Let me make a small pitch.
In Kazakhstan there are a lot of school students who want to study abroad (especially in Astana and Almaty), but few of them can clearly articulate why they want it. Back in the day, I couldn’t explain why I wanted to go to the US so badly; I just saw that people were getting into foreign universities and I wanted that too. Sure, I could play smart and say a) there’s great education there, b) I’d get experience with a different culture, c) I’d make new connections — but I only knew all of this indirectly, through rumors and posts. It’s comparable to explaining to a friend how cool a Porsche 911 is and that he should buy one, without ever having driven (or even seen) the car. Here I’ll try to avoid that and show, using my own example, each of these points.
To start, let’s get this out of the way: if the choice is between Kazakhstan and any other country from the developed world, almost always pick the second. Of course, if finances allow, and of course if your parents are okay with it. If they’re not, I’ll try to help with that.
- If you want to live well and earn well, you’ll need knowledge. For some, knowledge of physics and math; for others, knowledge of music and editing; for others, knowledge of finance. Without knowledge, without unique skills, life will be very hard. Now answer this question: “What are our universities — places where students study and work on developing new skills, or places where they’re just trying to get a diploma?” In terms of development, almost all good foreign universities are head and shoulders above Kazakhstani ones. Nazarbayev University can compete, but it’s the exception to the rule. As one piece of evidence, look at the graduate student population at Caltech. The overwhelming majority come from state universities and foreign universities in China, Korea, and Europe. This just shows that you don’t have to go to Ivy League universities to become a good specialist. It’s enough to land in an environment where you’ll have worthy opportunities; it just happens that there are far more of those abroad.
- Experience with a different culture. Here, as (so far) the only Kazakhstani undergrad at Caltech, I have something to say. To start, Los Angeles alone was a culture shock for me. The subway and public transport :0, the beaches of Santa Monica, disappointment in Hollywood, and being charmed by Beverly Hills. You have to see this with your own eyes. Though the most important aspect is the conversations with people. It was fascinating to listen to and think about gun ownership and the presidential elections with Americans, the education system in Korea, “freedom” in China, and the history of Rwanda — with students from those countries. A conversation in real life is a completely different experience from reading about these events on the internet, and that’s only a small part of it. In the course of these conversations, I never stopped being amazed at how small a part of this world Kazakhstan is. Personally, this motivates me to travel — how much more is there still to see? I seriously doubt I would have arrived at this thought back in Kazakhstan.
- New connections. To understand how important this point is, you have to ask: “Why does studying at a top university cost 80,000?” Sure, that sum covers professor and staff salaries, instruction, and housing, but now imagine there are 6000 students at the undergraduate level. That’s half a billion dollars a year! No, the education isn’t actually worth that much money; I could’ve gotten a chemistry bachelor’s worth of knowledge studying resources online. But people pay this kind of money — why? Because they know that the environment at a university shapes a person’s future. People pay outrageous sums because they believe their kids will be surrounded by other kids of equally educated parents (uneducated ones in 99% of cases can’t afford 80,000 a year) or students promising enough that someone else is willing to pay that sum for them. As evidence, recall that it’s precisely at universities that students find co-founders and start startups. It’s precisely at universities that the circle of friends for the rest of your life is formed. From this it follows that studying abroad you’ll have a diverse, most likely more interesting and progressive social circle. This is the most important investment in your future!