UkrainianScholarships.org

Testing 2008

Dear applicants,

We have received many inquiries regarding the testing. Our volunteers will be contacting you in the next several days regarding the testing centers available closest to you. Please be patient. We will also post all of the information online as soon as it is available.

For now you are welcome to contact our volunteers in Ukraine with any questions that you might have.

Volunteer	Oblast Responsibility	Contact Information
Ivan Kozyryev	Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Luhansk, Crimea, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Cherkassy	380-99-015-0540
Oleg Kozachenko	Kyiv, Chernigiv, Zhytomyr, Vinnytsya, Khmelnytsky	380-66-535-2662
Anna Levina	Kharkiv, Poltava, Zaporizhzhya, Odesa, Sumy	380-99-015-0439
Iryna Shakhmantsir	Rivne, Volynska, Zakarpattya, Chernivtzi	380-98-303-3719
Alina Volobuyeva	Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Ternopil	380-50-637-9310

General information:
Please arrive 15-20 mins before the listed testing time.
The testing together with the interviews will take about 6 hours.
The testing will consist of us checking your English skills (listening, grammar and reading sections) and your Math skills (an hour-long test in Ukrainian).
15-min long interviews will be held right after the testing.
Please make sure to bring with you the following:

Your Ukrainian passport or birth certificate (if you do not have a passport yet)
Two pencils
One blue or black pen
An eraser
A pencil sharpener
Calculator for the math section of testing
Snack and water (testing might be long and exhausting)

Testing for the applicants from/currently in Crimea
When: June 20, 2008 (Friday) at 11:00am
Where: School #10, vul. Geroyiv Stalingrada 39, Simferopol
Directions: If you are arriving to the train station in Simferopol you need to ask how to get to the bus station in the direction of the city. Then take minibus (”marshrutku”) or bus # 102, 112, 45, or 73 (the final stop is “Marshala Zhukova”). It should take approximately 30 minutes to get to the stop called “Shkola #10.” The stops before the stop “Shkola #10″ are called “Universam” and “Pivzavod Krym.” After you get off at “Shkola #10″ just ask around how to walk to the school.
If you are arriving to the bus station (”avtovokzal”) in Simferopol, you need to take “marsrutka” # 41 or 44 or bus # 15 to the stop “Shkola #10.” If you have any problems getting to the school please call Ivan Kozyryev at (099)015-0540.

Testing for the applicants from/currently in Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhya oblasts
When: June 22, 2008 (Sunday) at 11:00am
Where: School #71, vul. Zhukovskogo 10 or 12, Dnipropetrovsk
Directions: If you arrive to the train station in Dnipropetrovsk take tram #1 (”tramvai #1″) till the stop called “nagornyi rynok” (this stop is also sometimes called “lagernyi rynok”). Upon arrival, ask around how to get to the “stroitelnaya akademiya” (it should not be far away from the stop). It should take you approxmately 7-10 minutes to get from the stop “nagornyi rynok” to “stroitelnaya akademiya.” People in the area know where “stroitelnaya akademiya” is located, so you should have no problems getting there. School #71 is close to the “stroitelnaya akademiya.” The school is situated near the cross of vul. Zhukovskogo and vul. Chernyshevskogo.
If you arrive to the bus station (”avtovokzal”) in Dnipropetrovsk take minibus (”marshrutku”) # 101, 123, 146 to the stop called “nagornyi rynok” (this stop is also sometimes called “lagernyi rynok”) and then just follow the same directions as described above. If you have any problems getting to the school please call Ivan Kozyryev at (099)015-0540.

Testing for the applicants from/currently in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts
When: June 23, 2008 (Monday) at 12:00 (noon)
Where: Kollegium, vul. 50 Rokiv SSSR 151, Donetsk
Directions: If you are arriving to the train station in Donetsk you need to get on a tram (tramvay). There is only one going from the train station, so you do not need to worry about the number. Get off at the stop “Kritiy Rinok,” cross the tram tracks, go past the little market, down to the little park/garden. There you will see the tall buildings and you need to find “vul. 50 Rokiv SSSR 151”. We will meet you there!
If you are arriving to the bus station (”pivdenny avtovokzal”) please take bus #77 and get off at the stop “krytiy rynok.” The place is very close to the stop. Just ask around for directions. In case you have any trouble getting to the testing location, please call Anna Levina at (099) 015 0439.

