I am applying tu PNU through GKS-U regional program. I was writing this personal statement essay for the last week and it would be really important and helpful to get any advices. Thank you!
P.S.: I don't really know is it okay to divide the essay into two separate parts. I decided it since the prompts of the personal statement were pretty wide. Also, I need some advices about the second part of the essay, I think it is the main weakness of it.
Part 1: My biggest victory.
I rose from my chair to approach the podium, opened the stopwatch on my phone, and adjusted my laptop's brightness to its maximum.. I skipped my introduction and started with, "Imagine the day when there will be no workers in this world but animals; when there will be no child labour and world hunger." What happened? The 28-year-old PhD graduate in political science just lost to an 11th-grade student in the sport, which was his primary avocation and my extracurricular activity. This all happened in Astana, Nazarbayev University - the most competitive and most prominent university in Central Asia. It was the Grand Final of the "Nomad Sky" tournament, the biggest debating contest in the Russian language universities league in the world. The motion of this final was "In case of its possibility, This House would give to animals human intelligence".
Winning this Grand Final was essential for me, both as a member of the Bishkek Debaters Community and as the previous year's finalist. The "Nomad Sky" tournament was never won by a speaker from Kyrgyzstan or a school student speaker. In the previous year of 2022, I almost did it by taking second place. It was my most significant loss and the most remarkable victory at the same time. This final changed my intentions of playing debates, from the desire for fun to the urge to improve my pastime community. Almost everything that I did later was not for myself but for junior debaters of my club. And I did it well: cumulatively, my mentees won 14 trophies in local and international tournaments, played in dozens of finals, and raised a lot of new debaters by themselves. Serving as a debate mentor was so challenging, not only because it involved teaching juniors the intricacies of debate logic and complex political knowledge but also because it required helping them overcome their fear of public speaking and nurturing a healthy competitive mindset. This duty forced me to develop my leadership and coaching competence fully. Next, I created the first Bishkek Debate Community Videotheque - an extensive library of recorded speeches and complete rounds that have been filmed in Bishkek local tournaments since 2015. In my opinion, It was my biggest contribution to the community due to practical usability: with the videotheque junior debaters can learn from the speeches of experienced players. Additionally, I was the English league chief coordinator in my debate club in the academic season 2022-2023. My duties as chief coordinator included organizing non-profit debate projects, regulating intra-club events, and being the person in charge of official club matters. At the moment, I was only 16 and a high school student who was taking responsibility for the university debate club of the Kyrgyz-Turkish University Manas.
Competing in the grand final of the Nomad Sky tournament was an exhilarating yet nerve-wracking experience. My teammate and I were on the proposition side, facing formidable opponents: PhD candidates in political science and graduate students from prestigious universities in Russia and Kazakhstan. Determined to rise to the occasion, I composed myself and encouraged my teammate to do the same. We recognized that we couldn't match our opponents in erudition, so it was the moment to showcase our creativity instead. As a school student competing against university-level debaters my whole career, I learned that my strength lay in my creative thinking. Straight up to the point, We won this final. We didn't have specific knowledge about animal biology or people's psychology. All that I was relying on is critical thinking and innovativeness.
Part 2: My intentions - Please open a separate thread.
P.S.: I don't really know is it okay to divide the essay into two separate parts. I decided it since the prompts of the personal statement were pretty wide. Also, I need some advices about the second part of the essay, I think it is the main weakness of it.
Part 1: My biggest victory.
I rose from my chair to approach the podium, opened the stopwatch on my phone, and adjusted my laptop's brightness to its maximum.. I skipped my introduction and started with, "Imagine the day when there will be no workers in this world but animals; when there will be no child labour and world hunger." What happened? The 28-year-old PhD graduate in political science just lost to an 11th-grade student in the sport, which was his primary avocation and my extracurricular activity. This all happened in Astana, Nazarbayev University - the most competitive and most prominent university in Central Asia. It was the Grand Final of the "Nomad Sky" tournament, the biggest debating contest in the Russian language universities league in the world. The motion of this final was "In case of its possibility, This House would give to animals human intelligence".
Winning this Grand Final was essential for me, both as a member of the Bishkek Debaters Community and as the previous year's finalist. The "Nomad Sky" tournament was never won by a speaker from Kyrgyzstan or a school student speaker. In the previous year of 2022, I almost did it by taking second place. It was my most significant loss and the most remarkable victory at the same time. This final changed my intentions of playing debates, from the desire for fun to the urge to improve my pastime community. Almost everything that I did later was not for myself but for junior debaters of my club. And I did it well: cumulatively, my mentees won 14 trophies in local and international tournaments, played in dozens of finals, and raised a lot of new debaters by themselves. Serving as a debate mentor was so challenging, not only because it involved teaching juniors the intricacies of debate logic and complex political knowledge but also because it required helping them overcome their fear of public speaking and nurturing a healthy competitive mindset. This duty forced me to develop my leadership and coaching competence fully. Next, I created the first Bishkek Debate Community Videotheque - an extensive library of recorded speeches and complete rounds that have been filmed in Bishkek local tournaments since 2015. In my opinion, It was my biggest contribution to the community due to practical usability: with the videotheque junior debaters can learn from the speeches of experienced players. Additionally, I was the English league chief coordinator in my debate club in the academic season 2022-2023. My duties as chief coordinator included organizing non-profit debate projects, regulating intra-club events, and being the person in charge of official club matters. At the moment, I was only 16 and a high school student who was taking responsibility for the university debate club of the Kyrgyz-Turkish University Manas.
Competing in the grand final of the Nomad Sky tournament was an exhilarating yet nerve-wracking experience. My teammate and I were on the proposition side, facing formidable opponents: PhD candidates in political science and graduate students from prestigious universities in Russia and Kazakhstan. Determined to rise to the occasion, I composed myself and encouraged my teammate to do the same. We recognized that we couldn't match our opponents in erudition, so it was the moment to showcase our creativity instead. As a school student competing against university-level debaters my whole career, I learned that my strength lay in my creative thinking. Straight up to the point, We won this final. We didn't have specific knowledge about animal biology or people's psychology. All that I was relying on is critical thinking and innovativeness.
Part 2: My intentions - Please open a separate thread.