I Told My Parents I Want to Study in ISRAEL | Brainlyne Podcast l Ep. 3
Summary
TLDRDua, a 19-year old Moroccan student, shares her journey studying abroad in Israel and Palestine for two years at a boarding school focused on conflict resolution and sustainability. She discusses her motivations, the application process, reactions from family and friends, experiences on campus and with the conflict, and how it shaped her worldview and college applications. She offers advice on staying resilient through the US college application process, being authentic, playing to your strengths like languages, and ultimately credits her open-mindedness to her unique high school experience.
Takeaways
- 😊 Dua studied at a Spanish school in Morocco but wanted a different educational experience so she applied to boarding schools abroad
- 👩🎓 Dua was rejected from United World College twice before being accepted to a boarding school in Israel on a scholarship
- 🚀 Dua had to justify her reasons for studying in Israel to friends given political tensions, emphasizing it was for educational purposes
- 🌍 At the boarding school, Dua bonded with diverse students over discussing various global conflicts and perspectives
- 💥 Dua experienced tense moments during bomb threats but felt safe in bunkers and with Israel's defense system
- 📚 The school took students on trips to borders and conflict areas to learn historical and political contexts
- 🎓 In her second year, Dua focused more on college applications than absorbing from school due to application stress
- ✈️ Dua applied to various colleges abroad requiring financial aid and got into Middlebury College with an 80% scholarship
- 👩💼 Dua wants to major in international relations and languages to become a diplomat in the future
- 💡 Dua advises students to be themselves, follow their passions and not compare themselves to others in college applications
Q & A
Where did Dua study before going to the boarding school in Israel?
-Dua studied at the Spanish School of Casablanca in Morocco since kindergarten.
Why did Dua decide to leave her school in Morocco?
-Dua was not satisfied with the educational system and the experiences she was having. She wanted to broaden her horizons and see something new.
What was the application process like for the boarding school in Israel?
-The application process was similar to applying to a US university. Dua had to write essays, provide extracurriculars, and go through two interviews.
How did Dua first tell her parents that she wanted to study in Israel?
-Dua first told her parents she wanted to study in Israel when she got her acceptance letter and scholarship. This was while they were sitting at the lunch table after Dua finished her classes.
What languages does Dua speak?
-Dua speaks English fluently. She also learned some German and Russian in school.
What was Dua's experience like hearing missile sirens and having to go to bunkers?
-Dua says she was never scared because Israel has defense mechanisms like bunkers and sirens. She went to the bunker when sirens sounded, including during final exams.
Where did Dua apply to university?
-Dua applied to schools in the US, the Netherlands, France, and Qatar. She got into Middlebury College in the US.
What does Dua plan to study at Middlebury College?
-At Middlebury, Dua plans to major in international relations and Russian, and possibly Arabic as well.
What are Dua's career goals after graduating?
-Dua hopes to become a diplomat after graduating. Her dream is to work at the United Nations.
What advice does Dua have for students applying to US universities?
-Dua advises students not to compare themselves to others and to focus on showing their unique passions and interests in applications.
Outlines
🌍 Dua's Journey from Morocco to International Education
Dua, a 19-year-old student from Casablanca, Morocco, shares her educational journey starting from her dissatisfaction with the local Spanish school's focus on rote learning in sciences, leading her to seek broader horizons. Despite facing rejections from UWC (United World Colleges), her persistence led her to a boarding school in Israel and Palestine where she studied conflict in the Middle East and sustainability. Her story highlights the challenges of shifting educational paths and the determination to pursue a diverse and enriching learning experience abroad.
✈️ The Cultural Shift and Application Challenges
Dua discusses her application process to a boarding school in Israel during a tense period marked by conflict in the region. The narrative covers her initial reluctance to inform her parents of her application due to the ongoing Gaza-Israel conflict, her eventual acceptance and scholarship award, and the logistical and emotional challenges of moving to a conflict zone for education. Her story underscores the complexities of applying to international schools amidst geopolitical tensions and the personal growth that comes from pursuing such opportunities.