Testing for the applicants from/currently in Kyiv and Zhytomyr oblasts
When: June 23, 2008 (Monday) at 12:30 pm
Where: School # 27, Prospekt Myru 27, Zhytomyr
Directions: If you are arriving to the train station (”vokzal”) in Zhytomyr you need to take the minibus (“marshrutka”) with the “BOGUNIYA” sign on it (# 2, 26, 33) or the trolleybus # 3. It should take approximately 20 minutes to get to the stop called “Shelochnaya Fabrika.” A few stops before the “Shelochnaya Fabrika” are called “Prospekt Myru” and “Rynok.” After you get off at the stop “Shelochnaya Fabrika” just ask how to get to the school.
If you are arriving to the bus station (”avtovokzal”) in Zhytomyr then you need to take the same type of “marshrutka” with the “BOGUNIYA” sign on it to the stop “Shelochnaya Fabrika.” If you have any problems getting to the school please call Oleg Kozachenko (066)535-2662.

Testing for the applicants from/currently in Kharkiv oblast
When: June 25, 2008 (Wednesday) at 11:00 am
Where: School #16, vul Prodolna 5, Kharkiv
Directions: from the subway station University (“Universitet”) take any bus or “marshrutka” that goes to “poselok Gukovskogo”. Get off at the stop “Prohodnaya KhAI (Kharkivskiy Aviatsiyny Instytut)”. Cross the road, and you will see School #37. Go past it into the district by the road perpendicular to the one you just crossed. The first school building you see on your left will be School #16. We will meet you there! If you have any trouble getting to the testing location, please call Anna Levina at (099) 015 0439.

Testing for the applicants from/currently in Chernihiv oblast
When: June 28th (Saturday) at 11:00 am
Where: School # 1, Prospekt Myru 40, Chernigiv
Directions: If you are arriving to the train station (”vokzal”) or the bus station (”avtovokzal”) in Chernigiv (they are located very close to each other), you need to take the trolleybus # 1 to the stop “Dytyachy Svit.” After you get off at “Dytyachy Svit,” just ask how to get to the school. If you are arriving by “marshrutka” from Kyiv, its final stop will be “Hotel Ukraina,” which is very close to the School # 1. After you get off at “Hotel Ukraina” just ask how to get to the school. If you have any problems getting to the school please call Oleg Kozachenko (066)535-2662.

Testing for the applicants from/currently in Rivne and Volyn oblasts
When: June 29th, 2008 (Sunday) at 11:00 am
Where: School # 15, Pushkina 17, Rivne
Directions: Coming from the railway station or the bus station take trolley-bus #3 or any other public transportation that will take you to the downtown (”tsentr.”) Get off at “ploshcha” or “EKO” (depending where you are coming from). Ask around how to get to hotel “Mir.” Facing the hotel, pass it on the left into a tiny street that will lead you to the school. Do not hesitate to ask people, they will most likely know the way to find the school. If you have any problems getting to the school please call Iryna Shakhmantsir at 380-98-303-3719.

Testing for the applicants from/currently in Vinnytsia and Khmelnytsky oblasts
When: June 29th, 2008 (Sunday) at 11:00 am
Where: Language School, Keletska 52, Vinnytsya
Directions: If you are arriving to the train station in Vinnytsya you need to take the minibus (“marshrutku”) with the sign “Vyshen’ka” to the stop called “Lialia Ratushna.” After you get off at the stop “Lialia Ratushna” just ask how to get to the school. If you are arriving to the bus station in Vinnytsya you need to take the minibus (“marshrutku”) with the sign “Vyshen’ka” to the stop called “Lialia Ratushna.” After you get out at the stop “Lialia Ratushna” just ask how to get to the school.

Testing for the applicants from/currently in Mykolayiv, Odesa and Kherson oblasts
When: June 29th, 2008 (Sunday) at 1:00 pm
Where: Gymnasium #2, vul. Admiralskaya 24, Mykolayiv
Directions: To get to the location take “marshrutka” # 8, 21 or 51 to the stop “Zavod Dormashyna.” When you get off, walk along vul. Malaya Morskaya till vul. Admiralskaya and then ask how to get to the Gymnasium (”gimnazia”). It takes approximately 30-40 min to get to the location from the train station (including traveling on the bus and walking).

