ukraine global scholars official presentation
TRANSCRIPT
Ukraine Global Scholars
September, 2015
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Executive Summary
▪ Ukraine Global Scholars (UGS) is a non-profit initiative, helping talented Ukrainian students receive education at world's top universities. UGS is seeking to raise USD15k to cover the needs of the current student intake in the upcoming test taking and admission
– Ukraine has got a strong pool of talents, which is, however, strongly underrepresented in the world’s top universities
– UGS is run by Ukrainian students who were successfully admitted, graduated or are currently studying at Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, Yale, Princeton, MIT and others
– We help high school students (8-11 graders) with the application process: (1) acquaint students with the Western educational system, (2) help them through the cycle of application process, (3) assist them with the test preparation as well as cover test costs, (4) provide advice on financial aid application and (5) introduce students to the network of young Ukrainian leaders studying abroad
– Since inception in early 2015, UGS team have selected and coached 13 Ukrainian students to apply to top prep schools and universities in 2015-2016 academic year
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Contents
▪ Context
▪ Ukraine Global Scholars
▪ UGS 2015 progress to date
▪ UGS needs and next steps
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Ukraine has a strong talent pool of high school student
Despite Ukraine’s mediocre ratings in high school education quality…
… Ukraine can boast impressive results in international high school Olympiads
▪ Ukrainian high school students consistently demonstrate top performance in prestigious international Olympiads
Source: 2015 PISA assessment
Singapore
Hong Kong
South Korea
Japan
Taiwan
Finland
Estonia
Switzerland
Holland
Canada
1
2
3
4
4
6
7
8
9
10
Poland
Germany
UK
US
Russia
Sweden
Slovakia
Ukraine
Israel
Greece
11
13
20
28
34
35
37
38
39
40
Chemistry
Biology
Physics
Mathematics
2014 2015
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However, Ukrainian higher education lags significantly and limits full potential realization
Only a handful of Ukrainian institutions made it to top 1,000 universities…
…and are significantly behind top Eastern Europe & CIS universities
Taras Shevchenko National University
Kyiv National Technical University “KPI”
Kharkiv Karmazin National University
Sumy State University
Kharkiv National Politechnic University
#421-430
#481-490
#551-600
#651-700
#701-1,000
Name Rank
Source: 2014/2015 university ranking by Quacquarelli Symonds
Moscow State Lomonosov University
Charles University in Prague
Bauman Moscow State Technical University
Gumilev Eurasian National University
University of Warsaw
#114
#244
#322
#324
#335
Country Rank University
▪ Ukraine’s universities provide low value proposition for the top performing students
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At the same time, Ukraine remains underrepresented at top schools
Princeton University
Breakdown of undergraduate students by country, # of students during the 2013-14 school year
12223556671317
023175
16
125
1718
0221410
1912
578
Turk
ey
Ukr
aine
Geo
rgia
Cze
ch R
.
Cro
atia
Rus
sia
Pol
and
Est
onia
Rom
ania
Fran
ce
Italy
Ger
man
y
▪ Virtually zero presence of Ukrainian students in Ivy League universities due to lack of information, coaching and financial constraints
Yale University
Harvard University
Source: University data
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Three key challenges impede Ukraine’s top students
Financial constraints
Selection & coaching
Information availability
• Limited information on prep school and college admissions process
• Existing resources often insufficient to deliver right information in the right time, enough to persuade students to apply to a top global university
• Currently no program targeting top performing students with tailored admissions & career mentorship approach
• Education support limited only to a few locations and often not performed by university alumnis with first-hand experience
• Insufficient information on financial support opportunities and advice on obtaining it
• Limited financial resources to cover the cost of coaching, tests, tutorials and other preparation needs
▪ Ukrainian Global Scholars Initiative was launched to help Ukrainian students overcome these challenges
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▪ Quality of teachers/ professors is a key driver of student performance
▪ On average, students with high-performing instructors perform 53 percentile points better
▪ UGS aims to – Identify talented
Ukrainians at a young age
– Help gain admission to best universities, maximizing their potential
At UGS, we aim to maximize students’ potential by using proven method - identifying them early on and providing high quality coaching
Student performance 100th percentile
50th percentile
Age 15 22
90th percentile
37th percentile
53 percentile points difference
Two students with same performance
Students with high-performing instructors
Students with low-performing insutructors
Source: Sanders and Rivers ‘Cumulative and residual effects on future student academic achievement’
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Selected examples of Western-educated Ukrainian leaders in policy, business and science
▪ Harvard Kennedy School, MPP
▪ KyivPost, CEO
Nataliya Bygayova ▪ Smith College, BA ▪ Energy professional at
Naftogaz Ukraine
Anastasia Solovaniuk
▪ University College London, LLM
▪ Member of Ukrainian Parliament
Natalia Katzer-Buchkovska ▪ Harvard Business
