A Student Shares His Ivy League Acceptance - and how he got there...

I arrived home and my family was waiting for me in the dining room. The room was quiet, our faces portrayed anxiety, and tension filled our every thought. We had been waiting on this day for years and it was finally here. My dream school, Yale University, had pledged to unveil its admissions decisions at 6 pm and it was exactly 6pm when I walked through the door. I immediately ran to my computer, opened it up, entered my password, and double-clicked the blue Safari icon. It felt like a century went by as I waited for the web browser to open up. As soon as it opened up, I typed in the link for the Yale admissions login page and I proceeded to type in my username and password. All of a sudden, my computer made a sound and a notification filled my screen, “Error. The username you entered is incorrect. Please try again.” “Perfect timing,” I muttered to myself as I entered an alternate username. I was a click away from learning my fate for the next four years and my computer was telling me that I had the wrong username. I moved my cursor to the ‘Login’ button once more and there appeared a letter notifying me of my admission into the Yale University Class of 2017. What happened after that consisted of screams, hugs, kisses, kicks, jumping, fingers erratically pointing to the sky, and tears of joy. I did it. I broke the cycle of dropouts, minimum wage workers, felons, and the drug abusers that men in my family and in my community tended to become. I refused to become a statistic and I had achieved admission into one of the top universities in the country. The day was so surreal to me because it had happened hundreds of times before…in my head. I can think back to staring out of the window on the light rail or walking home late at night and imagining opening up my acceptance letter. However, this time I wasn’t imagining, I was living my dream.

I say this story for one reason: to attempt to portray the pure happiness that resulted from achieving a goal that I worked for every second of everyday for four years. The beautiful thing about it is that everyone is capable of attaining that same sense of accomplishment. In the greater scheme of things, my college application process has been fairly successful as I received admission into: Amherst College, Boston College, Brown University, Duke University, Georgetown University, Marquette University, the University of Miami, the University of Notre Dame, Princeton University, Rutgers University, University of Southern California, and Yale University. I will be attending Yale University this coming fall. In retrospect, as I look back on my journey through the college application process as a whole, I can’t help but point out that the most vital aspect of my application was that I was myself. College applications are firm indicators as to whether an applicant is genuine or not. Those attempting to be someone that they are not in their application are easily pointed out. This goes for all colleges as all colleges are searching for students that are truly passionate about what they do. Furthermore, aside from being oneself, something else important that I have realized is the significance of standing out. College application readers read thousands of applications so you have to find a way to make them remember your application. My application stood out because I was well rounded and I was passionate about using education and a profession in the legal field as a vehicle to become successful and to help change the misleading perception about the importance of education in low-income neighborhoods. My personal statement stated, “Unfortunately, the consensus regarding the importance of education in my neighborhood is nearly nonexistent. The harsh reality is that kids living in my neighborhood tend to pursue harmful activities such as drug dealing and gang violence because these activities are tangible. Furthermore, attending college is immediately ruled out because of the misconceptions about the economic status and mental capacity needed to do so. I plan to change this misconception by proving that empty pockets cannot hold anyone back, and that anything can be achieved with hard work and passion. I will prove that urban roots can be used as an advantage because of the diversity they offer, the independence they instill, and the fire that they ignite.” My application also consisted of a story about how I attained a job at a prestigious law firm by walking into the office of a partner of the firm and asking for a job. My story showed a bold commitment to getting what I wanted no matter how daunting the task was. I also took on multiple leadership positions such as: President and Vice President of the Student Council, President and Vice President of the Law Society, a member of the Ignatian Scholars Leadership Team, and a member of the National Honor and National Spanish Honor societies. Outside of school I participated in programs such as the High School Law Institute at Columbia University and Toastmasters International, a program that helps members to sharpen their public speaking and leadership skills. I also worked multiple jobs as a: Legal Assistant at Connell Foley LLP, a switchboard operator at Prep, a Christmas Tree Salesman, and the founder of the Prep Reach Program at Prep that assisted the advancement office. From a strictly academic perspective, my GPA was about a 4.0, my SAT was a 1940 out of 2400, and I took eight AP courses and six honors courses. Every single one of my college essays (Personal Statement and Supplemental Essays) were revised over ten times by teachers, employers, family members, friends, and I. Every school that I applied to except for Rutgers, Marquette, and Miami interviewed me. Prior to interviewing, I took part in various mock interviews with Prep alumni and family members. After the mock interviews, I had a good idea of how I wanted to portray myself and of what parts of my application I wanted to highlight. I made sure to serenade every school by mentioning specific aspects of the school that appealed to me. I worked closely with my guidance counselor, providing him with ample detailed information about me.  I requested  recommendations from my employer and two outstanding teachers who know me well. My counselor was able to recount my unique narrative, and my teachers were able to shape a compelling image of my academic life. Afterwards, I made sure to thank them for their efforts and I kept them apprised of my admission status.

In summation, I made sure that my application stood out and you should make sure that yours does as well before the college application process begins. Everybody possesses unique interests, abilities, and experiences. It is up to you to identify what yours are and to embellish your application with them. One thing that I realized from attending accepted students events across the country was that every student that I met had a story that made me say, “WOW.” Successful college applicants stand for more than grade point averages and SAT scores. Successful college applicants stand for things that they are passionate about. Dig deep and find your passion. If you have any further questions regarding the college process please do not hesitate to e-mail me at cruzisiah@gmail.com.

                                                                                   

Sincerely,

                 Isiah Cruz ‘13