10 minute read
Usa/Canada Acceptances
by The Quill
College Acceptances in
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and the USA
Nupook Suthisampat
Johns hopskins university: Environmental & Public health Studies
First of all, congratulations on getting into Johns Hopkins University! What major did you pick, and why? I’m going into Environmental and Public Health Studies! I chose this major because I really want to give back to society, and I’m also interested in environmental and public health issues around the world as well as those prominent in Thailand.
Can you tell us a bit about your college application process? What stood out and/or was unexpected for you? My college process probably started since sophomore year when I was picking my AP classes, so I view it as more of a cumulative experience rather than just a senior year thing. Something that was unexpected was that I didn’t get into my Early Action choice in December. That was really disappointing, but I looked into Early Decision II programs, which is where I got into Johns Hopkins! Something that stood out to me was probably taking all the tests during the time COVID-19 impacted a lot of things. However, I think testing is my strength, which is what actually got me into these schools because my GPA is definitely not the best. So I encourage everyone who’s applying to college in the US to take these tests and prepare for them early on!
Are there any final last words for underclassmen who are applying? Don’t just look into the rankings! I know it matters a lot, but college is not all about that. You need to look at where you’d fit in best. Really look into the curriculum--even which system the college operates in, like whether it’s semester or tri-semester based. Look into those little details and find what best fits you.
Guy Jothaprasert
University of toronto: Compsci and Art & sciences (Economics)
Congratulations Guy! Why did you choose this University and major? I chose University of Toronto simply because it’s in Canada and I think that it’s a much better fit for me there. A lot of people don’t actually want to say this, but it’s because I plan to move out and live my life there. The reason I chose to major in psychology and arts & sciences is because I don’t really have any real interest in what I want to study except for helping people or doing something useful for the world. I think that no matter what, any of the three majors can be used to help people. What was the application process like for you? What was especially stressful for you? The application process was honestly straightforward and easy. If you don't wanna write essays in applications (or not a lot of them), CANADIAN UNIVERSITIES ARE FOR YOU. They're quite simple, fill in the blanks and details, and write just a bit about yourself and your academics. Honestly, the hardest part is the brief video essay they ask you to submit (spontaneously), but it's quite easy, just a bit on the spot and the really expensive application. At the end of the day, the application process was really smooth and easy.
What were a few key takeaways from your application process? I think that some of the key takeaway points from filling out the application was when I was filling out my application on why I wanted to go to engineering and UBC and trying to write why I wanted to join Johns Hopkins. When I was writing my essays on why a certain major or why a certain university, I realized that a lot of research has to be done to write this and that you truly want to attend that university. I was on the verge of a mental breakdown writing it. Know what you want and own it, or you will have a really hard time writing genuine and personal applications.
What was your proudest achievement in High School? I think that the proudest achievement I've had in high school was when I got the best chair at MUN. I think that I was so proud of it because I built my reputation and my ability over the years and trial and error and finally succeeded in making my mark. For me, it's a symbol of strength, perseverance, and proof that success comes with work (and some luck). Any advice for the underclassmen? Um… Here's some random ideas to have: 1. Know what you wanna do and not back out; 2. Research the university well; 3. Don't stress about applications; 4. Keep working on your passions and go on from there; 5. Just remember this advice from Operation Varsity Blues: "everyone can get into university - it's just that everyone wants to get into the same ones."
Pann Sripitak
university of Stanford: Computer science
Hi, Pann! Congrats on getting into Stanford, one of the top 5 universities in the world, and through early action, at that! What are you planning to study there, and what made you decide to apply in the first place? Stanford is great in that I don’t need to commit to a major right away, so I’m still considering between Computer Science and Symbolic System (which is basically AI-centric Computer Science along with aspects of Linguistics, Philosophy, and Psychology). Stanford caught my eye right away not only because of its academics but also its very quirky culture, which I thought was a good fit for me.
What was the application process like for you (what was especially unexpected, challenging, difficult, etc.)? Of course, the application process was stressful for me. There were so many essays to write and many forms to fill out. It was also super time-consuming since I think I read over and revised my Stanford application at least 20 times. Surprisingly, though, I didn’t mind writing the essays at all. I actually thought they were pretty fun, and ironically, I learned so much about myself through the process of introspection while brainstorming essay ideas.
