(Photo Credit: Ayushi Mistry)
- What other schools did you apply to?
“I ED’d to GW, but I EA’d to all my other schools: Penn State, Rutgers, Seton Hall, Stony Brook, and Northeastern. My tactic was to apply to all of my schools early, and if I didn’t get accepted to GW early, then I would have applied everywhere just to see where I got in so I would have my pick of schools. Luckily GW accepted me so that I didn’t have to take that extra step.”
- Would you recommend Early Decision?
“I would 10000% recommend Early Decision. I followed advice from a senior when I was a Junior who told me that an ED is an important option that should be used very wisely. Most students use an ED in an Ivy League school, but it is just a fact that an Ivy League will be a lottery no matter how amazing your application is. Along with that, an ED does not increase your chances of getting accepted to an Ivy by much at all. I truly encourage anyone who has the means to use an ED to go for it! I used it to secure a spot at my dream school, and it was genuinely the best decision I made.”
- What AP classes did you take at BT, and do you think they helped you prepare for your college major?
“During my time at Bergen Tech, I took AP Lang, AP Lit, AP Microeconomics, AP Psychology, and AP U.S. History. I definitely think that all my English classes taught me how to write sophisticated essays under pressure, and the detailed criticisms definitely gave me a focus as to what I needed to fix. AP Psychology gave me a taste of college with the lecture based learning style. Although I’m not going into business, I was able to learn things about our economy that I never knew from AP Micro. Some examples being how the supply/demand market works, price floors/ceilings, and even different types of competitive markets such as monopolies/perfect competition. As a future political science major, It definitely helps to know how the American economy works. Overall, I think every AP class has its niche that anyone can benefit from.”
- When you were applying to BT, what made you choose your major?
“If you know me, you know that it has always been my dream to go into law. When applying to BT, it was no question that I would be applying to the Law & Justice major to put me on track for my future career. However, due to mistakes in admissions, I ended up being admitted to the fashion major. Now, I would have never chosen fashion on my own, but I have to say it is one of the best things that’s ever happened to me. I am extremely close with Ms. George and consider her one of my mentors, and I also met my two best friends in fashion whom I would’ve never met if I had been in law. Furthermore, it was the fashion major that introduced me to the FCCLA program where I was able to compete in a public policy competition at the national level. In fact, this was the topic of my supplemental essay for GW! Overall, I learned so much from fashion from basic life skills such as sewing garments to being able to show my passion through a program that was supportive of me vocalizing my beliefs.”
- What are some tips you have about writing your college essay/the college application process?
“START EARLY!!! I know everyone says this, but procrastination is actually the worst thing you can do. Personally I started my personal statement and my supplemental essays in early June of my Junior year, and I was done with everything by September. I strongly suggest just getting it done as soon as possible. You want to be able to enjoy your senior year without stressing about meeting deadlines.”
- What do you think stood out about your application?
“I definitely think my extracurricular activities stood out in my college application. Throughout high school, I made sure I got involved as much as possible and took advantage of every extra activity or volunteer opportunity that came my way. Some examples of this are being captain of our competitive cheer team, being a leader in IIDT, taking part in FCCLA at the national level, playing softball, and being an active member of various clubs. However, I didn’t just join clubs for the heck of it, everything I did throughout high school was because I enjoyed/had an interest in it, and because it connected to my future in the legal field. I think that is very important because it shows colleges that you are setting yourself up for success, and go into college with previous knowledge about the field.”
- What is one rule you lived by throughout your entire high school career?
“One rule that definitely got me through high school was just to get work done in advance as much as possible. Bergen Tech can definitely become stressful especially during your sophomore and junior years. Just keep the mindset of keep doing what you have to do, so then you can do what you want to do. I can’t describe how many times I finished my work for the week early to enjoy a stress-free week. This is super important to keep up morale and honestly just take the weight off your shoulders for a little bit. Getting the motivation to do this can be hard, but once you get started, it is the best thing you will live by in high school too!”
- What are you most excited for in college?
“I’m most excited to finally dip my toes into the legal world officially. I plan to scout for an internship on Capitol Hill ASAP. I am very big on experience-based learning, so I hope to surround myself with people who are in the position I wish to be. Living in DC is something else I’m looking forward to. Living in a big city for college has always been my goal, but living in a big city with such a rich history and surrounding myself with government and politics every day is just a dream come true.”
- What is the most challenging task as a senior?
“Honestly, just pushing through these last few months is the most challenging. Especially after committing, all I want to do is stay home and sleep. I remind myself every day that high school does not come around again, and especially being a senior, these are my last few months being a teenager who has little to no responsibilities besides just being a student. Once I remind myself that this experience isn’t forever, getting out of bed in the morning gets a whole lot easier.”
- General Advice to Students
“If there is anything taken away from this interview is that DO NOT APPLY TO COLLEGES YOU WILL NEVER GO TO! So many people I know (including myself) are guilty of this. There is no reason to spend time, effort, and money applying to schools that you would never go to even if you got accepted. This will save you so much unnecessary stress. My advice would be to apply to about 3 safety schools that you would genuinely consider attending for me, those were Penn State and Stony Brook. The rest of the schools on your list should be target or reach schools (top schools) that you would have a high probability of attending if you got accepted. There is no reason to apply to schools that you would never attend, taking away from someone who would attend.”
- SATs advice (like when to start and what your goals should be to be successful)
“My advice when it comes to the SAT is definitely to start early. Personally, I started studying mid-way through my sophomore year. I set a realistic goal of what I hoped to achieve, and I also gave myself a timeline. I knew that I wanted to be done with the whole SAT process before the summer before senior year. I ended up taking my first SAT in December of 2022 which was in my junior year. After not reaching my goal, I switched tutors and got to the point where I was taking 2 practice tests a week. I ended up taking it again in May of 2023. Unfortunately I ended up getting the exact same score LOL. After talking with my parents I decided that going to the optional test was the best choice for me and I never even took it a 3rd time like many recommend. Looking back, I wish I wasn’t so hard on myself and strict with scores. I realized that there was so much more I had to offer in my application than a SAT score and honestly the avoided stress that came with not taking it a 3rd time was totally worth it.”
- What were some of your biggest challenges in the application process?
“I would say my biggest challenge was honestly perfecting my personal statement. After spending months trying to make it perfect, it was so hard for me to cut it down so it would fit the word count. It was so frustrating because there was so much I wanted to include that I had to cut out because it wasn’t directly important to the themes of the story. A really interesting way that I overcame this was taking a break from reading the essay for 2-3 weeks, then coming back to it with a fresh pair of eyes. This really helps you view your essay from an outside perspective and changes become much easier from there.”
- Given as this is a struggle for many students, how did you come up with your personal statement topic?
“Being that I wrote a lot about my extracurriculars in other portions of my application, I knew that my focus couldn’t be about any sports or activities. I come from a very family-oriented background, so I always knew that my family would be a big part of my personal statement. From here I did a lot of thinking as to how I can talk about my family without losing sight of myself. From here I used an experience in my life as well as my family’s life that changed us all and how I have learned, grown, and matured from it. No matter your topic, you have to ensure that there is something to be taken away at the end of your essay, and that it reveals something about YOU!”
- What is your intended college major and plans for the future (in college and beyond)?
“At GW I will be majoring in political science with a concentration in public policy. Along with that, I am in a master’s program that will help me accelerate my education and earn a master’s alongside my bachelor’s degree in 4 years. Once I graduate, I plan on studying for the LSATs and going to law school. Now I know plans and people change over the years but I can without a doubt say that no matter what, I will end up in the legal field one way or another.”