🌐 Adapting to a New Educational Environment
Upon arriving in Israel, Dua encounters a culture shock, from intensive security checks to navigating political sensitivities. Her experience emphasizes the importance of open-mindedness and adaptability in new and challenging environments. Dua's account of her educational journey illustrates the transformative power of international education in broadening perspectives, particularly in conflict-affected regions, and highlights her aspirations to contribute positively to global diplomatic efforts.
🕊️ Inside the Peace Education Experience
Dua's narrative delves into the peace education initiatives at her school, including simulations that encourage students from diverse backgrounds, including Israelis and Palestinians, to understand and represent each other's viewpoints. The description of these experiences provides insight into the school's approach to fostering understanding and dialogue among students with historically conflicting identities, emphasizing the role of education in peace-building efforts.
🚨 Experiencing Conflict and Safety Measures
Dua recounts her firsthand experiences with the realities of living in a conflict zone, including the use of bunkers and the Iron Dome defense system. She reflects on the disparities in safety and security between different sides of the conflict, and her narrative provides a personal perspective on the challenges of maintaining educational and daily life routines amidst ongoing security threats.
🎓 Transition to Higher Education and Scholarship Pursuits
Dua shares her application process to universities, including her acceptance and scholarship to Middlebury College in the US. Her story illustrates the competitive and complex nature of applying to universities abroad, particularly for international students seeking financial aid. It highlights her strategic approach to showcasing her unique experiences and language skills, which contributed to her successful admission.
💡 Valuable Lessons and Advice for Future Applicants
In this final reflection, Dua offers advice to prospective college applicants, emphasizing the importance of authenticity, passion, and not comparing oneself to others. She discusses the challenges of the application process, including dealing with last-minute submissions and the importance of having others review your work. Dua's insights provide valuable guidance for students navigating the competitive landscape of college admissions.
📢 Conclusion and Future Aspirations
The podcast concludes with Dua expressing her future ambitions, including her desire to work in diplomacy and potentially enter politics in Morocco. She reflects on the impact of her educational experiences on shaping her goals and emphasizes the importance of pursuing opportunities that align with one's passions and values. The conversation ends with an open invitation for further questions, indicating a willingness to engage and share more about her journey.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡boarding school
💡conflict
💡diplomat
💡bunkers
💡United Nations
💡liberal arts
💡common app
💡ministry
💡scholarship
💡sustainability
Highlights
Dua studied at a Spanish school in Casablanca but wanted a different educational experience abroad
Dua applied to a boarding school in Israel despite political tensions and her parents' initial opposition
Dua received an 80% scholarship to the Israeli boarding school, covering most expenses besides insurance and flights
The Israeli airline questioned Dua extensively about her studies and views before allowing her to board
Dua sometimes faced criticism for studying in Israel given her previous views supporting Palestine
At the school, Israeli and Palestinian students bonded over cultural similarities despite political differences
The school arranged peace simulations with Israelis roleplaying Palestinians and vice versa
The boarding school was integrated into a rural village, allowing activities like farming and celebrations
Dua visited politically sensitive areas near borders and settlements to learn about the regional conflicts
By her second year, Dua was focused more on college applications than absorbing from school activities
Dua gained admission to Middlebury College with an 80% scholarship based on her language skills and learning
Dua aims to study international relations and languages at Middlebury to become a diplomat in the future
Dua advises US college applicants to demonstrate passion and originality rather than perfect test scores
Dua's parents were thrilled she got into Middlebury against the odds after supporting her ambitious education
Dua wants to represent Morocco worldwide eventually but also impact politics and her community back home
Transcripts
[Music]
this wonderful brainline podcast and
today we have our guest Dua so that
would be introducing herself and she
will tell us an interesting set of
stories from her pre-high school here in
Morocco and Casablanca to studying into
one of the best boarding schools and
also how she went from there to a U.S
University okay so do I do you want to
introduce yourself sure so hi everyone
my name is
and I am a Moroccan 19 year old student
from Casablanca for the past years I've
been studying a reporting School in
Israel in Palestine where I got to learn
more about conflict in the Middle East
and sustainability and today I'm here to
share my story and how I got into a
university in the US after this
experience okay so thank you that so
that kind of gives us to the first
question before you went to Israel and
