Admissions committee
← Interview review

Ivan Petrov

Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering

Russia · A-Levels, A*AB · IELTS 6.5

Interviewed 12 October 2026 at 17:51 · 5 min

Summary

Ivan showed strong hands-on aerospace experience, including a rebuilt dual-deploy rocket and a diagnosed fin flutter problem, and a clear self-driven leadership example in reviving a rocketry club. The reason given for choosing Khalifa University, its space program partnerships, was relevant but not yet researched by Ivan.

Check before deciding

  • Ivan has not yet verified the partnership details that form the main reason for choosing Khalifa University.

Khalifa University interview criteria

  1. Proficiency in English communication

    4/5

    Ivan communicated clearly and fluently with only occasional hesitation, and speech-to-text errors were not counted against the score.

    “But I will ask questions when I don't understand something.”

    Ivan, in the interview

  2. Familiarity with the relevant profession

    4/5

    Ivan gave a specific engineering example from a personal rocket build and described the modeling work involved, though some day-to-day details were uncertain.

    “Like fin flutter. If the fins are too thin and the rocket goes fast, they can vibrate and then they fail.”

    Ivan, in the interview

  3. Commitment to pursue a professional degree program

    4/5

    Ivan rebuilt a dual-deploy rocket after losing the first and has sustained self-directed projects, showing strong commitment to the field.

    “I lost the first one in a field, so I built it again, a bit better.”

    Ivan, in the interview

  4. Reasons for choosing Khalifa University

    3/5

    Ivan gave a relevant reason, access to real projects, but admitted not knowing the partnership details and deferred the specifics.

    “Honestly? The space program partnerships.”

    Ivan, in the interview

  5. Evaluation of potential leadership capabilities

    5/5

    Ivan revived a dead club from a single attendee, grew it to about twelve people, and introduced a safety checklist that was adopted despite some resistance.

    “So I asked the physics teacher for a room and started weekly launches.”

    Ivan, in the interview

Full transcript

22 turns
  1. Nura

    Hi Ivan, I'm Nura, and I'll be doing your Khalifa University admissions interview today. It takes about six minutes and there are no trick questions. To start, what first got you interested in Aerospace Engineering?

  2. Ivan

    Um, okay. I think it was rockets. When I was twelve my uncle had this, uh, Estes kit, and it went up and then it just came down in pieces. I was like, why did that happen? So I started reading.

  3. Nura

    That sounds like a rough first flight. What do you think an aerospace engineer actually does day to day?

  4. Ivan

    Design stuff, I guess. Calculate loads, run simulations, maybe build prototypes. Not only rockets, also planes, satellites. I think most of the time it's computer work, like CFD and writing reports. I'm not sure, I haven't worked as one yet.

  5. Nura

    Can you give me one specific example of a problem they would solve?

  6. Ivan

    Like fin flutter. If the fins are too thin and the rocket goes fast, they can vibrate and then they fail. You model it, change thickness or material. I had that happen on my two-meter rocket. Both fins snapped.

  7. Nura

    Let's talk about what you've done outside class. What project are you proudest of?

  8. Ivan

    Last year I built a dual-deploy rocket with an altimeter. I used an Arduino, uh, and logged all the data during flight. I lost the first one in a field, so I built it again, a bit better.

  9. Nura

    What did the data show that surprised you?

  10. Ivan

    Apogee was like eight percent lower than my simulation. I thought my drag coefficient was wrong. But it turned out my fins were slightly warped from humidity. So I fixed the build and also the simulation, because I had the wrong input.

  11. Nura

    Thank you. Now, why Khalifa University, and not another university?

  12. Ivan

    Honestly? The space program partnerships. There are good universities in Russia, but I want, I mean, access to actual projects, not only theory from books.

  13. Nura

    What do you know about those partnerships so far?

  14. Ivan

    Not everything. I read that they work with space agencies and do research. I want to check the details myself before I say more. Is that bad?

  15. Nura

    Not at all, checking is good. Our program pages list current collaborations, so that's a good place to look.

  16. Nura

    Let's move to leadership. Tell me about a time you led others or took the first step on something.

  17. Ivan

    Okay. Our school rocketry club was basically dead. So I asked the physics teacher for a room and started weekly launches. The first time nobody came, just me and my friend Dima.

  18. Nura

    What happened after that?

  19. Ivan

    By spring, like twelve people. Some were scared of the epoxy and the cutting, so I made everyone do a safety checklist before launch. Not everyone liked that, but nobody got hurt.

  20. Nura

    Is there anything you want the committee to know that we haven't covered?

  21. Ivan

    Um, I work hard on things I'm curious about. My English is still improving, so sorry if I'm slow sometimes. But I will ask questions when I don't understand something.

  22. Nura

    Thank you, Ivan, this was really helpful. Good luck with your application.