"I had no intention of entering Harvard" a girl who won a full scholarship to the world's top university

"I had no intention of entering Harvard" - a girl who won a full scholarship to the world's top university
"One of the people who supported my study abroad is my father. They never said no to me. Outside, everyone praises me and raises me to the sky, but my father and mother "put me down".
Gozalkhan Haydarova was born in 2005 in Chortoq district of Namangan region. He studied at first in Tashkent, then at a specialized boarding school and presidential school in the region. From August 2023, he will continue his undergraduate studies in engineering at Harvard University in the United States. In an interview with the Kun.uz reporter, Gozalkhan talked about his interests and the processes of admission to top universities.
"I will be president"

At first I studied at school 246 in Tashkent, we moved to Namangan in the 6th grade. There I started studying at the 5th DIMI (State Specialized Boarding School), in the 8th grade I was transferred to the presidential school and was accepted to this school. I think entering the President's School was a big turning point in my life because the environment was special. The academic challenge of school forced me to work on myself. Studying subjects in English was a new world for me. Being away from my parents and studying with new classmates was also very difficult.

In the 5th DIMI, I studied in a specialized class for mathematics. Then I was interested in exact sciences. But I didn't know which field to go to, at the beginning I also studied biology, chemistry, physics, computer science at the presidential school. From the 10th grade, I was given the opportunity to choose 2 subjects, then I chose physics and computer science. At that moment, I felt in my gut that I should study aerospace engineering. I "jumped" a lot in fields. In the first grade, I said, "I will be the president", and then I wanted to be a doctor. For a long time after entering the presidential school, I did not know who I wanted to be. When I was in 9th-10th grade, I firmly chose the field of aerospace engineering.

Many graduates of the Presidential School went to study abroad through the El-Yurt Umid Foundation. First of all, I envied them. But the idea of applying to Princeton University came when I was participating in the international program "TechGirls". My mentor asked me what field I should study, I said I want to study aerospace engineering. He then recommended that Princeton University be a good option.

"It is difficult to enter good foreign universities with only SAT and IELTS"

Many people ask me about IELTS, SAT. But IELTS and SAT are not enough. Besides, there is a lot to do. In the 10th grade, I got 7.5 points in IELTS, I also passed SAT twice. But since my result was not very good compared to others, I submitted my documents without SAT. That is, you should not be strongly attached to SAT. It's true that taking the SAT increases your chances of getting into a foreign university, but it's not worth spending your whole life preparing for one test.

It is very difficult to get into good foreign universities with only SAT and IELTS. Let's say that the candidate has scored 9 in IELTS and is fluent in English. But in foreign universities, everyone knows English well, so it is necessary to determine which qualities of the candidate stand out from them. English should be studied to learn, not to pass IELTS. For example, I also studied English only for IELTS at the beginning, but when I saw the essay to be written for the university, I realized that I do not know English. I realized that there is a big difference between IELTS and an essay, and I studied to learn the language itself. That is, if it is studied only for IELTS, it is only suitable for getting a certificate. In life, it is not useful.

English is not taught in our schools to express ideas. For example, one can express an idea by writing or speaking. But we have not developed this.

I talked a lot with students studying economics and humanities abroad. They read philosophical books of 400-500 pages a week. That means a lot of pressure. Now you can imagine the situation of a student from Uzbekistan. Abroad, they read such a book in one week and write a 10-15-page review on it, discussing the areas in which the ideas in the book can be applied. I wish that English was taught at this level. It would be good if we introduce a system of teaching English language with other subjects.

For example, teaching history in English is very good, I think. Because many historians' books have been translated into English. We do not like the teaching of history at all. History is taught abroad not to memorize facts, but to draw conclusions from them. History should be a science that develops thinking. In general, all humanities are sciences that make you think and think.

"It is necessary to study at a university recognized by the world as appropriate for going abroad"

In Uzbekistan, we read about students who submitted 50-100 applications to universities. I wanted them to work on quality, not quantity. Because even if they are transferred to so many foreign universities, in the end they will study in one. I believe that it is necessary to start the movement earlier and focus on one area. Many people think about where to apply by the 11th grade, but by this time it is too late. You should think about applying to the top 10 and getting accepted, not to apply to 50 and get stuck. Young people just want to enter some university and go to America. I do not support it. If you go abroad, you should study at a world-recognized university and get world-recognized knowledge.

"At first I had no intention of studying at Harvard"

I applied to Princeton early, the results came out in December, and I was accepted. After that, I applied to Harvard. To be honest, I had no intention of studying at Harvard. Princeton is one of the top 2 engineering universities (the other being MIT) so I would still go to Princeton. Even though I got into Princeton, my dad often told me to apply to other universities. But I didn't give it to others. Because I really wanted to study at Princeton.

I was very happy when I entered this university. But I could not get a 100% grant to study there. After that, I began to pay attention to Harvard, and Princeton seemed to cool my heart. Harvard's favorite part was its partnership with MIT. That is, Harvard students can attend courses at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). In addition, Harvard has a strong emphasis on the humanities. I thought that studying both the humanities and the technical fields together would be of great benefit to me, and I chose Harvard.

In March, Harvard University called for an interview. The interview went well. The results were out on March 30 and I got to know that I was accepted. After submitting a document to a certain foreign university, in addition to the usual documents to win a grant, it is necessary to provide information such as parents' salary, financial resources, and how much money they can earn. I did not give these documents. This meant that I would not be awarded the grant. After applying to Harvard, I clicked the button saying that I would apply for the grant, but as I said above, I did not submit the documents. After I was accepted to Harvard, the university emailed me asking if I was still interested in the scholarship. I said yes. Then they told me that I still have a chance for this, that I can get this grant through a separate site that they sent. That is, despite all the deadlines, the university wanted me to get a grant. They also sent a code for free access to a paid document submission platform. Two days later, they informed me that I won a 100 percent grant. That is, Harvard will cover all the costs of studying, living, and transportation.

I applied to Harvard for general engineering and physics. It covers the general middle ground of all types of engineering, from quantum physics to atomic energy. In the first 2 years, knowledge in the field of general engineering is mastered, in the last 2 years it is possible to specialize in the same direction.

"My dad and mom remind me that I have goals ahead of me"

One of the people who supported my study abroad is my father. They never said no to me. For example, before I go now: don't work while studying abroad. You are going there not to work, but to study. Don't be interested in money." Outside, everyone praises me and raises me to the sky, but my father and mother "put me down". That is, they remind me that I have goals ahead of me that I need to achieve. They constantly tell me that I should not limit myself to these things, that I should come back from abroad and contribute to my country, and that's the only way I can be praised. I also think that when I study and become useful for my country, then I will have a reason to be proud.

Dilshoda Shomirzaeva talked,

Illustrator Nuriddin Nursaidov.
Translated by N. Rustamova