Palestine and study there where were you
studying here in Morocco so I was
studying in the Spanish School of
Casablanca I studied there since
kindergarten I did all my education
there but I wasn't really satisfied with
the educational system and with the
experiences that I was having so I
wanted to broaden my horizons and see
something new and that's how the idea
came up okay so you said they didn't
like your experience there what were the
things that you didn't like I wasn't
really satisfied with the education that
I was getting especially because I was
more interested in social sciences and I
was receiving education in Sciences it
was all about memorizing it wasn't very
creative and I felt a bit bored in class
so I I wanted something new okay so at
that moment when you wanted something
new what was the first step to you know
moving towards that new thing and and
how did that work so I did a bit of
research on like IB schools and
international schools abroad I actually
played 2wc twice and I was rejected two
years in a row and my last resort was a
random boarding school in Israel and
this is really weird when I told my
parents for the first time it's very
it's very random thing to tell your
parents I want to go study in Israel and
it was also my last resort and I really
wanted to continue my education abroad
and there was no way for me to finish my
high school in that Spanish school okay
so I know a lot of people might be
asking what is the uwc and tickets high
school that focuses on this building
yeah okay and so let's go to the moment
where you told your parents that you
wanted to go to Israel
how was it exactly like were you on a
table like you know over dinner how did
that come like how did you simply share
it with your friends so the moment there
was a applying to Emma's there was a war
between Gaza and Israel so it was really
tense and from what I was getting
information from the school there were
bombings in the city where the school
was located and students had to sleep in
bunkers throughout their exams and there
were a lot of issues so I didn't tell my
parents that I was applying because
there were just so much tension in the
region that I was scared to tell them
but when I got in and I received my
acceptance letter and my scholarship
that's when we were sitting in the lunch
table I just finished my classes and I
told my parents look I got into this
high school it's really good we're gonna
do the IV diploma and I receive the
scholarship and at the end they had to
agree because you know you sacrifice for
your education I think it's the most
important thing so you did the entire
process
exactly interesting so the school didn't
ask you for like any documents or
anything or would you simply say to your
friends hey it's for like General
application all the documents from uwc
application process
so like every like salary slip or
anything that was like official and I
needed to ask my parents for I already
had that on my laptop so that was really
easy for me okay and what was the
reaction of your of your mom and your
dad and your parents I mean right my mom
is really opposed to the idea because of
everything that we hear about that
region in general and obviously she was
really worried but she knew that like
from a really young age I wanted to
finish my high school abroad like since
I was 13 I told her I cannot finish in
this school anymore like I need to get
out of here and she knew it was my
biggest dream so like it took a lot of
convince and obviously but in the work
like in the end it all worked out yeah
but you preferred like Bankers over an
educational system that is not good okay
so what was her like what was his
reaction of your dad was it more of like
a little bit chill usually those are
like chill my dad like basically at home
we grew up like instead of watching like
uh Moroccan TV shows or any anything we
used to work zero like since I was five
I was like exposed to conflict in the
Middle East and he like taught me about
it and we used to talk about it from a
really young age so he was really
excited that would get the opportunity
to see that with my own eyes you know
like get to explore aside that I was
really interested in and I think he
really encouraged me he was really
excited about it nice and so you
mentioned that this girl is that you had
the scholarship as well right yeah so
what was the process like what was it
like did you have to fit in a form to do
interviews what was the process of
applying to Ms so the process is really
similar to the process of applying to a
US University like you need to write
essays you need to write
extracurriculars we go through two
different interviews the first one is to
get to know more about you as a person
it's also really similar just like any
us interview it's a bit chill very
informal they want to learn about you
and what you wanna what you're gonna
bring to the table where you want to
come learn about conflict
Etc
and uh we also had a second interview
with which was with the school counselor
so it was more like are you gonna be
able to live in this stressful
situations and Etc so it was a bit more
psychological okay so why did you want
to go learn about the conflict sorry I'm
repeating your application right now but
I just like as I told you I grew up
watching like conflict on TV and I I've
always known that I wanted to do
something related to conflict in the
Middle East so for me like career
related and everything was like it was
just the perfect opportunity you know
like you don't get the opportunity to
