American dream

When I was younger, like most Uzbek youth, I used to think that as soon as I get an IELTS certificate, I would go study in the US with a full scholarship and etc. This is so naive but charming at the same time. Though there are tons of consulting services with crazy offers like "STUDY IN AMERICA 100% SCHOLARSHIP ONLY CEFR B1 LEVEL NEEDED VISA GUARANTEED". Many secondary school students believe this, not knowing the reality behind this process. Honestly, I had been considering the US option until 11th grade, when a guy who was studying in Europe told me to look at the statistics and be more realistic. A very few percentage of candidates win full scholarships and even they can't guarantee a visa approval. It is not only about studying hard or even being rich. A candidate must be perfect in every aspect and be super lucky. Moreover, the more visa rejections you get, the more complicated it becomes to continue. Also, your every try costs money, which is not affordable for everyone. That guy had great IELTS and SAT scores, which were much better than mine. He claimed that he doesn't want to demotivate me and that I can try it if I have the opportunity, which he did not really have (financially). His words had absolute sense, and I really lowered the bar after this.

However, I did not throw out America as a goal, and I will never do it. You don't have to succeed in everything by the age of 14 and get into Harvard. It's even better to make it step-by-step, so everything will be achieved gradually. Okay, I won't study bachelor's in the US, but I will try to make it to Europe and then move higher and higher.