Two Cranleigh Upper Sixth girls are delighted to have received places at Harvard and Colgate universities this year. Attracting applicants from around the globe, Harvard typically has 40,000, gaining a place is a significant achievement and we are immensely proud of Tess S and Alice W for their achievement, continuing in the footsteps of students who have won places and scholarships at Brown, Dartmouth, Michigan, Cornell, Columbia, Southern California and Miami in the last three years.
Both Tess and Alice are premier league hockey players and they were attracted to American universities because they offer the balance between academic study and sport with the opportunity to travel around the US playing matches.
For Tess, who is off to Harvard, ‘I wanted to apply to the highest academic institution I was capable of getting into, that would also allow me to continue my athletic career.’
For Alice, ‘I decided to apply to the US because of the great opportunities offered: getting an amazing degree as-well as playing hockey at a very high standard.’
The application process is strenuous and complex entailing strong performance in standardised entrance tests and numerous essays. Ivy League schools do not offer talent or academic scholarships but they do offer financial aid, which is means-tested.
Alice, on the other hand has won a sports scholarship to Colgate and this involved not only strong academic performance but an early start to a process which involves connection with coaches and plenty of filmed footage.
Both Alice and Tess paid tribute to the work of Mr Neill who is experienced in providing the right support for applicants, and the advice Alice and Tess and give to all applicants is to start preparing early, if this is your goal.
For Tess, ‘being a well-rounded applicant is key! The American universities want extracurriculars as well as a strong academic base.’
This chimes so strongly with the Cranleigh ethos that no doubt many more Cranleighans will be finding their futures in an American university.
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