live in Israel and learn about the
Israeli police new conflict every day so
I like I saw the opportunity and I
jumped into it nice and so you said also
scholarships and I'm pretty sure a lot
of people watching would like to know
numbers yeah so was it like a full
scholarship a partial what was the type
of scholarship every year they give
different scholarships and it ranges
from 20 to 80 percent so I did receive
an 80 scholarship and that was like the
highest for this year and it literally
covers everything except for insurance
and flights you have to take care of
that on your own yeah and is Insurance
more expensive in the region or it's
because it's less expensive than the US
it's way less expensive
so now basically how do you convince
your friends I like how would you
convince your dad and everything so
convinced my mom more
is Moroccan moms they always when there
were children next to them and
everything and also I had really strict
parents growing up like I wasn't really
allowed to go out so for a mother that
doesn't let her daughter go to the mall
with her friends how will she allow her
to go live in Israel alone like that's
the big questions and everyone was so
shocked that my parents like agreed to
this but like as I told you they've
always focused on my education it was
always their priority and they always
known that I had big goals in life and I
think that's like the way that I
convinced them is that this is like good
for my future okay so you started your
negotiation Journey from from early
years
nice and now let's go into the trip to
Israel in general how was your first
trip there my first trip was really
started in the
in the which airport I took the a flight
from Marrakesh Okay and like I flew with
the Israeli like Airline El Al and it
was a really interesting experience
because at that time like I was in a
flight where I was the only person
holding a Moroccan passport all of them
were Moroccan Israelis or just Israelis
coming to Morocco so we had a different
procedure to get into the plane and uh
you would be asked really like really
invasive questions in my opinion I was
told to like like they checked my phone
gallery they looked at my photos at my
WhatsApp discussions uh they were they
asked me what subjects are you gonna be
taking what extra curriculars will you
be involved in like really like really
detailed questions and it it was a bit
weird for me because I've never like had
this experience before but yeah but did
you had like any like because I'm pretty
sure that you had a lot of readings that
you did and everything so they do have
in did you have a new phone for example
things that were a little bit
controversial like some political
implies or anything my Instagram profile
picture was the flag of Palestine during
England okay so that's a good start I
was so glad they did not check my social
media like I like that's the the con the
most controversial thing I had for them
and uh they also asked me like where are
you studying and I made the huge mistake
to say it's a school for peace between
Israelis and Palestinians like and that
I think is what like triggered them and
they started asking more questions and
they were I don't know like I think
that's what triggered it like when you
go through any like Israeli type of
questioning don't mention politics don't
mention conflict like just say I'm here
to learn about the culture like just
make it the least as less political as
you can so did you because basically
once it's a short experience that I had
yeah but once I was traveling from
Turkey
this and seems like anyone who travels
to Turkey they go and like they put you
into those like you know underground
places yeah where they can see you but
you can't see them so I had that I had
that no chance but I had that experience
so did they have to put you no there was
all in front of my parents like they
were my parents were so worried they
were sitting in a cafe and I was just
being questioned but this is told
Israeli men and no no like everything
was in front of them there was no like
underground yeah thankfully okay that's
good nice and so when you arrived there
how was your action of your friends like
because I'm pretty sure that you have a
pretty diverse group of friends here uh
did some people stop talking to you did
some people start talking to you what
was the reaction so in my Instagram I
used to always post stories about
Palestine and advocating for you know
like the end of Apartheid and things
like that so I did receive a lot of
comments from people saying oh this is
like this is very like against her
values like this is very hypocritical of
you today go to Israel and like I do
understand the reactions but like
thankfully like there was no extreme
reaction from any of my friends and like
they all understood my intention going
there like they all understood it and I
was thankful for that so was it a hard
experience or like not really like in
what sense like in a sense where like
you had to navigate
justifying yourself yeah going for
education for something else yeah every
time I like people someone would ask me
like where do you study or I I can't
really say Israel like I I can just like
say it out loud like I I if I say it out
loud I out loud I need to justify it in
a sense like guys don't worry I'm just
going there for my education like um
like people on on social media always
think that I'm going there and I'm like
like supporting the the actions of the
government that I'm supporting Netanyahu
whatever but like I truly like don't
