Valera Notes

Extracurricular Guidebook by Freshman Our team has developed an extracurricular guidebook summarizing the core principles of building a strong profile. Access it through the Freshman Bot:

June

⚠️Predatory Journals Not all research publications will help your university applications. Some might even hurt your chances. When someone offers you guidance in publishing, make sure your paper does not end up in a predatory journal. These are low-reputation, money-making outlets that present themselves as legitimate international research organizations. In reality, they often target people with limited understanding of academia, especially students from countries with weaker research infrastructure. Having such publications on your resume might actually undermine your admissions chances rather than help. @valeranotes

🔥Freshman Tech Team Is Cooking A platform to automatically generate your university list based on your scores, extracurricular activities, and preferences: freshmatch.net

Today I had the greatest privilege to visit Chingiz Aitmatov’s home in Bishkek. One of the greatest writers of Kyrgyzstan, Aitmatov’s works were brave. He found ways to critique Soviet rule and rediscover Kyrgyz identity, all while expressing the universality of the human soul. I once visited Pasternak’s dacha where he wrote Dr. Zhivago… I never felt the same kind of inspiration after visiting Aitmatov’s home. I will keep writing. This is a sacred promise I have made with myself and those great writers who have come before me. “But a man cannot remain indifferent to the world around him; it worries him and torments him to think that he could be happier somewhere else, and that he is where he is simply through a mistake of fate” - C. Aitmatov

As long as you grow, I do not particularly care whether you like me personally or as a mentor. In fact, we tend to dislike those who push us out of our comfort zones. Totally normal.

Win or lose, team Uzbekistan 🇺🇿⚔️ Cancelled goal celebration was next level. @valeranotes

The world is deeply unfair. It often favors people who are amoral, self-interested, or born into privilege. You might work tenaciously and honestly. You might do more than others. You might sacrifice more than others. And still fail. The sooner you understand this, the easier life becomes psychologically and the faster you mature. @valeranotes

27, but we’re not rushing

Freshman is launching its first online SAT Program in a while this Monday. The promo code deadline has passed, but you can still lock in the program for just $89/month. Genuinely, one of the best returns on investment out there. You get access to the Freshman Alumni Network and a curriculum designed by a Cornell senior. A great starting point for anyone planning to apply to universities this year or next. Apply through @FreshmanAcademy_Bot

Schedule Collapse With the Freshman opening, my family coming to Tashkent, commitments in the Admissions Program and Full Support, bureaucracy challenges, and running the Master’s Program, my schedule got wrecked big time. Please give me until June 23 to get back to everyone. My apologies for the delays. Regrouping now.

Freshman Office Opening From left to right: Vladimir Norov Akmal Paiziev Davron Yakubov Nigel Li Azizbek Zaylobiddinov Me @valeranotes

Looking for someone who can help us set up a conference room for hybrid events. Our team is spread across multiple continents and time zones, so we need a reliable setup with cameras, microphones, speakers, and conferencing equipment. Does anyone know a person or company who specializes in hybrid meeting/event setups? @valeranotes

Stop normalizing this. There is hardly a single family in our country that does not have at least one great-grandfather who fought against Nazism. This is not a joke. We are talking about a legacy built on millions of casualties. This is not harmless humor or "just a meme." It reflects either ignorance or a complete failure to understand the weight of our history. You are supposedly our future intellectual elite. Wake up. @valeranotes

🎓 The photo above is one of our special communities - for Presidential School students. Every summer, PS students from all across Uzbekistan come to Tashkent to study for the SAT during their break. They arrive with a tight deadline and one target: 1500+, to be done with the SAT once and for all. So SATashkent builds special groups for them - where students from every region race the same August deadline together. We do it this way for a reason. PS students carry a heavy load during the school year, so summer is their window - and people rise fastest when they're surrounded by peers who think, work, and score at their level or higher. The ego gets touched. The competitive instinct kicks in. They push harder. They reach higher. That's why, every year, we keep this tradition: a group built from strong backgrounds, competing internally to pull out their highest potential in just two months.

📍Tashkent, Uzbekistan @valeranotes

Our First Business Consulting Project My friend from finance, a Freshman alumna, and I just completed our first business consulting project. We developed a financial model, presentation, and business plan for a serious investment project. The best part is that we completed the work in around three days, working from Papa John’s and Mama Varit Kofe through the night, while still delivering a very solid result. It was a great honor to receive this message from our client:

“Valera, hello! Thank you for not refusing to help us. You and your team did an enormous amount of work in a very short time. You are true professionals. I hope everything works out for us, and thank you for caring about our success. We truly appreciate your willingness to support us until the very end.”

It feels refreshing to put my university knowledge to full use. Hopefully, more projects to come. @valeranotes