Testing for the applicants from/currently in Lviv, Ternopil, Zakarpattya oblasts
When: June 30, 2008 (Monday) at 11:00 am
Where: Center for Urban History of East Central Europe, vul. Akad. Bohomoltsia 6, Lviv
Directions: CLICK HERE for the map of the location. If you have trouble finding the Center, please call Alina Volobuyeva (050)637-9310.

Testing for the applicants from/currently in Ivano-Frankivsk oblasts
When: July 1, 2008 (Tuesday) at 11:00 am
Where: The Ukrainian Catholic University, vul. Ilariona Sventsitskoho 17, Lviv
Directions: CLICK HERE to look up the location on the map of Lviv. If you have any problems getting to the University, please call Iryna Shakhmantsir 380-98-303-3719

Testing for the applicants from/currently in Poltava and Cherkasy oblasts
When: July 1, 2008 (Tuesday)
Where: School #13, vul. Kucherenka 1/16, Poltava
Directions: If you are arriving by train, take any kind of public transportation that goes to “Polovky” or “Zavod GRL” (Zavod Gazorozryadnyh Lamp). Get off at the stop “Brayilky” and ask how to get to School #13 (it should take you around 3-4 min to get to the school from the stop). If you are arriving to the bus station, take “Kiltsevy avtobus” to the stop “Prombaza.” When you get off the bus, just ask around how to get to the School #13. You can also take trolleybus #6 to “Brayilky.”

Testing for the applicants from/currently in Sumy oblast
When: July 4, 2008 (Friday) at 11:30 a.m.
Where: Alexandrivska Gimnasiya, vul. Troitska (Dzerzhinska) 5, Sumy
Directions: If you are arriving by train, take Marshrutka #2. Get off at the stop “Alexandrivska Gimnasiya”. If you are arriving to the bus station, take marshrutka #22. Get off at the stop “Alexandrivska Gimnasiya”. We will meet you at the school. If you have any trouble getting to the testing location, please call Anna Levina (099) 015 0439 or Ivan Kozyryev (099) 015 0540.

Testing for the applicants from all oblasts - make up testing
When:
Where: Kharkiv and Kerch
Directions: coming soon

Stay tuned for more testing centers, dates, times and directions to the testing locations.

editor @ June 11, 2008

Do Bright Ukrainians Need Third Places?

Get-togethers, News Comments (1)

Did you ever ponder how much is discovered, created, solved and made possible by curious young minds? Whether one looks at the student-run Youth League of the African National Congress activating a vigorous struggle against apartheid in South Africa, the creation of Skype, the first online telecommunication software, in Estonia, or even the dawn of Google, the best online search engine and the top performing company on Wall Street today, one notices that all these and thousands of other brilliant endeavors were fueled by boiling young minds of students who cooperate.

AlinaVolobuyeva retelling her theater performance at Bates College to Anatoliy Khomenko and Bohdan Oryshkevich in a café in East Village

USA/USA Program, initially created to coach Ukrainian students to win full scholarships to top-flight colleges and universities in the USA has slowly evolved into a network and a common ground for these young scholars. While the sociologists and city planners break their backs to create “third places,” as Ray Oldenburg called them in his book, “The Great, Good Place,” locations where individuals can interact outside of workplace and home, the USA/USA youth finds these “third places” everywhere delving into active communication. At different schools hundreds of miles away, they use email and Facebook to discuss math assignments, share photography works, review books or think through political ideas. Whenever they end up in the same city, they never miss an opportunity to enjoy each others’ wit in person. Any location goes: restaurant, a bench in a park, an apartment where one of the USA/USAers live, etc.

This is how I first met Iryna: sitting on the floor with 5 more USA/USA students and alumni, drinking tea, laughing and talking about their school courses. At first I was unsure that this young sporadic and vivacious girl constantly laughing and teasing the other students could ever be serious. However, I had to change my mind a second later when she picked up an argument with another USA/USAer. Both knowledgeable in the subject, they ardently grappled with the ideas for several minutes, but soon took off to check who is actually right against a third source. “True scholars - they actually went to look it up,” I thought.

