Kristabel Konta

American College of Sofia ‘20

EducationUSA Opportunity Funds-Bulgaria Grant Recipient

Dartmouth College, Class of 2024

My Way to Dartmouth: A Success Story

My name is Kristabel Konta, and I am one of the Dartmouth 24s, as we are called. The thought of this is just as incredible as the long way any student should go in order to get to their dream school.

I was born and raised in Sofia, Bulgaria and learned form a very young age what value does an international outlook hold. After spending seven years in a Russian school /133 rd Al. S. Pushkin/, I was admitted to the American College of Sofia with a full scholarship for the duration of my education. It is hard for me to synthesise all the benefits I received from studying at this high school, but here are those that brought me to EducationUSA at the Bulgarian-American Fulbright Commission and my  dream of studying at Dartmouth.

Ever since I set foot at ACS, I knew that your high school years are not simply the time to identify your interests but also to do your best to pursue them from early age. Among the extracurriculars that I had the chance to take part in, I learned that there are indeed many options to choose from both in and outside of the classroom, yet if you don’t find the place where you would fit in the most - create it. I created a club at ACS, a club through which I organized two editions of an event that was new for Bulgaria, and during every single college interview I had this club as one of the main topics. Admissions officers and alumni love to hear about how you have benefited from the already existing, but also what have you done when you haven’t found what you were looking for.

Jumping onto the application process - it began for me in Grade 11 when I became a part of the Opportunity Funds-Bulgaria Program at the Fulbright Commission*. This was the time when I attended visits by College reps, binge watched tons of online campus tours, and stalked their social media accounts. The time I invested in these activities was the reason why I was certain that my final college list was a reflection of what I hope to experience in my undergraduate studies. I attended all three one-week sessions of the Opportunity Funds-Bulgaria Program, and they prepared me not only for the college academic expectations for a competitive applicant, but I also got to see first-hand what it was to fill-in financial documents, write college application essays, participate in interviews and many more. Here I would like to add that these camps were just as professional as they were friendly and fun, and the memories and friends you make there have the full potential to become long-lasting.

However, regardless of the hours you spend working during the camps or the college presentations you attend, in the end everything is in your own hands and depends on the time during which you are committed to editing essays, seeking opportunities for interviews, and communicating with the Admissions office. I have to admit that it is hard (still not impossible) to complete all work in the Fall. Applications are indeed important, yet in order for them to be of the highest quality you need to keep a good academic record, which could be put at risk if you start juggling between school and college work in the middle of October. Please, write as many essays as possible in the summer :)

As much as applying is stressful and you hope to complete everything on time, believe me - waiting for the results of your work is harder. Never start doubting yourself during these times - you have poured your emotions in every single one of your applications, and the admissions officers will see it. March is the month of revelations with the Ivies coming out always in the very last days, but do your best not to focus your full attention on the upcoming results - this would cause you unnecessary anxiety.

In the end - believe in yourself . This whole process is hard to believe or forget, but it is always unquestionably worthy - you will learn much about yourself, draw some conclusions about your past, and find your goals for the future.

Here are some of my final tips:

·         if you are struggling to see yourself in a certain university, try contacting current students → they have the most recent experience to share with you;

·         for questions such as: What three words describe you?, ask your closest friends for suggestions → they have seen the most true side of you;

·         if you think that a certain activity is not that impressive as you have described it → don’t try to exaggerate your achievements, rather talk not only about what you did but also why you invested so much in doing it; let them see the purpose behind your decisions.

* The Fulbright Commission and EducationUSA launched the U.S. State Department-funded Opportunity Funds program in Bulgaria in February 2016. The program provides financial resources to highly qualified, yet economically challenged, Bulgarian students to cover the up-front costs of applying to U.S. universities, such as testing, application fees, or airfare. In addition to their impressive academic achievements, Opportunity students also bring cultural and socio-economic diversity to U.S. campuses.