My background
My name is Darina Zhunussova. Originally, I am from the Northern Kazakhstan region. I lived my whole life in a small village town called Saumalkol, graduating from Kazakh high school there. For my bachelor’s degree, I studied and graduated from the top university in Kazakhstan, Nazarbayev University. I started my foundation year at Nazarbayev University in 2017, having a year to contemplate and ask myself which major would be best for me. I went to the first year of my undergrad from foundation, knowing that I will be doing a political science degree there. During my study at Nazarbayev University, I did multiple research assistantships and contributed to a couple of publications of my professors, was a head of the Association of Political Science Students and Chief Editor to the university newspaper.
Why the US
I had a list of around seven colleges. Three of them were in the United States, and the rest were in the UK, Italy, and Austria. The US was my priority choice because all of these universities had both the programs of my choice and certain merit-based scholarships. I was targeting the colleges and programs that did have at least some kind of discount for the program.
Major
When I studied for my political science undergraduate degree, it combined both political science and international relations. I also minored in anthropology. Because I learned so much from different fields, I was trying to narrow down my scope of interest and expertise. For this reason, I decided to do my master's in regional studies, not really changing my major but making it more specific.
Why Georgetown University
Georgetown was the only one that offered me a merit-based scholarship that completely covered my tuition. It also offered me a job on campus and the Carnegie Fellowship with a stipend of $9,000 per year, which covered my rent in Washington, DC. Besides the fact that Georgetown offered me an astonishing amount of scholarship and stipend, it also had students from Nazarbayev University in the past. I could reach out to them and get some advice. This helped me learn more about the university itself and the program I was interested in. Also, the student body at Georgetown is very diverse. It was much easier for me to adapt during my studies there.
Application process
Generally, you need your preliminary transcript of your grades, two or three recommendation letters from your professors or people you worked with, and a motivation letter. Sometimes they ask for an application fee. However, you can email universities and ask for a fee waiver. Universities mention all the required documents on their websites.
Stats
I had quite a high GPA and scores on my exams. I took the TOEFL and the GRE exam as well, submitting my scores to the universities. Your GPA and test scores are not that important if you have a minimum they require. In case you pass the threshold, admissions officers will look at the whole picture of your application, reviewing recommendation and motivation letters and your CV.
Work experience
Usually, people do not pursue a master's degree right after their undergraduate studies. They pursue a master’s degree to increase their qualifications after work experience of several years. If you apply right away to a master's program as I did, be prepared to answer such questions as, “Why are you applying for a master’s right away?” or “Why aren’t you going to get some work experience?” from the Admissions office. I think what helped me is that I did have work experience, working as a journalist for a year and as a research assistant to multiple professors. Moreover, I was a UNICEF volunteer which added diversity to my profile.
Tips for CV
It is usually required to attach your CV because they expect you to have worked on something by the time you are applying. In terms of tips, do not put your picture on it. It should be extremely formal. Additionally, do not put all of the experiences you have. If you were a bartender at some point in your life, the admissions of the mathematics office do not need to know that. Only add experiences that match the program you are applying to. I personally crafted my CV based on the program I was applying to. I did not put my research experience in journalism when applying to academic programs, but I rather focused on the research assistantships that aligned with my program of choice.