School, MBA ▪ Advisor to the Prime
Minister at Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine
Dan Pasko ▪ Dartmouth College,
BA; Harvard Kenedy School, MPP
▪ CEO at UkrGazVydobuvannya
Oleg Prokhorenko
▪ Stanford, PhD Candidate in Neuroscience; MIT University, BS
▪ Director of Partner Relations at Nova Ukraine
Kat Kozyrytska ▪ Harvard University,
PhD Candidate; Princeton University
▪ Recepient of 2012 LeRoy Apker Award in Physics
Yulia Dovzhenko
▪ Harvard Kennedy School, MPP
▪ Minister of Finance of Ukraine
Natalia Yaresko
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Contents
▪ Context
▪ Ukraine Global Scholars
▪ UGS 2015 progress to date
▪ UGS needs and next steps
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Board ▪ University of
Pennsylvania, BA in Economics
▪ Founder and CEO at Mitten
▪ Expertise in business development
▪ Deerfield Academy, Harvard University, Wharton, MBA Candidate
▪ Consultant at McKinsey & Company
▪ Expertise in operational transformations
▪ Choate Rosemary Hall, Harvard University, AB in Applied Mathematics
▪ Analyst at Goldman Sachs
▪ Deep knowledge of corporate finance and financial instruments
▪ St. Mark’s, MIT, Harvard University, PhD Candidate
▪ Teaching fellow at Harvard
▪ Award winning teaching instructor in the Department of Chemistry
▪ Yale University, BS Candidate in Computer Science
▪ Currently a freshman at Yale
▪ Focus on computer science and entrepreneurship
Yulia Sychikova Misha Lemesh Roman Yevstihnyeyev Anna Levina Vlad Vyhodets
UGS was founded by 5 Ukrainian Ivy League alums and students who collectively received USD 1,5M in fellowships, grants, and scholarships
Total funds received by source (US$M)
1,8
1,5
0,3 Prep schools
Universities
Total funding
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Volunteers (non-exhaustive)
▪ Wharton, MBA Candidate
▪ Project leader at Boston Consulting Group
▪ Extensive experience in process optimization
▪ Queen Mary U of London, LLM
▪ Legal Manager at Imperial Tobacco
▪ Deep knowledge of Ukrainian and international law
▪ Phillips Academy Andover, Middlebury College
▪ Currently a freshman at Middlebury
▪ Wesleyan ▪ Currently a freshman
at Wesleyan
▪ New York University Abu Dabi, BA
▪ Currently an undergraduate student
Sergiy Boyev Yulia Lemesh Anastasiya Prokhorenko
Misha Yakovenko Anastasiya Oleksiyenko
UGS is supported through an extensive network of volunteers and friends
▪ Leysin American School, University of Pennsylvania, BS
▪ Currently Software Engineer at Amazon
▪ Leysin American School, University of Pennsylvania, BS
▪ Currently Research Assistant at the University of Pennsylvania
▪ Northwestern University, MD, PhD, Vassar College, BA
▪ Currently psychiatric resident physician at Northwestern Memorial Hospital
▪ Milton Academy, Yale University, Harvard University, PhD Candidate
▪ Currently Physics PhD student at Harvard University
▪ Wharton, MBA Candidate
▪ Boston Consulting Group
▪ Extensive experience in TMT (Technology, Media & Telecommunications)
Anton Bastov Denys Bastov Marina Bayeva, MD, PhD
Ivan Kozyryev Pavlo Borovyk
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UGS team meticulously selects top talent from all corners of Ukraine and guides ~10 finalists through full cycle of the application process
2. Coaching
3. Support
4. UGS community contribution
1. Selection
Full-cycle college and prep-school advising
▪ UGS scholars receive admission decisions
▪ UGS alumni are expected to contribute to the expansion of the UGS program and are encouraged to act as volunteers and coaches for incoming classes of scholars
▪ UGS reaches out to applicants across Ukraine
▪ Candidates – Submit written
applications – Take Math/
English tests – Have 2+
interviews ▪ UGS board collectively
makes admission decisions and selects ~10 finalists
May through July
January through April
▪ Post-seminar, UGS team provides resources (e.g. textbooks) to assist with independent prep
▪ UGS scholars prepare for entrance exams and complete college/prep school applications
▪ UGS board members get assigned to scholars as mentors and provide feedback on application essays and additional support as needed
▪ UGS team conducts an intense 2-week seminar of daily lectures and workshops
▪ UGS scholars are guided through the value chain of the application process
▪ Each daily module ends with homework assignments followed by consistent feedback from 2+ UGS team members
September through December
August
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1. UGS selection mirrors the application process to US colleges
100% ~50% ~25%
# # of candidates
Round 1: written applications Outreach Round 2: English
and Math tests Round 3: Admission interviews
Selection criteria
▪ Clear and logical personal story
▪ Track record of academic and other achievements
▪ Leadership qualities and potential for growth
▪ Above average performance vs. the applicant pool
▪ Next round decisions made in combination with qualitative data from round 1
▪ Fluency in spoken English
▪ Outstanding soft skills (e.g. presence, attitude, willingness to contribute)
Selection method
▪ Application essay ▪ Transcripts for 3
previous years ▪ List of extracurricular
and academic achievements
▪ List of 5 favorite books
▪ Customized set of SAT/TOEFL questions testing grammar, reading comprehension and mathematics
▪ 1-1 admission interviews with 2+ UGS board members
UGS selects ~10 finalists who, in the opinion of the Board, have a ~50-75% chance of being admitted to top institutions. Our goal is to get UGS scholars to 100%
~5-7% selected as finalists
▪ UGS team sends letters to high school across Ukraine and reaches out to applicants through social media, targeting students aged 15-17 y.o.
