This school is academically competitive, and every year students apply to high-ranked colleges. While students are always accepted to a variety of top notch schools, it is rare for anyone to be accepted to the Ivy League’s Harvard University. For the first time in 10 years, a student here has been accepted to Harvard, and the student’s name is Liam Hall.
Hall’s interest in the university and his preparation for the college application process was influenced by his family. “I have one parent that is an alum at Harvard, so they got me aware of the opportunities that exist there, and I have a brother that went through the college process, so I knew what to expect from the college application scene. I showed a genuine interest in the university,” Hall said.
Hall says he feels he was accepted into a school that receives thousands of strong candidates for an interesting reason. “I did not want to spend my four years of high school just trying to get into college, so instead I just focused on things that I was interested in. I think that you can succeed more when you participate in things that you are passionate about and put your heart into and I think colleges can see when students do that. I also participated in some unique things like being a member on my neighborhood homeowners association board,” Hall said.
As president of the SGA, Hall works is constantly working with other students, and they can see his dedication to everything his is involved in. “He always works hard and does whatever he can to ensure that everything the SGA does goes well. He is definitely passionate about improving the school community,” classmate of Hall senior Matthew Winson said.
Hall’s teachers have also noticed his desire to learn and work hard. “He has a strong level of dedication and a genuine desire to be successful. He seems to have a wide range of knowledge,” English teacher Zach Hardy said.
Students have different preferences on the atmosphere they prefer when opening college decisions. Hall wanted his moment to be more low-key, but could not help getting ecstatic when he received an acceptance. “I did not want my opening of the letter to be a huge thing. I was by myself in my room and my parents were downstairs, and I did not expect to get in so when I saw I was accepted I got excited. My parents went and told my neighbor who is also my godmother and she started yelling and my other neighbors even came outside. It was an exciting scene,” Hall said.
A competitive university like Harvard can open up opportunities for a student, but they do not come without stress and it is important for an incoming student like Hall to be ready to face the pressure. “I am excited to be around exceptional people. I think it is going to be a great time. I think that when you are in that situation, you can’t focus on comparing yourself to others. There are people that are experts in anything you can imagine, so comparing them is not fair to yourself,” Hall said.
