Choosing a college is one of life’s big decisions, and the process of getting in is an exciting — but often stressful — rite of passage. To find out what that passage is really like, U.S. News visited T. R. Robinson High School in Tampa, Florida, in late April to ask a group of seniors what went into their calculus for deciding on a college.
RHS is a neighborhood school whose International Baccalaureate diploma program attracts about one-third of the student body. Nearly a third are connected to the military, with family members stationed at nearby MacDill Air Force Base.
The school population is diverse: 47 percent of students are white; Hispanics comprise more than 21 percent; and African-American students account for 15 percent. Nearly half qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Eighty-five percent of students go on to college. Here’s how eight seniors found the right fit — and what it took for them to make the cut.
Wanting to be a writer, Scharf is headed to Brown University in Rhode Island to major in English. Since his particular interest is music criticism, he was looking for an open curriculum — one without a broad set of distribution requirements — or a “good music scene” or better yet, both. Brown is a two-fer; Providence is known for its strong and vibrant music life.
While he got into the one Ivy he applied to, he was denied by Amherst College and wait-listed by Vanderbilt University and the University of Chicago; he also was accepted into the University of Florida‘s honors program. He considered other schools but ruled them out after visits.
” Williams College was a bit too touchy-feely for me, and that’s saying a lot for a sensitive guy,” he says. Nor did he warm to Princeton University.
One of the biggest challenges for the wannabe writer was trying to tell admissions about himself in so few words. “It was like being given one page in The New Yorker,” he says.
GPA: 3.94
SAT/ACT scores: 730 math, 800 critical reading, 680 writing
Extracurriculars: Varsity soccer, school spirit club, reviewed concerts for a Tampa magazine and volunteered at a music festival.
Essay: “I found an obscure thing about each school and wrote how it applied to me.” For Brown, he used the concept of the university’s nudity week, a series of events exploring identity and the human body, to discuss who he really is when stripped down to his core.
Biggest help: A mother who volunteered at the school’s writing center helped him focus his thoughts. “I probably would not have gotten into Brown without her help.”
Visits: While they can help you rule a school in or out, he found that doing a five- college road trip was overwhelming. “It kind of becomes a farce of itself,” he says, adding that “parents ask the most inane questions.”
Advice: “Start early to give yourself time to reflect,” he says, noting that he opened a College Board account on Aug. 1, the day the new The Common Application was released.
This story is excerpted from the U.S. News “Best Colleges 2017” guidebook, which features in-depth articles, rankings and data.
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How I Got to College: Abram Scharf originally appeared on usnews.com
