University Bound: Highlighting Camden N.
Each year, our graduating students are accepted to universities all around the world. The College Counseling Office works closely with each student to find universities that best fit his or her goals and interests to ensure that s/he continues to excel. With the University Bound series, we highlight some of their stories. This week's interview showcases Camden N., a senior in the IB program, who will be attending New York University (NYU) next year.
Congratulations on your acceptance to NYU! Can you share with us what made it your top choice?
It’s funny looking back because I never would have thought that NYU would end up ranking #1 on my list. In fact, I was really adamant my freshman and sophomore years about not going to New York City, but my college counselor convinced me to go out during Winter break my junior year and look at some schools. Those three days (devoid of all exhausting tourism activities) completely changed my perspective of the city, and I found myself loving it, missing it, and wanting to be back. What set NYU apart, in particular, was its options for undecided students. Unlike other schools where I would have to apply undecided in a specific faculty, NYU’s Liberal Studies Core will allow me to filter into any faculty of my choosing after the first two years! Other than that, I just loved the ‘vibe’ I got during my tour. I had a little notebook where I would take notes on all the tours, and NYU was the only one where I ran out of space on the page. Everybody seemed very well-rounded and friendly, the campus was gorgeous and very international (something I wanted to carry from my high school experience into my college one), and they had a very impressive study-abroad culture that I’m very excited about!
Do you already know what you plan to study? What types of clubs and activities are you excited to participate in on campus?
As mentioned above, I applied and was accepted to the Liberal Studies Core, a.k.a, I’m very undecided! There are so many subjects available at college that you’re never really exposed to in high school, and I wanted to give myself the opportunity to explore them. Who knows - there could be a subject I’ve never heard of out there that I end up loving and majoring in! As far as extracurriculars go, I’m also keeping an open mind. I definitely want to join one of the many musical theater groups, that’s been a big aspect of my high school life that I’d love to continue, and what better place to do so than the home of Broadway! Some more things I’d love to dedicate more time towards are NYU’s Feminist Society, intramural rock climbing, and potentially a running club, but a more laid-back one. I’m also keeping my fingers crossed for finding some way to pick music back up again. I used to play piano but stopped halfway through high school because being a student was becoming too big of a time commitment, and I needed a break. I’d definitely consider getting back into it!
How do you think your time at LFC has prepared you for success in college?
Great question. I don’t think I can answer this in full right now, seeing as I have yet to be at college and truly test out whether or not this school has adequately prepared me. Still, I definitely have a hunch that the LFC has made me qualified, if not overqualified, to take on the challenges of college. The IB program in particular has really made me hone in on my independence and time management. From what I’ve heard from my friends who have already gone to college, the difficulty level as well as the workload shouldn’t make for too shocking of a transition. Beyond that, I think the LFC has done an excellent job teaching me how to talk to teachers, receive and give constructive criticism, keep an open mind, and collaborate with my peers, which are all good skills to have in college.
How did you approach your college admissions journey? Create a balanced list? Take advantage of global opportunities? Utilize the resources available to you at school and at home?
Having grown up in an international family and having attended international schools, my search pool was basically limitless when I first started out. Obviously, my closest options were the United States and Canada, but a lot of my friends were looking at Europe, so I figured I would too, and when I was a little girl, the dream was always to go to Australia (where my dad is from). It took me a lot of time and thought to whittle that list down to practically just the northeast coast. I was very attracted to the U.S.’ holistic approach to admissions, as well as that stereotypical college experience that you see in the media. At the end of the day, though, it came down to distance. I’m a very independent person, but I’ve never lived alone, and I wanted the reassurance that if something were to happen to me or someone I loved, I’d be able to get home quickly. For that reason, I ended up only applying to schools that were within a three-hour flight from Chicago (which the northeast is!). Some other strategies I had were to do a ton of research, tour as many places my college counselor recommended as possible, and attend a bunch of random college rep visits in the library. Sometimes it’s the schools you’ve never really heard of that surprise you!
Do you have any advice for future LFC students going through the college application process?
I think the most important thing I’ve taken away from this process is, believe it or not, to take it less seriously. This might be controversial, but the college search these days is ridiculously overwhelming. In my opinion, we’ve started placing way too much emphasis on this idea that the better your college, the better your future. I believe that this is actually quite a stretch from the truth. College feels like the end destination when you’re in high school, but it’s actually your square one. You can go just about anywhere and do just about anything from there! We shouldn’t be telling teenagers that they’ll be less successful in the long run if they don’t spend these four years overworking themselves for the prestige of high-ranking universities. As much as I take into account how privileged I am to be able to even consider schools as reputable as NYU, I was and still am a very strong believer that the schools you apply to should fit you, not the other way around. To any freshman, sophomore, or junior reading this, know that you are going to do amazing things regardless of where you go or what you study. College will shape you, but it won’t define you. This is only your beginning!