'American schools are weaker than ours': personal experience of studying abroad

Aidana Asylbekova from Kazakhstan at the age of 17 went to study for free in the USA, and then to the UAE. In an interview NUR.KZ she told how to get free education in the best institutions in the world and how the foreign education system is different.

Aidane 22 of the year. Prior to 10, she studied in the city of Semey, then went to America under the FLEX program sponsored by the US State Department.

Photos from personal archive

“Studying outside Kazakhstan has always been my dream. I have sought this since childhood. The program does not check the knowledge of English, but how flexible the student is, ready to quickly adapt to the new environment and live far from loved ones. The application process consists of an essay, an interview and a game where you need to be as honest as possible. I applied for the program without any preparation. Before that, I had an unsuccessful attempt, and the last time I decided to be calmer and wrote an essay without embellishment, as it is, about myself - and passed. ”

There lived a girl in North Dakota, the city of Grand Forks.

“In this area the winter is as severe as in our Astana. I lived with an American family along with a student from France who came as an exchange student. I studied at Grand Forks Central High School, a high school. The fact is that school education in the United States is divided into 3 levels: elementary, middle and high schools.

Moreover, a school at each level is a completely independent institution. In America, no one studies from first to high school in the same school, and students in classes in the United States are mixed every year. At the end of the year, an album is published with photographs of all the children in the school, not just your class.”

However, Aidana believes, compared with NIS, education in the American school is much weaker.

“For example, if at NIS we studied about 14 subjects in one quarter, then in an American school we chose 6 subjects for the entire six months. Of course, there are a lot of opportunities for diversified development: sections of theater, drawing and various sports, and everything is taught not at the amateur level, but at the level of novice professionals.

There are many features in American schools to which we are not used. For example, student assessments are strictly confidential. No one will read the test results out loud in class. For parents, quarterly grades are sent in a sealed envelope.

No one in the class knows who learns well and who barely pulls; everything is discussed by the teacher only with the parents on an individual basis. There are many charity events at schools, as well as various fairs, such as book fairs. ”

After completing the program, she firmly knew that she wanted to study abroad. Since Aidana’s parents are not able to pay for education abroad, she was looking for grant programs.

“Some graduates of the program have entered New York University in Abu Dhabi. I saw their constant travels and rich student life. It became interesting to me, and I began to learn more about the university. After finding information about the full grant, which covers tuition, food, accommodation, flights, and a pocket allowance scholarship, I decided to apply.

Фото: Depositphotos

The admission process is the same as in all American universities: the SAT exam, language test, letters of recommendation, essay and application form. I did everything perfectly and now I am studying on a full grant in the specialty “Economics and Arabic”.

The peculiarity of my university is that it provides the opportunity to study in different countries. So I spent semesters in London, New York, Sydney and Accra - all fully funded by the university."

The girl regrets that in her homeland she will not yet be able to find a suitable job for herself.

“I am very interested in ecosystem startups in different countries. I am inspired by ideas that simplify the lives of millions of people. I trained in the Emirates, America and here in Astana, as well as in a venture capital fund in Jordan. In the future I would like to create my own project, maybe in the field of education, and develop it in Kazakhstan.

Unfortunately, at the present time, as a specialist only with internship experience, I have very few opportunities to get a high-paying job in Kazakhstan. Just typing a decent experience, and maybe already with my work, I would really like to return to my homeland. But time will tell. ”

The student stresses that she is from an ordinary average family in Kazakhstan, and in order to study in foreign educational institutions it is not necessary to have a lot of money.

“The most important thing is knowledge of the English language. Next - excellent grades at school, high scores on exams, and also the ability to clearly and beautifully talk about your achievements and convince why you should study with a grant.

I advise you not to be lazy to look for programs, not to be afraid of refusal, not to cease to develop, to seek and learn new hobbies and make efforts to become the best in your business.

I think the most valuable skills that study abroad provides are the ability to communicate with people, the ability to make friends with students from different countries and cultures, to get rid of stereotypes, to think more broadly, and to establish business connections. Don't be lazy and don't be afraid! The world is full of possibilities. You just have to want it."

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