support any of that it's just like any
person going to France doesn't
necessarily support the islamophone be
out there any person going to the U.S
doesn't support the like invasion in
Iraq you know it's any person that goes
to China doesn't support what's
happening to the uyghurs like it's not
that I'm going there to make a political
statement I'm supporting Israel like
it's for my education as like everyone
else does I guess yeah so when someone
asks you where do you study what's the
typical question study next to Jerusalem
like that's the okay but do you say like
usually I study in Ms or I study like
what's yeah but then people will tell
you what is Amazon okay so it's going
there yeah like it's either Israel or
occupied Palestinian territories or in
the Middle East like depending okay
depending on who you are it's okay yeah
nice and so how was the experience there
like actually where
um you know where you were there did you
meet a lot of like International
students or like local students
how's how was the experience which
language do you speak we all spoke in
English and uh yeah like English was the
main language on campus
and I think it was really eye-opening in
the beginning especially everyone was so
involved in politics we selected in
dinner with 10 nationalities talking
about how we see different like
conflicts or different political things
from like our national perspective
talking about the Western Sahara talking
about Israel and Palestine like every
single conflict you can imagine was
brought up in our dinners and lunches
and whatever and I got to really get to
know different perspectives I know it
sounds really cliche but I I wasn't like
expecting myself to be so open at the
end of this experience but I think it
really made me a completely different
person in that sense because I think you
started kind of understanding that if
you really want to make a change or
advocate for something your first listen
yeah like I personally want to be a
diplomat in the future as a diplomat you
need to be negotiating with people that
you don't agree with like you can sit
with I don't know Bashar Assad or
Netanyahu and like come to an agreement
at the end of the a meeting right so I
feel like this opportunity gave me the
experience to bond with people who don't
necessarily share the same ideology or
political opinions as me well like not
letting that affecting our relation and
also like we had really interesting
experiences we had something called the
peace simulation where we have a group
of students representing the Israeli
delegation and a group of students
representing the policy and delegations
you would literally have Palestinians
from the West Bank representing Israel
and right-wing Israelis representing
Palestine and defending you know like
that perspective so I think that was
really interesting like getting to know
so that's actually interesting that you
have a lot of Peace happening as well
right but inside the school that's
relative really also
pretty relevant
really sure like inside of the school
relations between Israelis and
Palestinians were really no actually
like I feel like the closest people on
campus were the Israelis and the
Palestinians like so was it more of like
a selection process by the school or
like like how did that happen you know
because you take literally two people uh
like two group of people might not
necessarily be the best friends yeah and
you put them together and force them to
study together yeah like they were the
secret sauce closest to each other like
you would Israel and Palestinians were
besties literally and uh I think because
to me I feel like culturally speaking
like let's take politics away they do
have a lot in common like like we like
Arabs and Israelis are really similar
like whether it's like personality or or
cultural music everything is really
similar so I think that really helps
like people Bond over you know the
similarities more than the political
differences oh okay and so that's nice
that you have a lot of Peace but I'll in
the outside world you have a lot of War
I think did you have any experience with
war with foamvin with anything like that
were you ever scared at some point I was
never scared because like honestly I
always
like I'm
I'm safe we have an Iron Dome we have
bunkers we have Sirens like I always saw
it as like I always thought about like
what if I was in Gaza I knew I know I
wouldn't be safe right like no bunkers
no Sirens no anything so I always put
myself in that like I am in Israel
Israel like really has all those
mechanisms to defend itself and like I
was never afraid of anything but uh it
also like taught me like it's we call it
conflict but at the end of the day is it
really a conflict when like both sides
are so like unequal I don't know so
there's really no kind of uh discussion
between one powerful side and a size
yeah like no conflicts yeah like uh
honestly like sure you will like I would
feel scared like for example you have uh
90 seconds so when you hear the siren
you have like 90 seconds to go to a
bunker
and like imagine you're sleeping imagine
you're in the shower like those are the
worries that I had like will I have
enough time to go to a bunker if I heard
a siren would I hear a siren while I'm
sleeping like those are the type of
words that I had but it wasn't really
huge so a lot of people would be asking
in general what what is a banker like
what does a banker look like yeah share
with us the experience of a banker and
go in there and what before going to
Israel like through a banker with a