As I found out, born to a family of a former militia officer and a pharmacist, Iryna grew up in Rivne. Her first educational endeavors started at school #15, which provided her with a firm knowledge base. An excellent student since first grade, she, nevertheless, understood what excellence meant to her only two years later and always pushed herself much farther than other all-A students since then. “I won the school English competition in elementary school, and was pronounced a school star. Basking in “you are more than prepared for the city competition,” I was sure of my victory. The third place was a devastating surprise. I suddenly knew that listening to praise was exactly what distracted me from studying as hard as I normally would. I never listen anymore; I just make sure to compete with my clever peers, learn from them where possible and to prepare better than the teachers point out as sufficient. I don’t want to be in third place, I am going for the first.”

Iryna Shakhmantsir doing homework for her Art History class at the Hotchkiss School

I discovered exactly this hard-working attitude displayed in Iryna’s track record. She won a third place at the all-Ukrainian English Olympiad in 9^th grade and beat everybody taking gold in 10^th; as gifted in sciences as in humanities, Iryna continuously participated and won prizes at school and city Olympiads in Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics. As one of the best Ukrainian students, Iryna was sponsored by the American SSEP Program to come for a month-long trip to North Dakota. At 14, this girl outscored everybody in the competition for 10 places in the USA/USA Program Seminar and then so charmed the interviewers that the decision about her acceptance was unanimous. The USA/USA Seminar of 2005 became the “third place” for interaction with students on a par with her, a kind of reality check that Iryna needed to push herself to a new achievement. “Hanging out with the USA/USAers that summer opened new horizons of international education and gave me new ideas. It definitely pushed me to work harder in order to win a full scholarship,” said Iryna.

Holding the Light by Iryna Shakhmantsir

This seems to be an experience of every USA/USAer - gaining an access to a pool of hardworking young minds not only forces them to work extra hard and compete with the best, but also to learn from and stimulate each other. “Some of us are into amateur photography, Photoshopping and art history,” explains Iryna, a mischievous smile shining from her face, “We like to share and comment on each other’s work, some even do small photo shoots together.” Ivan Kozyryev adds, “I have read Aldous Huxley recently, and found a peer from the Program with who I could discuss Huxley’s ideas strolling through the streets of New York City . Both, reading and the conversations that followed provoked so many thoughts!” It helps that the students have a man of what seems like boundless knowledge, Dr. Bohdan Oryshkevich, as their leader and the heart of the Program. Internationally educated medical doctor, he is not by any means limited to that field. Dr. O, as students call him, is equally able to take students on a historical journey walking them through neighborhoods of New York City or peek at ancient Europe speaking about economics of the Neolithic era. Dr. Oryshkevich jokingly says, “I started this Program so that I could interact with smart young people,” and continues seriously, “I want students to think, I want them to cooperate and work with each other. I ask them for strategic advice on the most serious issues within and outside of the Program. My idea was to create an organization built from the bottom up. I am not interested in being a dictator, it’s a student organization.”

In the fall of 2008 USA/USAers, Iryna among them, will have four full scholarship students starting their first year at MIT, Princeton, Yale and Vassar. What does such a network of talented youngsters in and outside of Ukraine mean for their motherland, which is often dragging on the bottom of the International Monetary Fund’s and World Trade Organization’s evaluation charts? Iryna said, “I do hope things will get better, after all USA/USA can potentially produce so many leaders in different areas for this country. I cannot predict future, but I, personally, will try to do something. One individual can make a difference. Now think what a group of motivated young people, such as USA/USA, could do!” I also hope that student interaction of young vivid Ukrainians like Iryna in the “third place” of the USA/USA network will help Ukraine reach the top place in its development and international image.

editor @ May 8, 2008

Our Students at SUSTA 2008

Get-togethers Comments (1)

During the last weekend of March four of the USA/USA students attended the annual SUSTA (The Federation of Ukrainian Student Organizations of America) conference. Two of them, Yuliya Sychikova and Hanna Maksymova were among the organizers of the event. The students and the Program Coordinator participated in the panel discussion, and then presented the organization’s activities to the attendees of the conference.

Hanna Maksymova, Yuliya Sychikova, Olga Davydenko, Olexandr Kal’tsev hanging out during one of the breaks.

Yevheniya Krutko, Program Coordinator, speaking with the audience after the panel discussion.

editor @ April 3, 2008

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