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2. Selected scholars participate in an intense 2-week seminar
Lectures and daily 1-1 feedback followed by multiple iterations of homework assignments
▪ Application process overview
▪ Types of schools/ colleges
▪ Choosing college/ prepschool
▪ Common app ▪ Deadlines
▪ TOEFL, including essay writing
▪ SAT, including essay writing
▪ SAT II subject tests
▪ ACT vs. SAT
▪ Fee-waiver writing
▪ Recommen-dations
▪ CV writing ▪ Transcripts
reporting
▪ Do’s/Don’ts of email corres-pondence
▪ Social media profiles
▪ Scholarships overview (merit-based vs. need-based)
▪ Loans ▪ Financial
forms and docs overview
▪ Interview techniques workshop
Topics covered
US education system
Homework assignments
▪ Write short responses and “Why College X” essay
▪ Complete the Common Application
▪ Take practice SAT I test
▪ Create a CV and CV supplements
▪ Adapt Ukrainian transcripts to the US template
▪ Take practice ACT test
▪ Create a LinkedIn profile
▪ Complete a sample Financial Aid report
▪ Conduct mock admission interviews
All tools and materials (e.g. templates, handouts, guidelines, etc.) have been specifically developed by UGS team members based on their extensive experience of having won multiple scholarships and been admitted to numerous top prep-schools and colleges
Standardized tests School package Digital
intelligence Scholarships / financial aid
Admission interviews
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3. UGS support continues in a form of individual coaching and mentoring until application deadlines in early January
UGS support September through December
Description Intended impact
Application essay guidance
▪ UGS team members regularly review and provide 1-1 feedback on application essays
▪ Numerous iterations to improve essay quality both in terms of structure and content
Test prep
▪ UGS team – provides test prep
resources – Covers test fees in
November/ December
▪ Keep track of the students’ progress and ensure a positive trajectory in practice test scores
Mentoring
▪ Each scholar gets assigned a mentor to address student-specific development needs
▪ Additional coaching and easy access to experienced advisors to increase admission chances
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4. UGS involvement continues post-admission, with grads contributing to the program and ensuring sustainability in the long term
▪ Act as UGS ambassadors in home towns across Ukraine
▪ Increased awareness and applicant pool in top-performing high school
▪ Participate in selection/coaching process as volunteers
▪ Consistent supply of experienced/trained advisors to keep costs in check against raising number of applicants
Coaching
Support
UGS community contribution
Selec- tion
Forms of contributions Advantages
▪ Contribute to UGS financially post-education
▪ Endowment to ensure stability in the long-term
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Contents
▪ Context
▪ Ukraine Global Scholars
▪ UGS 2015 progress to date
▪ UGS needs and next steps
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UGS generated significant interest through its web and social media pages
0
2,000
3,000
1,000
Cumulative # of website visits
0
200
400
600
Cumulative # of page likes
0
200
400
600
Cumulative # of page likes
UkraineGlobalScholars.org
VK.com /ukraineglobalscholars
Facebook.com/ukraineglobalscholars
▪ Since launching in May, UGS steadily drove the number of subscribers to its social media pages
▪ This growth was 100% organic/word of mouth with 0 ad spend
▪ Strong potential to increase presence through an ad campaign
451
600
3000+
May June July August
x Total # as of 15/08
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UGS team leveraged network of volunteers and existing platforms to run selection process without additional investments
x # of applicants
Round 2 Round 1 Round 3
~150 ~70 ~40
13
▪ Written applications submission
▪ Standardized tests ▪ 2+ admission interviews
Description
▪ Applications submitted via email and aggregated into a database through Google Drive
▪ Customized tests designed and results analyzed through ClassMarker.com
▪ Admission conducted through Google Hangouts and Skype
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Likewise, seminar planning, coordination, and workshops were conducted online by highly qualified UGC contributors
Lectures
Homework assignments
Feedback UGS team conducted lectures and graded homework assignments through freely available resources such as Skype and Google Drive
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Having incurred 0 operating expenses, UGS team selected and coached 13 remarkably talented finalists in the summer of 2015
Zakarpattia
Ivano- Frank.
