Where It All Began

My childhood dream, one that started when I was just an ordinary kid, is finally coming true: I’m going abroad to study. On August 24, I’ll be flying to Tallinn, Estonia, to study at Tallinn University of Technology.

But before we get there, let’s go back a little - actually, seven years back...

At the age of 12, I was accepted into one of the best physics and mathematics schools in Georgia, Tbilisi’s I. Vekua Public School No. 42. I thought this was the first big step toward success, and I was right. But nothing in life comes that easily.

For the first three years, up until 10th grade, I tried to adapt to my new environment, get along with my classmates and teachers, and find my place in the school. Despite all of this, though, I felt like something was missing. I couldn’t quite understand what it was, but I knew that if things continued this way, they wouldn’t lead to the ending I wanted.

The First Fall

At the end of 9th grade, during the summer, I decided that I needed to change something about myself and approach 10th grade with more responsibility. And that’s exactly what I did.

From the very beginning of the year, I started attending chemistry Olympiad training sessions, largely thanks to my chemistry teacher. I tried to learn more and more about the subject with every lesson and stay ahead of what we were covering at school. Because of this, I decided to start studying organic chemistry while I was still in 10th grade, which later helped me understand more difficult topics much more easily.

By the end of 10th grade, I traveled to the International Chemistry Olympiad with big ambitions and high expectations. Instead, I came home without a medal. It was my first major disappointment. At that moment, I felt like everything was over and that I had run out of hope.

Learning to Stand Again

When moments like this come in someone’s life, there are always people who appear by their side and help them get back on their feet. I got back up and started 11th grade with even more motivation and, most importantly, greater discipline - something I believe is essential for success.

Combining motivation with discipline and putting in a huge amount of work finally paid off: I won my first bronze medal.

At that point, I found a little hope again - hope that my biggest dream was not completely gone and that I still had a reason to keep fighting for it.

2 Steps Forward

After a long and difficult journey, filled with struggles and countless disappointing days, I finished my final year of school by earning the top spot in the selection for both the national Physics and Chemistry Olympiad teams.

That was when I realized I had a huge opportunity to take a major step forward and get closer to the future I had been working toward. I gave it everything I had. I thought that summer was going to be the best summer of my life.

But once again, things didn’t go as planned.

At the Chemistry Olympiad, I won another bronze medal. It was a good result, of course, but being just a tiny step away from silver made it feel completely different.

Only four days later, the Physics Olympiad began. After everything I had just been through, it was hard to arrive with the same energy, excitement, and confidence. Eventually, I finished the Olympiad without a medal, still carrying the weight of those unforgettable moments and constantly thinking about everything that had happened before.

2 Steps Forward, 1 Step Back

In the end, I decided to take a gap year so I could properly prepare for university applications and make sure that the results of my final year would be reflected in my application.

I began my preparation toward the end of October, initially focusing on universities in the United States. Before submitting my applications, however, I had to take several exams.

For American universities, I needed the Duolingo English Test, while European universities required IELTS, so I decided to take both. The SAT was also necessary for my applications abroad, so that became another major part of my preparation.

I’m not particularly proud of the fact that I started preparing later than I should have - ideally, I should have begun months earlier. Still, after several attempts, I managed to score 1490/1600 on the SAT, which was a result I was quite happy with, and 130/160 on the Duolingo English Test.

I initially sent applications to several universities in the United States, but unfortunately, the first responses I received were rejections.

After that, I started looking into European universities. I was honestly quite heartbroken because universities in the U.S. had been my first choice. But there was nothing I could do about the rejections anymore, so I decided to give other opportunities a chance.

Right Place, Right Time

Honestly, it wasn’t easy to start all over again and try for something completely different after those rejections. But luckily, on the last possible day before the deadline, I came across a university that immediately stood out to me - Tallinn University of Technology.

There were so many things about it that caught my attention. First of all, it was located in Estonia, a country I had always really liked - both because of its living conditions and its people. I had already had some experience with Estonians through international Olympiads, so I felt somewhat connected to the country.

The second, and probably most important, reason was the university itself. Its main focus was technology, which was exactly what I was looking for. Then I found out that, because I was an Olympiad participant, I didn’t have to write essays as part of the application.

The fact that I discovered this university on the very last day of the application period, combined with everything else that seemed to fit me so perfectly, felt almost like a sign. I started wondering whether this could actually be the place where I would have the best chance to show what I could really do.

I applied, received an invitation to an interview, and thankfully, it went really well. Not long after, I got the news I had been hoping for: I had been accepted to Tallinn University of Technology.

The Dream I Owed My Younger Self

Looking back now, I sometimes wonder: did I really need every single rejection to eventually end up exactly where I was meant to be - in the right place, at the right time, where I truly belonged?

This is my story of how I got into university on the very last day of the application deadline, how I found the strength to try one more time after so many rejections, how I made it this far despite all the disappointments, and how I finally fulfilled the biggest dream of my 10-year-old self - to open the doors to a future in another country.

And now, the advice I would give as an 18-year-old Ilia - the same person who has been hopeful, angry, happy, and disappointed so many times - is this:

Always do what you love, and always start early. The earlier, the better. Never leave anything until the last moment.

But what if it’s already too late?

Then I promise you: you haven’t ruined a single thing that’s meant for you…