of State for cultural exchange. We covered the ways to teach English, and afterwards they gave us a certificate that shows that we can teach students and teachers. Also, I participated in the PAL Program, where I did 300 hours of volunteer work. During my FLEX experience, I was one of the high-achieving students in my placement organization.

Personal Statement

I wrote my personal statement about my identity and how it was shaped throughout my childhood experiences. In this essay, I describe my relationship with my grandmother and how close we were together. I wish I could have answered in depth, but that is a more personal thing.

Application process

I started working on my college list in the middle of August, and by the end of September, I already had it. At the same time, I started working on my personal statement. The writing process took me two months. About supplemental essays, I wrote them one day before deadlines.

Helpful resources

I would recommend such resources as College Vine, College Essay Guy, and the Common Data Set. Get in touch with alumni or students who currently study at your dream university, communicate with them, and ask all the questions you have. Some of them might not answer you, but if you text 10 students, for example, three or four of them will definitely text you back.