By far, many people have asked about the questions I was given during El-yurt's interview last year. I am sharing it with all of you, guys.

The interview was scheduled for May 24th, 2023, at 2 pm. The first question I was asked was to introduce myself, so I talked about who I am, how old I am, where I'm from, and what my purpose is for going to the US.

Then, someone asked about my university and why I specifically chose to pursue a degree in Journalism at the University of Arizona. I had information about the ranking of the journalism program at UA, as well as the kind of professors who work there.

After that, someone asked if I would agree to study at universities in New York instead of the desert-Arizona. I said no, as the question felt a bit tricky, as if they were testing whether I could be resistant to my decisions.

They wanted me to provide information about Muhammadjon Obidov, a renowned journalist from Fergana. Additionally, I was required to talk about Uzbekistan in English, as they were testing my English proficiency.

Next, the questions focused on history. They asked about Fergana, the Fergana Valley, famous people from the region, and the Great Kokand Khanate.

The subsequent questions were mostly about journalism, such as "What is the objective and subjective approach in Journalism?", "Why did we only hear about good news on social media a few years ago, but now we see almost everything?", and "Do I think that Journalism and Mass Media in Uzbekistan deserve to be called 'the fourth government' or not?"

Other questions were more personal, such as my parents' attitude towards my going to the US and where I am willing to work after graduation.

For current candidates, I would recommend learning more about Uzbekistan's history, the field of study they are interested in continuing, and their attitudes on current global events (such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the Palestine-Israel situation).

Best of luck!

@withmohinur

https://www.azregents.edu/sites/default/files/2024-08/Garimella_CV_final.pdf

This is the CV of Dr. Suresh Garimella, who put his candidacy to be the 23rd president of The University of Arizona. (71 pages long got me shocked, fr😭)

@withmohinur

-not a goodbye text tho…

Today was my last dinner with my family for 2024, at home, in Fergana. Feels dramatic, but I don't know when the next time for it will be, and it's not really guaranteed to happen.

Coming back on May 15 and am leaving on August 15, so I've stayed in Uzbekistan for three months. Met a lot of good people, spent the best summer vacation ever, traveled around historical cities of Uzbekistan with friends, got my student visa renewed, did an internship at one of the most prestigious workplaces for Journalism majors in Uzb-UzA, met several male and female entrepreneurs in person, and exchanged opinions, finally turned 18 just two weeks ago and have matured a lot (hope so, haha).

Looking back at August 15, 2023, I was preparing for my visa interview, without even knowing what was waiting for me in a country located 8,500 miles away from my home.

Not leaving yet. I have like 45 or more hours until my flight, but I wanted to write and post this now, because why not?

I really hope the next message/video/post will be sent from one of the two megacities of the world that I have dreamt of visiting.

-with love and care, Mohinur💌

@withmohinur

Happy Independence Day, Uzbekistan. May our beautiful country continue to thrive!

🔥Freshman Academy: Leading Admissions Team in Central Asia

Freshman Academy's students got admitted to Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Stanford, UC Berkeley, Williams, Babson, NYU, and many more. 

Freshman's decision to stay online allowed them to bring some of the best mentors and students in a shared educational space.

Experience Freshman's unique approach by taking SAT English and SAT Math programs.

The deadline is tomorrow.

Join: @freshmanblog

Last year, when I traveled to the US, I flew with Turkish Airlines to Miami, FL, and had a 20-hour layover, which allowed me to explore the city a little bit. Then, on my return, I again flew with Turkish Airlines, this time from Seattle to Tucson, but with only a 2-hour layover. Honestly, it's still the best airline I have ever flown with. If you are a student, you can get up to a 15% discount, but the process is a bit complicated; I never applied for it. For flights with layovers of more than 6 hours, you can get a free tour through Istanbul, where they show you the city's famous places. Check [https://tour.istanbul.com].

This time, I wanted to visit New York before coming to Arizona, so I first searched for tickets through Uzbekistan Airways and then Turkish Airlines. The prices for economy flights on both were comparable to business class tickets for the same destination if purchased just a week earlier.

Then, I searched Expedia and found a ticket for $1,350, Tashkent-Dubai-London-New York. Had a flight with Flydubai from Tashkent to Dubai, which took about 3.5 hours. The service was pretty good, not excellent tho, and they didn’t have charging ports for USB cables. After a 14-hour layover in Dubai, I flew to London with Emirates Airlines, which was much better, honestly. The meal service, staff, seats, and amenities were all great. After about 8 hours, I arrived in London and had a 4-hour layover at Heathrow Airport. As a citizen of Uzbekistan, I wasn’t allowed to leave the airport without a visa, so I waited there until my next flight.

Finally, I flew from London to New York with Virgin Atlantic. I really loved the cabin comfort, and the food served was also good, but they also didn’t have USB ports (iPhone users up to the 14 Pro Max get offended, so did I). After a 7-hour flight, I landed at JFK Airport in New York. So, it was visiting three major cities in the world over the course of three days.

Finally, here are some websites where you can search for affordable flights: google flights , skyscanner , kayak , momondo , hopper , cheapOair , travelocity .

@withmohinur