Lviv Tern. Khmeln.
Chernivtsi
Vinnytsia
Kiev (city)
Kiev
Cherkasy
Kirov.
Kherson
Mykolaiv Odessa
Crimea
Zaporizhia
Luhansk
Donetsk
Dnipropet- rovsk
Poltava Kharkiv
Sumy Chernihiv
Zhytomyr
Rivne Volyn
Denys, 18, international Model UN and public speaking awards, National English Olympiad award
Nastya, 17, numerous international scholarships, admitted to a US college
Yura, 17, numerous MAN, oblast, national awards in Math, Physics, Chemistry & History
Ira, 17, national awards in Law and Debate, multiple oblast rewards in Geography, History, Law and English
Sergey, 18, numerous awards in Model UN, founder of several ventures, academic awards in Biology, English & Chemistry
Alex, 17, winner of regional MAN competition, participant of international Physics contests
Yulia, 17, perfect GPA of 12.0, numerous MAN, oblast, national awards in Biology, Chemistry and Ecology
Salome, 16, awards in international singing competitions, awards in regional Ukrainian, English and Geography Olympiads
Sasha, 16, an aspiring NASA engineer who built his own telescope, multiple awards in MAN
Vlad, 18, a toy inventor turned entrepreneur and leading a startup in the UK, World Ballet Dancing Champion
Yulia, 17, exchange program scholarship winner, multiple leadership awards from US High School
Liza, 15, thirty-two awards in city/oblast Olympiads in Math, Biology, Law, English and other subjects
Mykola, 17, numerous MAN, city, oblast awards in Physics, Astronomy & Computer Science
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Contents
▪ Context
▪ Ukraine Global Scholars
▪ UGS 2015 seminar
▪ UGS needs and next steps
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UGS aims to raise US$15k to purchase test prep materials and pay test fees as soon as Sep-Oct 2015 and ensure sustainability of program
Breakdown of required spend
(US$ in thousands)
▪ Printed and online test prep materials
▪ Essay prep books
▪ Test fees and official score reports for 12 schools per student
▪ Website upgrade and maintenance
▪ Shipping costs ▪ Legal
1,4
15,0
4,0
2,5
1,4
4,1
1,6
Total Textbooks & prep materials
Misc SAT I ACT SAT II TOEFL
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Contributions as low as US$200 can make a tangible difference
▪ Donate via GoFundMe: www.gofundme.com/supportUGS
US$900
US$700
US$200 • Covers textbooks and preparation materials for one student • Receive personal thank you letter from a student
• Covers all test fees and official score reports for 12 schools for one student
• Receive personal thank you letter from a student
• Full admission package per one student • Receive personal thank you letter from a student and
UGS partner merchandise
US$4000
• Covers all anticipated program operational costs (Website upgrade and maintenance, Shipping costs, Legal)
• You or your company will be mentioned on partner section of the UGS website
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Our long-term vision is ambitious - more people and a greater range of advising services over the next few years
Long-term: A group of social ventures with the focus on education and career prep
▪ A group of finalists coached and guided through the application process to the most selective colleges and boarding schools
▪ Online webinars and workshops conducted for the youth on educational and career topics
▪ An educational/career cluster based in Kyiv with regular seminars and speaker series
Short- to medium-term: Education and career prep platform
▪ A group of finalists coached and guided through the application process to the most selective colleges and boarding schools
▪ Online webinars and workshops conducted for the youth on educational and career topics
Present: College and boarding school prep program
▪ A group of finalists coached and guided through the application process to the most selective colleges and boarding schools
2015-16
2016-17
End of 2015
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Interested in donating?
▪ Or contact us at [email protected]
▪ Donate via GoFundMe: www.gofundme.com/supportUGS
Thank you for your support