broom like uh underground like really
scary and dark uh our bunker was the
class where we took our final exams like
uh in Israel basically every house has
one room with metallic windows and a
metallic door and that's the bunker it's
just like any random uh room in the
house and in the case of our school we
had one class and we also had one small
common area with couches and a piano Etc
so it's just like a normal room with
like with the windows and door oh okay
so basically it change the architectural
structure of Israeli where in every
building you need to have a bunker yeah
exactly and so when you hear the alarm
then everyone runs into the yeah exactly
okay in 90 seconds you have all the
school in one place yeah okay
that's nice and did you ever had to so
when did you have to go to a bunker like
when there is bombing like so whenever
you hear a siren but also the thing is
that when we we had like bombings uh
last May I was actually taking my final
exam for like for University Admissions
and like it was a listening exam for a
language and you know you have to pay
attention to those little details and I
heard a bang in the sky and like Gaza
actually like announced that we will be
sending missiles to Tel Aviv so guys get
ready and
um we didn't hear a siren uh but the
siren was heard like if like two
kilometers away from our village so is
the siren in like everywhere or in like
in the building like Israel has really
small tones like like for example like
Casablanca would be the size of I don't
know half of Israel and and like they
have really small towns and every town
has their own alarm systems and some
throughout the year they do try those
Sirens so you'd be sitting and suddenly
you hear a siren and there's like the
trials to make sure that everything is
working perfectly and I know we had like
in the town and in the village where we
lived we had sirens
so when they go off you have to
immediately go to the bunker yeah oh
okay so you have to go to a bank around
so in our case we didn't hear the sirens
like the sirens were heard like as I
told you one or one or two kilometers
away from us so just like for safety
like reasons we went to the bunker but
we did hear the bombings oh okay that's
interesting yeah yeah and so basically
can you go to a bunker whenever you want
or yeah unless you're here because if
you're an exam and the exam is getting
hard yeah everything is small I mean
it's not like I don't mean to to say
that way but basically if you need just
to go to Bunker anytime like are you do
you have that freedom or yeah like the
bunker like the class was an open space
the common space was also like we used
to hang out there literally like it was
like in in the random house like let's
say not an educational building like it
would be for example a bedroom and that
bedroom is the bun current yeah it's
just like any normal room oh so it
integrates naturally yeah you don't even
notice until you look at the windows and
like the metallic door and like okay
this is a punk this is the banker yeah
yeah nice and so
um knife on campus did you have like
activities what did you have what were
you doing we lived in a village which
was an agricultural Village we had
families there and we were really like
the school was trying to make us
involved in the community so we had
communal shabbats and every religious uh
celebration was celebrated there we also
had minimuna which is American Jewish
celebration and we were really involved
whether it's like serving in the dining
halls or washing the dishes milking cows
working with chickens and animals
feeding deers Etc this is like related
to the like Village Life and related to
the school we had every type of
extracurriculars but I think it was more
focused on anything that is like a
sustainability like uh forming a blah
blah blah and uh politics it was very
political like the extracurriculars that
we had like to learn more about the
conflict like our trips they would take
us around the region like I visited like
the Syrian the Lebanese the Jordanian
borders we we went to the Gaza border
like they made it very interesting in
the sense that you can learn a lot about
the conflict and all the like political
socio-economic and environmental
components of the conflict as well
so that's very interesting and they do
ever travel travel to places where there
were conflicts yeah like we went
we went golden High
land Heights we went to a place like
there was an observatory and they were
telling us that those are the houses of
Hezbollah
we went through like the the like a
village that was literally like at the
border of Raza we looked at the borders
Etc like they always tried to take us to
these places
special like circumstances where you go
like do they protect over protect you a
little bit or how does it feel like like
um the Ministry of Education in Israel
has a lot of requirements so in some
areas we need to go in a bulletproof bus
we always have a military with us and a
paramedics just in case
uh and also there is a lot of
restrictions like uh my last trip we
were supposed to go to and the ministry
didn't allow it like especially with the
change of government the recent one uh
we had a lot of restrictions in the
school like sometimes like we wouldn't
be allowed to like people wouldn't be
allowed to work your fears or we
wouldn't be allowed to like um have the
Palestinian flag or visitors visit
certain places or have certain speakers
because of you know the new government
and so with all of this happening were
you able to focus on education were you
