➤ After 10th grade in my Russian school, I left for a year to study in the U.S. through an exchange program (J1 visa). My English level was upper-intermediate, and it has improved a lot since then. Honestly, I didn’t face huge difficulties, but if my level had been one or two steps lower, it would have been much harder.
➤ I didn’t tell my parents until the very last moment. Only after I passed all the tests, interviews, and started collecting documents, I finally told them. I knew they might stop me either because it would feel like too much paperwork for them, or because they’d think I wasn’t independent enough. But once I shared, they understood, supported me, and let me go. They realized studying in America would open up amazing opportunities for my future.
➤ After 4–5 months in the U.S., I decided I didn’t want to go back to my Russian school, finish it, or take the final state exams. So, I left school in Russia after 10th grade, without a diploma or exams.
➤ For my second year, I came back to America again — but this time not through an exchange program. I got into a scholarship program at a specific U.S. high school with an F1 visa. Since you can’t get a J1 visa two years in a row, I chose this school path to earn a U.S. high school diploma and move on to university.
➤ Yes, I’m planning to get my higher education in the U.S., and I want to study international business.