"Springtime is the land awakening. The march winds are the morning yawn."

-Lewis Grizzard

The month of March, the month of rebirth, the month blossom and beauty, the most perfect month to be considered as women’s. Some people associate different things with colors, scents, shapes, months etc. I can not think of anything better than Spring to associate with women. They both share the strongest qualities such as; inner and outer beauty, toughness, ambition, the ability to build something and take pride in it, and many more. For numerous centuries, women have been set back and dispelled of having and projecting their voices. But women did not give up, they listened to the voices in their heads rather than listening to men and believing that they are less than them. Women’s power and success come not only from individuality but also by the inspiration given by other women. That’s exactly what makes them so unique. They support and cheer each other on, they rebuild themselves from ashes and rise like Phoenixes. They believe and love themselves, they are not afraid to say their words and shine among the ones who never believed in them. They are not afraid to set boundaries and standards. They were and are never afraid to fight for fundamental rights which they were entitled to have since the beginning of time. Throughout history, women have shown that power belongs to them and not to men. So what men have fought in battles and can carry loads on their shoulders, so what they are bigger in size. Women fought for human rights and opportunities, they fought to be acknowledged as humans and not cleaning or cooking objects. When men lost in battles, they tried to put down women to feel powerful. Women did not put down men for themselves, they encouraged them to share their freedom and acknowledge their power and they succeeded without oppressing them or their opinions. To this day they continue to succeed and eradicate ignorance, sexism, and misogyny with speaking their minds and educating others. They have the power to change the world and fortunately they have done it multiple times. Just like flowers bloom on dull branches, just like the sun melts the snow and opens the possibilities for nature to show its vibrant colors, just like the cool breeze approaches a person and makes them feel comforted and calm, women rise to power and show the world that their voices can make it a better place.

In the month of march, our sector introduced a new session. This session is one which is hld on friday, where the students who are taking AP subjects get to discuss the hardships, good moments, and what is necessary for their college applications, with their fellow alumni. 2 of our most prized alumni took time out of their very busy schedules and discussed with us about many of the subjects which are bothering us. They gave us advice about what we should do about the mock AP exams, what are some necessities which both European and American universities require, and overall gave us solutions and answers to many of the questions which were bothering us. Apart from them giving creative solutions to us, they also discussed the realities of university, how it feels like to change everything, their adaptation processes. They offered us a new perception of the life ahead of us, and gave us a better view of what we can do, fix, and add on, in order to reach perfectionism. They told us to not stress too much, to participate in many of the extracurriculars, be diverse, be unique, and to show ourselves and our true inner capabilities instead of trying to become a generic ‘goodie-two-shoes”. This session was truly very empowering, it was very educational, and it provided the students with more input of what they should do and not do. As well as killing many of the stereotypes about the “scary-university”. They proved that all of us were capable of reaching the level we wanted with hard work and determination. They brought real life examples of not only them, but also friends who they met in universities. Overall, it was a very amazing session, and a lot of the students, as well as the alumni, hope that we can conduct it many times more.

1. Which university did you get into?

A. Grinnell College (USA) - Bard College (USA) - University College Maastricht (Netherlands)

2. How many universities did you apply to?

A. 7 in America - 1 in Netherlands - 1 in France (awaiting results)

3. Why did you choose this particular university?

A. Even Though i have not decided on where i'll be going next fall the factors which i keep in mind while deciding are the location, international student satisfaction, internship opportunities, and general ranking or the reputation of the school. As cliche as that may sound a diploma from Yale and a diploma from an X rated university have drastically different values. Just as much as an international highschool diploma has more weight than a georgian public school diploma (regardless of students talent and knowledge).

4. What are you choosing as your major?

A. Political Science - Some of the colleges I got into were liberal arts colleges but I plan on getting a PoliSci degree.

5. Are you excited?

A. I am looking forward to new beginnings, meeting new people, and living independently. This is my first step towards my academic career as a political analyst.

6. What did you do in order to get accepted into that university?

A. There were a couple of requirements which I had to meet in order to even apply. For US schools I kept my GPA high and tried to build working relationships with several teachers. These teachers were the ones who eventually wrote my recommendation letters. Their inquiries would not have been as detailed and precise if had not worked with them on several projects and outer school activities. I took the SAT test once and the Toefl exam. My biggest wow factor in my application was probably my internship in a georigan opposition political party. That in itself was impressive while keeping in mind my major of choice. As i had the opportunity to meet people who had spent decades in the government. Every school required at least one essay (the personal essay) and some made me write additional shorter essays - mainly about why i wanted to go to their school.

7. Any comments/advice you want to give to the future generations?

A. The biggest advice I could give is to start early. Even if you don't have your application finished by the end of your junior year, you must research dozens of universities and programs in addition to building great relationships with the teacher for recommendations early on. Attend the university meetings which areheld at school or online. Keep in mind that your Extracurriculars do not only count as one aspect of your application. For great essays you will definitely have to write about your experiences outside of school. Thus the most impressive experiences you could mention to acclaimed universities are either work or academics (out of school) related. Some colleges ask “which subjects motivated you to choose this specific program?”. For these questions I would recommend emphasizing classes like classics, latin, psychology and sociology, as these are the courses which build your general knowledge the best. Not to mention the fact that almost no schools offer such classes and your competitiveness will greatly be boosted. I might sound like Ms. Natia, saying this but i only realised that while building my applications. You probably will too :) If you plan on applying to the Netherlands, also keep in mind that most colleges require you to pass 3-4 AP exams on at least 3s and 4s. You may also be asked to pass AP Calculus, even for unrelated majors like Polisci. Otherwise you will have to take their version of a math test called OMPT-A

1. Which universities did you get into?

A. So far I’ve been accepted to Drexel, Jefferson, and Lehigh University. I’m still waiting on results from Temple, UPenn and Princeton.

2. How many universities did you apply to?

A. I applied to 6 unis

3. If you chose a university which you think you will attend, why did you choose that particular one? Which one is it?

A. I’ll most likely choose Jefferson as the university I attend due to the fact that they are the only school out of my options that offer a legit pre-medical studies program rather than a biology one (which is what was offered at the others).

4. What are you choosing as your major?

A. Pre-med/Biology

5. Are you excited? What emotions are you undergoing?

A. Yes I’m very excited for this new step in my life. I would be lying if I said I'm not a bit nervous but any big change in your life is nerve wracking to anyone. Hopefully all will go well and I’ll have an amazing time at university.

6. What did you do in order to get accepted into your designated universities?

A. I made sure to maintain a 4.0 GPA throughout high school while taking part in all offered extracurricular activities. I also took part in the student parliament. I wasn’t asked for any standardized test scores due to the Covid pandemic.

7. Any comments/advice you want to give to the future generations?

A. Honestly I would just say to those who plan on applying to college in the future to not stress too much. As long as you try your best in school (you don't necessarily have to be a star student) you're guaranteed to get in somewhere, maybe not Harvard but somewhere. Extracurriculars are so much more important than they seem so make sure you work on those as much as possible. Good luck!