Name: Brunnell

Home City & State: Bronx, New York

HS GPA: A/A-; School does not calculate GPA

SAT/ACT Scores: 1840 (CR-600, M-610, W-630)

How many schools did you apply to? 11

Which ones? SUNY Binghamton, CUNY City College, Clark University, Connecticut College, Hamilton College, Vassar College, Brandeis University, Columbia University, Amherst College, Dartmouth College, and Princeton University

Were you surprised by any of your admissions decisions? I was surprised with Dartmouth's decision. I thought I had an excellent interview and was likely to have gotten in.

Did you apply early decision/early action to any schools? Are you happy with your decision? No. Early decision is not for everybody. In order to do that, one has to be sure that the school is their perfect match.

Where did you get in? SUNY Binghamton, CUNY City College (with full merit scholarship), Clark University (with $10,000 scholarship), Connecticut College, Hamilton College, Vassar College, Brandeis University, Columbia University, and Amherst College

Did you get waitlisted anywhere? Dartmouth College. I decided to stay on the waitlist only to see if I could get in. I wasn't planning to attend. However, Dartmouth didn't have any empty spots.

Where will you be next fall? How excited are you? Amherst College. I am soooooo excited. I already have an idea of courses to take. I fell in love with the school ever since my first visit. The campus is just beautiful, mountainous, and hilly. It reminds me of the Mountain School.

Why did you choose the school you did? It was between Amherst College and Columbia. That was a tough a decision. I was considering staying in the city because I wasn't too sure whether I wanted to leave my church. Even now I am not too sure. However, Amherst represented an intimate, (somewhat) rural residential experience that I also longed for and something that I wouldn't get at Columbia.

What advice do you have for surviving the admissions process? If you don't get in to dream school, it doesn't mean you aren't smart enough for it. Take advantage of the school you eventually do decide to attend and work your butt off in order to remain competitive. Get as much help as you can get. Don't obsess over one school. Finally, do not freak out during the process. College will not determine your happiness or success. It is your talent and drive. If you have a talent that you're passionate about, develop it to the fullest.

If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently, if anything? I would have applied to more reach schools like Williams and Swarthmore. The only schools that I seriously gave thought or saw myself attending were Columbia, Amherst, and Princeton. It is so hard to find schools matching needs. Despite this, I would most likely end up at Amherst anyway if I didn't get into Princeton.

Anything else? I really enjoyed doing Eye for Apply. I hope that those of you who want to attend an elite school remember that life isn't about getting into a selective school. That was something I learned during the process.

Brunnell