Journey to College Acceptance: The Waiting Game is Over!

For this week’s installment of our series “Journey to College Acceptance,” we checked in with senior Stewart Gray to hear about his latest college acceptances and his progress towards making the daunting decision of choosing a college to attend next fall.

In the fall and winter, Stewart applied to a total of 19 different colleges: University of California (UC) – Berkeley, UC-Irvine, UC-San Diego, UC-Santa Barbra, Carnegie Mellon University, Cornell University, University of the District of Columbia, Georgia Institute of Technology, Harvard University, Harvey Mudd College, University of Maryland – College Park, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, Pomona College, Rice University, University of Southern California, Stanford University, University of Texas – Austin, and Yale University.

So far, Stewart has been accepted to 13 of the schools to which he applied, including Yale University, Stanford University, and Northwestern University, with waitlist placements at Harvard University and Harvey Mudd College.

Here, Stewart reflects on his college acceptances, and shares some of the criteria he’s looking at to make his final decision.

Which college are you most surprised at gaining acceptance?

I am surprised by all of them as they are among the top institutions in the country and the world. In particular, Stanford had a 5% acceptance rate – the most selective of academic institutions in the US, and Yale had one of the lowest acceptances within the Ivy League!

Do you have a top choice among the schools that have accepted you?

Making a decision of which school to attend has been a little stressful considering the pressure I’ve received from others, but it’s a good decision to be making! I am currently leaning towards Stanford, but I like to believe that college is what one makes it, therefore making it improbable to make the wrong choice.

What factors are you looking to help you determine your decision?

I am trying to gain as much information about both schools before making a decision. Location is a factor for two reasons: opportunities and distance. San Francisco is a little over an hour from Palo Alto, and New York is also a train ride away from New Haven – so they are equal in that regard. However, I’m not sure if I will have the financial means to travel from California to DC or Maryland more than once a year. By comparison, train tickets to and from Connecticut are cheaper.

Congratulations Stewart Gray! You have not only made the Thurgood Marshall Academy family extremely proud, but your family and yourself. Continue to inspire your fellow students and your community!