By Fariha Fawziah
At this time of the year, seeing juniors gather in the college office to sign up for the Common App, I started reminiscing about being in the same situation last year. To help better inform the juniors about the college process, I decided to interview some high-achieving seniors (who will all attend top universities this coming September) to ask their advice.
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This coming fall, Mayra Miranda will be attending Cornell University (The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences). Derek Betances will be attending Stanford University, while Justin Desprebiteres will be attending the University of Pennsylvania.
Mayra: I wanted Cornell University because it was my dream school and offered a degree for my career. My major is biological engineering, which is not a very common career choice. The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences was a perfect fit for me because it combines my passion for sustainability and science. No other school offered what I wanted. I thought to myself why not? Even though I knew it was a huge commitment and I haven’t even visited the campus yet, I just followed my heart.
Derek: QuestBridge was a once in a lifetime opportunity to get into my dream college with a full scholarship. I knew I wanted to apply from the second I learned about it.
Justin: I wanted to afford college, and I knew I fit the criteria for the scholarship. But also, I was raised by parents who didn’t go to college, and so I would be the first. I knew that applying through Questbridge would alleviate the stress of applying to 19 other schools through Common App.
Q: Did you seek or get help from school guidance counselors?
Mayra: Yes and no. The guidance counselors, teachers, and college advisors are usually very busy at the beginning of the school year. Even though they had helpful feedback, they weren’t the main persons who helped me. I applied to this program called Bottomline in my junior year. My mentor Justin helped me graciously with my college application. I truly believe that my college application would have gone differently otherwise. I think people should seek outside sources for help.
Derek: They introduced me to the scholarship, reminded me that this wasn’t something to procrastinate on, and told me that even the smallest chance to get it was worth giving it my best.
Justin: The Guidance Counselors helped me enough, but not for the financial aid portion. They were hesitant [about that part] which forced me to do everything on my own.
Q: How complicated was the process? What were the steps and how long did it take?
Mayra: I think it gets more complicated if you have less time. I was stressing out to figure out my school list, applications supplements, etc. It took months to get a concise list.
Derek: There were multiple essays to write, and the application asked for a lot of background information on my parents and me. I also had to get my recommendations in order, and review and edit my essays multiple times. The process took a few weeks.
Justin: The process was definitely tough but doable. I started my college application in early August because of the program I do called Seizing Every Opportunity (SEO). After I came back from New Zealand, I started bootcamp at SEO. By the time school started, I already had a draft of my personal statement. It took a couple of months to finalize my essay. After the college application was complete, I had to worry about the financial documents which I had to go and find. The financial process was complicated as it took months for things to process. Imoortant steps for that process are (1) start your essays as soon as possible, (2) look at the schools you want to apply to, and (3) finalize that list. For me, I was undecided [about my major], so I looked at UPenn which is known to be the best in everything. I knew that there I’d have the opportunity to do everything I want. My advice? Start everything early, because teachers need time to write your recommendations. Remember to look for scholarships; I know I needed to look for more.
Q: Did you visit the school before or after you were admitted? What has your experience with the admissions staff been like so far?
Derek: I visited the school after being admitted. Stanford provided a travel grant, housing, and food for the duration of my visit. Everyone I met was extremely kind, and the admissions officers were able to remember specific details from the admitted students’ applications.
Mayra: No! But I spoke to people from Cornell. They were very passionate about their career programs, and described what I was looking for.
Justin: I visited the school junior year with SEO in the spring on a college tour. It was a gloomy day but I looked beyond that. I was walking on the Locust Walk and there were so many clubs outside. Everyone was happy even though the day was dreary. I haven’t visited since then, but I’m going to try to do a pre-freshmen event before class starts. As long as you show persistence, the admissions staff will be fine. It depends on who you find when you’re on the phone.
Q: How do you think your college experience was unique or different from others?
Mayra: I did not do any supplements for any other school. Not because I felt confident I was going to get in, but because I could not speak honestly about my passion for any other school besides Cornell. It was really hard for me to say that I wanted to go to another school when I really didn’t.
Derek: As a QuestBridge match, I knew what university I would be attending before anyone else in my school. It also saved me the effort of applying regular decision to colleges via CommonApp.
Justin: My financial process may have been a lot different. I remember going to every floor at the SEO office to look for someone to help me with the papers that were required. I know I wasn’t the first person to go through that with something like this. With patience and persistence, I was able to get through it. You need to self-advocate for yourself so much when you don’t fit the standard. My journey was in a way both different and not so different. My goal was to get a full ride at college, which is what I essentially got.
Q: What advice would you give to those that want to do Early Decision?
Mayra: Please, emphasize the EARLY part of it. When I was a junior, I had already scheduled my SAT for June and October and my SAT subject tests for August. I started my essay and a summer program. Good luck to everyone!
Derek: Don’t be afraid to try your best. Just because it’s very competitive doesn’t mean you don’t have a chance. Make sure not to procrastinate, and have someone help you with editing your essays.
Justin: Only do Early Decision if you’re completely sure. Take the risk with Ivies, or the top schools you want to get into. Doing Early Decision definitely took away a lot of the stress of Senior year, so I suggest doing Early Decision so it can be the same for you. Ultimately, the advice I would give is to advocate for yourself a lot. A lot of people are first-generation college applicants, or don’t have many resources, so you should take advantage of everything you do have. When you’re in a system that’s against you, it’s necessary to understand that it’s fine to ask for help.