able to study and actually like so I
think the first year was like I was
really involved especially the first
semester I was really trying to learn
but by the second year like all that
curiosity is early like okay I've
already learned enough I'm doing the IV
and I'm not playing to colleges like I
need to shift my focus so in my case I
thought Ms was really short because I
only really enjoyed it the first year
and the second year I was so far behind
in everything related to college
applications and like uh studies and and
exams that I only focused on that and
like I kind of ignored all the you know
like learning interesting aspect that I
came for
that's nice and so then you started
shifting to universities right applying
to University then like my focus totally
so did you apply to Moroccan schools
American schools where did you apply to
it so I tried to like apply apply to as
many schools as possible because I just
had the
what if just what if I don't get in
anywhere and I applied to schools in the
US I applied to schools in two schools
in the Netherlands I applied to
transport and I applied to Georgetown
Qatar and like those are the the schools
that I did nice so how was the
acceptances or rejections in all of them
so in the non-us universities I think it
was it was fine
it was with the scholarships like like
scholarships are very scarce in Europe
and uh and like you have to go through a
really long process which is really
weird to me relating to the US it was
it was it was hard but I wasn't
expecting like it to be easier to be
honest because I heard a lot of horror
stories from people who were rejected
everywhere and things like that so I was
prepared for it and I received one
acceptance that I was really happy with
so I was like satisfied like okay I
didn't get into an ivy league but I got
a skull that I like which is fine for me
nice so which school is that that's
Middlebury College great so what is
Middlebury I know that it's a pretty
good yeah ranked School in general so
can you explain a little bit what is
Middlebury and so it's a liberal arts
college at the border with Canada and
yeah it's like a school rural area and
interesting liberal arts college nice so
what did in your application did you
mention a lot of things about what you
learned in your two years of uh boarding
school what was the what was what made
you get accepted into that school I I
don't know I think it's as cool as
really focused on languages and I think
like that I think that aspect is really
made me stood out like as any Moroccan
like we do have a lot of languages I
think we need to like highlight diet in
our application I think it's our
strongest uh characteristic and I really
focused on the languages aspect and also
on like the political learning that I
had at Ms like those were the major
components of my application nice so
which languages do you speak I speak
well
English fluently and I learned a bit of
German and I also took Russian in school
oh wow so they should definitely be
interested in general so how was the
application for the uh for Middlebury
did you did you need scholarship did you
require scholarship or did you apply it
for like without a scholarship how was
the fun so I applied for scholarship to
the Cs
L me a huge
like those many words I couldn't
understand like I I think it was the
like the hardest part of it was the CSS
profile to be honest it's like very
confusing yeah it's basically if you
don't have like a system in place yeah
in general okay and so how was the
scholarship in general did you receive
like a full scholarship like a partial
how was there so just like Ms it was an
80 scholarship which is like
idea but I was happy because at least I
got in somewhere and yeah that that was
it nice but 80 if of like a school that
probably cost 80 000. yeah that should
be something like sixty thousand dollars
a year yeah exactly 64. nice that's
great and so what would you be studying
in Middlebury so I'm I'm like I have a
bunch of requirements because it's a
liberal art colleges so I need to take
classes in every area but I want to
major in international relations and
Russian and probably Arabic as well
probably Arabic as well nice because I
know that means we have a really famous
language school yeah the people from all
over the U.S come to it exactly yeah so
are you planning to do that to become
like a diplomat or what do you wanna
well I think like every like with all
the experiences I've had so far I feel
like the ideal thing for me would be to
become a diplomat you know like having
the languages and having the like things
that I learned at Ms I feel like the
ideal thing would be diplomacy nice so
one of your targets might be potentially
like working at the UN or is that
something that's like my dream is
working oh really interesting that's
great did you get to tour the UN or not
yet I've never been there okay well
actually they let anyone tour there
really yeah it's uh even though a lot of
people think that it's really really
well guarded but actually it's more of
like also a touristic okay Place yeah
where you can go and simply yeah sure
that's my dream yeah well nice well we
have a future diplomats with here today
great and so what would you advise the
upcoming students in America
like don't be discouraged because in my
like Entourage I had people who were
perfect students they had counselors who
have like a lot of experience getting to
getting people into Ivy Leagues people
weren't asking for scholarships they had
perfect sad scores and I literally had
