Hello Columbia University!

Valeri


Interview by Katerina and Luz.
Did you get a scholarship?

Valeri - Yes, I did get a full scholarship for $ 200,000. Everything is covered. So, I’ll be studying at my dream college for free.

Why do you wanted to go to Columbia University?

Valeri = Well, I actually wanted to go to Columbia University because that has been my dream since I was very young. Also, the president of my country graduated from Columbia so I always used to hear “Columbia…Columbia” all the time on TV. It was really my dream so when I came here, I joined a program at Columbia which is called “Double Discovery Center” and after I became part of the campus. I fell in love with the place. It was no longer my passion but my strongest dream and there were a lot of reasons for me to go to Columbia which helped me make the decision to apply.

Do you think this school prepared you good enough for college?

Valeri - I think that in some ways this school prepared me good enough for college. But, I also think that you need to do things outside of school and be responsible to look for different opportunities for you which I did a lot.

Which profession do you want to follow in the future?

Valeri - Well, first I want to have a major in Political science and a minor in United States history or world history. I also want to become a judge so I obviously want to go to law school. I want to work for the United Nations.

Which grade do you think is the most important?

Valeri -I think the most important year was 11th grade because it was actually the most challenging. However, every grade had its importance for me.

What d0 you think helped you to get accepted in Columbia?

Valeri = I think it was basically my academic work and the teachers were really helpful in terms of the application process. But, as I said before the extracurricular activities help you a lot. You have to  find something that you really have passion in which I basically did.

Did you expect to get accepted in Columbia?

Valeri - I think that when I apply to Columbia I wasn’t expecting to get accepted, but, I was certainly HOPING. It was really surprising. I was astonished and I’m still very surprised because the dream of my life came true. It was very different because I think in that moment there was HOPE and the only thing that I think I got at the end was the thought that “It’s up to you to get into the college that you want”.

What do you think is the best thing about our school?

Valeri -The best things about our school is the diversity and representation from different countries from almost all over the world.

What do you think is the worse thing about our school?

Valeri -The worse thing about our school is the fact that we didn’t have American students so we don’t get any experiences of interacting with Americans and we don’t get to know anything about their culture.

What is one of your best school memories’?

Valeri - There are a lot of good memories and a lot of friends. But, I think the best memory that I’ve had in this school was the trip to Washington D,C because the students, including me, and teachers kind of bonded more together and got to know each other better in different ways. So, it was a chance for me to bond together with teachers and students and to have fun which was the best part of everything.

What advice do you want to give to people who want to go to good colleges?

Valeri- I would just say keep up your grades … obviously, start studying for the SAT as soon as you can because we’re at the biggest disadvantage because English is not our native language; Get involvde in different activities outside of school and inside and DON’T let people tell you that you can’t do something if you know you are able to do it.


* WRITTEN by Luz Sierra.