Meet Inkara
Name: Inkara Avgambayeva
Hometown: Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan
Major: Petroleum Engineering
Minor: Economics
Expected graduation: May 2010
A Country that Doesn’t Exist Anymore
I was born in a country that doesn’t exist anymore, the Soviet Union, and grew up in Kazakhstan. In 2004, I graduated from high school with a certificate of honor and was granted the Presidential Educational Grant. After high school, I decided to be a petroleum engineer and enrolled in Kazakh-British Technical University. After two and a half years of studying there, I decided to apply to The University of Texas at Austin. I submitted an application for the Bolashak Presidential Scholarship and after three competitive tours, I received that scholarship. Here I am now!
“The University of Texas at Austin is a multinational and multicultural place. People with absolutely different mentalities and interests can study together and live side by side.”
Best of the Best
I chose to come to The University of Texas at Austin because it has one of the top petroleum engineering schools in the United States. I’ve always wanted to study here because I've heard the best petroleum engineers graduate from here and the "best of the best" professors teach here.
The University of Texas at Austin is a multinational and multicultural place. People with absolutely different mentalities and interests can study together and live side by side. UT is very hospitable to international students.
Inkara’s advice on…
Studying
Just manage your time! You don’t have to study all the time! It should not be the main part of your life. Don’t miss classes, try to do everything on time and it will not be hard. I always try to follow the principle of Pareto which states that 80% of the results come from 20% of the efforts.
Making friends for international students
It is hard at first to talk to people and express what you think because of the language barrier. You should try to overcome it. Believe me, it is easier to do that; just force yourself and talk as much as you can, then you will realize how nice people around you are. They never complain about accents.
Balancing studying, friends, work and family
Do not overload yourself! Be rational. Just try to do everything you want and you need, and then your schedule will self-adjust. Be a good time manager!
Living on or off campus
The first time I came here I lived off campus in an apartment. The best thing about that is cooking! I like to cook for myself! Second year, I lived in an off campus dorm. I would recommend living on campus during the first two years because it allows you to meet new people and become familiar with college life.
Gaining Experience and Learning New Things
The best unexpected thing that happened to me since I arrived was that as a transfer student I expected all of my credits taken at a previous university to be transferred to UT. Sadly enough, they weren’t. I was a junior when I came to UT and I realized that I had two-and-a-half more years of study to receive my bachelor’s degree. Though it was a disappointment, I’ve realized it helped me gain more experience and learn new things here at UT.
“America is the best place to go because no one really cares about where you’re from and who you are.”
An Opening Experience
It's been an opening experience to learn and live in the United States. Coming here, I didn’t really know what to expect out of people, but I've met good friends and learned that they are not so different from me.
Inkara’s…
Adjustment from Kazakhstan to the United States
My first semester I was the shyest person in the world! But then it was easy. America is the best place to go because no one really cares about where you’re from and who you are.
Difficulty fitting into the American culture
The main difficulty I had was the food.
Scholarships
- Governmental Educational Scholarship (2004)
- Bolashak Presidential Scholarship
Organizations
- Society of Petroleum Engineers (2007–Present)
- Turkic Cultures Student Association (2007-Present)
- Pi Epsilon Tau (2008)
- Texas Ballroom Dance Club (2008)
- United States Figure Skating Association (Member, 2008)
- UNIT charity organization (2005-2006)
Favorites
- Places to eat on or near campus: Madam Mam’s and Slices & Ices
- Class (so far): Introduction to Microeconomics
- Book: The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
- Movie: What Dreams May Come
- Thing about Austin: Austin is a great place for everything. If you want to study, you can find the place where no one will distract you. If you want to have fun, just do what everyone does.
- Pastime / Recreational activities: ballroom dancing, figure skating, & skydiving
Biggest challenge
The language barrier.
Send Inkara an e-mail at inkara@mail.utexas.edu