From War-Torn Ukraine to UChicago: Daniil Popov’s MS Management Success

“With careful long-term planning and risk management, any economic turmoil is just one of the planned outcomes.”

Daniil is a Master in Management student at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, attending with a merit-based scholarship. He was born and raised in Ukraine and earned his bachelor’s degree in Business Economics from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv in 2025. Daniil was admitted to 8/9 master’s programs he applied to. He loves video-editing and has a big following on English YouTube.

Thank you so much for doing this with us, Daniil. Can you tell us a bit about your background? I know our readers will want to hear about your life in Ukraine.

Growing up in Ukraine, since 2014, even despite living far away from the active warzone, it was impossible to ignore the Revolution of Dignity and later the tragic events in the east. Even my elementary school classmates, in third grade, skipped classes to attend the 2-million-person protest in Independence Square. 

[Editor’s Note: Daniil is referring to the 2013-2014 Euromaidan protests and Revolution of Dignity in Ukraine. At the time, it was the largest democratic mass movement in Europe since the 1980s.]

The thread of conflict was traced on TV shows, public discourse and even in the choice of summer literature for school students. But we didn’t truly understand the severity of the conflict until February 24, 2022, when the entire country became fully affected. 

We knew that Russia has been preparing a full scale invasion, but nobody truly believed it would happen, therefore that morning was a big shock. The next few months spent in a shelter were depressing, but I am one of the few lucky people to have not lost any family members or close friends to the field of fire. 

The danger in Kyiv specifically significantly decreased after the first few months, therefore most people came back and tried their best to live a normal life even in abnormal circumstances. The biggest challenge for me was accepting the increasingly divided society of the new world. Anything even remotely related to politics could trigger a hostile reaction from the emotionally scarred people, even simple things like movie dub language or origin. 

I know that it won’t go back to norm any time soon, but at least this situation taught me a few things about people and drastically increased the perceived importance of management, economics, and macroeconomics in my mind, giving me some motivation to study.

I’m not even sure how to respond, Daniil. I feel like we’d need a whole novel to understand the depths of your life and your country throughout these historic events. But we do—very much—appreciate you sharing this. How did your academic career develop throughout this time? Did you always want to study management and economics?

It is impossible for one to fully grasp the value of a management degree until they dive deep into the details of the system. The moment of epiphany came to me during my bachelor’s studies, in a Business Process Analysis course final exam, when I saw how much more tangible assets can be extracted from any business process over the same period of time.

Tell us about that epiphany. Could you explain it in layman’s terms for those of us who don’t have a background in management science?

In layman’s terms, it didn’t feel like I was doing something truly useful before that. I thought that hands-on jobs, like programming or building, were much more impactful. That is until I saw with my own eyes how much time a well-qualified manager saves for everyone. Then it became clear how important that job is.

I understand—efficient systems aren’t easy to come by. How do you envision studying and building those systems in your future career?

I hope this degree will be the last piece of the puzzle that allows me to bring my entrepreneurial ideas to life. I’ve already had my first product—a special mouse tape for gaming—fail due to the war in Ukraine. I believe that the combination of my past experience and my new education will help me bring even better projects to fruition, and make hundreds of customers’ lives better

I appreciate that positive perspective of entrepreneurship—how it solves problems and makes people’s lives better. Did that positivity grow out of your experiences in the war?

The war was the biggest humanitarian and economic tragedy I’ve ever experienced. It reduced my family’s income and forced me through the most difficult period of my life—seeking shelter in hideouts and bunkers while watching my business plans become impossible.

In retrospect, that shift in course gave me a myriad of valuable connections, allowed me to save money, and helped boost my GPA, all of which strengthened my application. With careful long-term planning and risk management, any economic turmoil is just one of the planned outcomes.

“Turmoil is just one of the planned outcomes”—what a powerful and sobering insight! Is there a particular person, mentor, or teacher who helped you develop this self-sufficient, pragmatic approach?

All the way back in high school, I had an outstanding math teacher. He was the best I’ve seen in explaining mathematical concepts, but despite teaching a math-oriented group, he never pressured anyone to do homework. It created an environment where everyone could learn in their own way, and only if they truly loved the subject. 

For the last two years, for personal reasons, he transferred to a different school—though each student blamed themselves for not being impressive enough to keep him around. That unique feeling made me grasp the deeper lesson: the importance of self-directed learning. That mindset ultimately led me to the University of Chicago.

Is there a particular book, class, or lesson that made a significant impact on you? Can you explain why it resonated with you so much?

The story of Singapore’s economic recovery. Lee Kuan Yew, arguably one of the best “managers” in history, turned a state on the brink of collapse into one of the world’s wealthiest nations by GDP per capita. What struck a chord with me was his unwavering commitment to building success not just for himself, but for his entire country.

To me, the ability to provide for others while shielding systems from freeloaders is the pinnacle of competence. It’s the kind of strength and clarity that inspires and motivates like nothing else ever could.

[Editor’s Note: Lee Kuan Yew was an unbelievably fascinating, if controversial figure whom Western people typically don’t know enough about. His memoirs are a must-read, as well this list of his greatest quotes.]

Business and Management Science Admissions

Alright Daniil, let’s jump to the primary focus of our interview: grad admissions. Specifically with regards to applications, what was the biggest obstacle you faced—or that you think others face?

The biggest setback was the uncertainty about the strength of my own application. That uncertainty affected my entire strategy—from how I categorized safety, target, and reach schools, to the emotional weight of writing essays for schools I thought were out of reach.