nothing of that I wasn't like the ideal
student in IB I uh I had the really low
STD score that I didn't end up sending I
required a lot of financial aid and I
was really insecure and I really thought
I wouldn't get in anywhere and in the
end it worked out really well for me
compared to other people who had better
stats or like you would think they would
have 100 times more chances than you of
getting in but in the anything just like
show passion in what you do have a
really cohesive application and be
personal in what you're writing and have
you know like original extracurriculars
that demonstrate a unique interest I
think that's my biggest advice for
anyone who is going through this process
yeah and I also think actually that
because in applications when an
application is over polished yeah it's
really really nice they know that there
were a lot of bucking behind that and
they're looking sometimes more for
students who might not necessarily have
that much of a back-end but they have
some sort of guidance but not much of
like like I like my common up essay
nobody read that like okay so that's the
question is it because you didn't have
someone to read it or because it was
personal it was personal but also okay I
have to admit it was very last minute oh
okay I think that's nice I didn't have
time to send it like my friends started
writing in April and by like summer they
had everything finished I wrote mine uh
because I was I always like
procrastinate because I have so many
ideas that I can't pick one so I wrote
mine like literally the day before
sending my applications okay I think we
should cut this one so that's not it I
know I'm just kidding no but that's like
I really advised against this it was
really stressful for me and I also had
like a bunch of gram grammar mistakes
that I could have easily avoided so
always have someone check it before it
doesn't need to be an English teacher
just can be someone from your family
like always have someone give you
feedback because I went into some
political topics that I could have
avoided I think could have been better
just always have someone read it whoever
it is so what was the topic of you
coming a person I wrote about like the
process of becoming more open-minded
through the color like
[Music]
respective shifted in certain like
related to certain things
okay yeah that's nice and for you
supplements you do have supplements or
so I have supplements for other Unis but
like Middlebury doesn't have any
supplements little essays so the only
thing they read was my common up oh and
they don't have SAT scores as well yeah
it's consumptional hey so everything
that go to is that last essay
nice and so what are your plans in the
future would you like to come back
working Morocco or like just work in the
UN what's your so I think like
um I'd like to start something a bit
more International and like travel
around the world a bit but I still want
to you know at the same time be doing
something for Morocco and that's why I'm
really interested in working for the
ministry of like Foreign Affairs like
still like being an ambassador from Rock
Around The World we're presenting your
country and also trying to make a small
impact but like for when I'm older like
30 40 I'd love to come and do politics
in Morocco like actually help like my
community and yeah that's nice well we
have actually a brain line leadership
Club in general that we take some
students to the Parliament and we take
them to Ministries yeah so yeah so that
would be a nice way also for you too
yeah
great and so what was the reaction of
your parents when you once you got into
Middlebury they were super excited I
think they were happier than me because
I was like telling them throughout the
whole application process look like even
my counselor when I told her look I'm
applying to this school she was like
this is literally a lottery like we have
many perfect students who don't get even
like get into their safeties so she told
me this is a lottery you have like one
percent chance of getting in like look
at it this way so you won't be
disappointed and that's the way that I
also spoke to my parents like look I'm
just trying this like if it works it's
perfect but if it doesn't there's also
other Alternatives so when I got in they
were really happy that you know like the
the worst case scenario didn't happen oh
yeah that's nice yeah
great and so what would be one last
advice that you would give to students
uh I think this is so cliche but I'm
gonna say it be yourself and don't
compare yourself to others I think the
most detrimental thing you can do to
your mental health through this process
is comparing some yourself to someone
who either has better grades or has more
help or more financial capabilities
don't do this just focus on your passion
and focus on what you want to like the
impact you want to be making in the
world like also like I read about this a
lot universities are like a business
like you need to bring something to the
table in the future they want you to be
donating so you need also to show
certain capacities from successful
people you need to show them that I can
be a successful person in the future
this is how I can be a successful person
so I think that's like my personal
advice nice yeah well thank you so much
wonderful uh podcast yeah so thank you
so much for for this wonderful podcast
and if you have any follow-up questions
you don't have please feel free to reach
out to us and we'll be happy to connect
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