What are you looking forward to the most at Stanford? Definitely the people I’d meet there. I feel like Stanford is a place where bunch of quirky people gather together, and I’m very excited to get to know them more.
Any final words/advice for future underclassmen who’ll be going through the college application process? Start early! There’s a lot of essays to be written, but if you start early, you won’t have to stress about it as much when the deadline approaches. The quality of your essays will significantly improve as well if you just spend more time with them. Also, talking to upperclassmen helped me a lot, so reach out to your upperclassmen for advice!
BlINK CHAISUPARAKUL
Congratulations on UC Berkeley! What helped you to choose this university and studying Chemical Biology? I chose UC Berkeley because the university’s college of chemistry is very well-known and highly ranked. Also, I believe that surrounding myself with brilliant and competitive students will drive me to achieve higher goals in the future.
Besides studying your major, what is another thing you’re excited to learn about in university? I want to learn to become a street-smart person who can survive in this real-world situations. I want to know how to cook and also do laundry by myself, haha.
What things are you looking forward to in becoming a more independent adult? I’m looking forward to becoming financially independent and being able to invest in many assets; also knowing how to pay taxes.
Looking back on your college application process, what advice would you like to give to underclassmen? You don’t have to get high SAT scores or GPA to prove that you deserve to be there. If the college administrators actually see your value, they will accept you unconditionally. Write essays that make them want to see you in person or want to know more about you. Don’t write them too academically but focus on your voice and tremendous passion.
What are you scared about going into college? I’m scared that I’m not deserving to be there. I feel too stupid to be among those brilliant, talented people. However, they accepted you for a reason, so don’t underestimate yourself.
Timothy Pyon
Brown university: neuroscience
Congratulations on making it to Brown! What do you plan to study there and why? Thank you. I plan to study Neuroscience. I’ve always been interested in hard sciences, and then, after taking Biology, I became more interested in the brain. So I took some summer Psychology classes, AP Psychology, and I also took a Neuroscience course over the summer which I really enjoyed.
What are some things that you’re really looking forward to about attending Brown? I guess college in general -- new experiences, meeting new people, and starting a new part of life, mainly.
What are some things that helped you decide on Brown? I think the college tours, like the visitations, hearing about it from people that go there -- like my brother -- as well as learning about the culture at Brown.
Was there a point when you were really stressed during the application process? Yes! Especially when I was writing my essays. Writing my essay was very stressful, the supplementals and the common app essays. And the period when I was just finishing off my application.
What is something you learned through the application process? I think something that I learned was working thoroughly -- of course, you learn that in school, but like I said, I wrote close to 15 drafts of one essay, so working thoroughly to make it the best it can possibly be is, I think, worth it.
What’s one piece of advice you can give to all the underclassmen? Don’t choose a school that you think will be the best name necessarily, choose a school that’s right for you because even when you’re writing essays they ask you to write about their school specifically. If you don’t have anything you really like about your school, you won’t be able to write a good essay and it just won’t be as good of an application.
CAROLINE CONRAD
Cairn University: marketing & graphic design
Firstly congratulations on getting into Cairn University! Why did you choose to go to Cairn University? I chose Cairn because they had the option to be in person or online for the time being at school. This was a very important factor for me as I wanted to be on campus and have classes in person for the first year of college. Another factor that drew me to Cairn was the fact that I am able to continue playing sports which hopefully will help me not get the freshman fifteen.
Did you have any requirements/opinions when looking for a university? I didn’t really have any specific requirements but just wanted a school where I thought would best fit me especially during the times of the pandemic.
Which major are you planning to take? Marketing and graphic design.
What was the application process like? The application process was pretty easy because I had worked ahead and had been thinking of college essay ideas during my junior year.
What are you looking forward to in college? I am really looking forward to being independent and not having my mom force me to eat vegetables and fruits every day.
Any advice for the underclassmen? It is very important to be practical and realistic under the circumstances you are in and also attend the college club meetings as you will gain advice about many aspects of college life and the application process.