The moment I got my first admission letter, the task of modifying each essay became enjoyable.

Oh, that’s awesome—could you elaborate on why or how it became enjoyable? This could be something really important for future applicants to hear.

Certainly! The moment I got an admission letter from one of the high-profile universities, I felt like I could reach for the skies. Before that, in my head I was working on a slight possibility to get admitted, but after that I was working for a very clear tangible difference in my education quality.

I knew I wasn’t wasting time while also developing my storytelling skills, so there were no reasons not to enjoy it anymore.

With 8 of 9 admissions, you really achieved a special kind of success, Daniil—what do you think was the most important thing that helped you accomplish this?

My life story, and the amount of research I put into understanding each university’s culture and preferences. I’ve always prioritized endeavors that felt personally meaningful over those that simply boosted my GPA or looked good on a resume. As it turns out, that strategy was just as attractive to academia as it was to me.

Do you mean that you specifically chose universities whose goals for their students felt personally meaningful to you? What did that look like at Chicago?

That was part of it. UChicago is famous for attracting a particularly academically enthusiastic group of students who devote much of their time to studying. However, it has shifted away from that trend lately—especially in the business school, where soft skills are now equally valued. That creates a perfect balance for me. In addition, it’s well known for its strength in economics, a field I’m passionate about, which makes me especially excited to begin my studies.

What was the most difficult thing about writing your application essays? Or, what do you think other applicants really need to know about these essays?

Trying to say everything I wanted to say in just one essay—without losing the reader’s attention.

My advice: If you’re planning to use AI to help refine your writing anyway, start by writing out everything that comes to mind, no matter how long it is. Do all the trimming and vocabulary polishing afterward. That way, you won’t have to rewrite the same part over and over again. And hey—maybe the next university on your list actually prefers the long version.

[Editor’s Note: For editing academic language, we recommend Claude. In our own tests in spring of 2025, we found it does the best job of dealing with the kind of complex topics that grad applicants discuss in their essays.]

Were any WriteIvy articles or resources particularly helpful for you?

The “The Master’s SOP Starter Kit: How to Outline the SOP That Gets You Admitted.”, among many others, helped me make sure I didn’t forget to include anything important in my essay.

I’m so glad you found the Starter Kit helpful! Do you have any essay advice for future applicants that should probably seem obvious…but isn’t?

As Bill Gates wisely said, each application essay is a performance. Even if you spent your teenage years gaming, an expert essay writer could frame that as networking, community-building, and human resource management.

Use the right words, and the right idea will come across. So don’t be afraid to be authentic if you believe your experience is genuinely valuable. 

If there’s something you wish you could include in your essay (like, “I was on student council” or “I organized something”), think deeper—you might have a different, just-as-relevant experience that didn’t come to mind right away.

[Editor’s Note: This is amazing advice. The application essay is a sales brochure, and you are the product being sold! Whenever we’re talking about our past accomplishments, we need to dig deep and think about WHY the admissions committee should care. It’s not about WHAT we did, but WHY it matters: why it makes you more qualified than students who don’t have similar experiences, or, why and how that experience is directly relevant to your academic/career goals.] 

4 Things Daniil Thinks Every Student Should Know About Grad Admissions

• If you’re going to use AI for grammar and polishing, try different LLMs. Each one gives you a slightly different angle and catches different issues.
• Treat each essay as a performance—but be authentic.
• Doing everything yourself takes a lot of work. Start early, and take action.
• Your first essay won’t be perfect. Don’t start with your dream school.

Are there any particular types of students whom you’d like to inspire? What advice would you give them?

Students who dream of foreign education but are struggling and facing unexpected challenges. I got into the University of Essex three years ago, but couldn’t go due to political reasons. Now I’ve gotten my second chance. Don’t give up!

You’re an unusually talented person, Daniil. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know who you might inspire.

Automate your life. Respect your time—and the time of others. Each second saved in a commonly used system adds up to years of saved time collectively.

Here’s a simple example: most university applications across developed countries use similar UI elements and the same application management systems. Still, applicants have to re-enter personal information for every school. This could easily be automated or centralized.

People often notice inefficiencies like this in their workplace, but don’t feel bold enough to speak up. Be more open—and success will follow by inertia.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

Connect with me on LinkedIn.

Thank you so much for these fantastic insights, Daniil! You’re a legend and an inspiration.

 

Key Takeaways

Sometimes, it takes a person like Daniil to put our own experiences into perspective. Grad admissions is hard for everybody, but the idea of applying in the middle of a warzone—this forces us to consider whether our own difficulties are as horrible as we often imagine. And yet, despite the rarity of Daniil’s story, there are still extremely useful lessons for all of us to glean in here!

• Focusing on saving time—Doing so for others can be a powerful and noble vocation in the world. Entrepreneurship and management are great ways to pursue that mission—though they likely require an “unwavering commitment to building success not just for [yourself], but for [your] entire country.”
• Prioritize endeavors that feel personally meaningful over those that simply boost your GPA or look good on a resume. That strategy is just as attractive to academia as it can be to you.
• Put a ton of effort into understanding each university’s culture—The more research you do, the better your outcomes will be. (In fact, this may be the greatest “magic trick” of all in grad admissions.)
• Each application essay is a performance—Even if you spent your teenage years gaming, an expert essay writer could frame that as networking, community-building, and human resource management.

Deepest gratitude to Daniil for doing this interview with us! His story is beyond inspiring, and we hope it helps you live an inspiring story of your own.

Want more advice from grad students who’ve achieved incredible success? Read our other interviews here!