Over the years, several La Salle students have been admitted to elite universities which are widely recognized across the nation for their prestige. This year three seniors have been honored with acceptances to the University of California at Berkeley, Stanford, Dartmouth, and Harvard. The Falconer had a chance to sit down with these individuals and learn a little more about what allowed them to reach this pinnacle in their high school careers.

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Alex Yeo

Alex Yeo is looking forward to attending the University of California at Berkeley, a distinguished university with a slim 14.8% acceptance rate, next fall. Yeo is still undecided on a major, but he is leaning towards computer science and/or mathematics, two areas in which Berkeley is recognized for having strong programs.

In order to make himself as competitive as possible for college applications, Yeo has challenged himself throughout high school with a variety of intellectually stimulating AP and honors classes, such as AP English and AP Physics.

“I think AP and honors classes can be great ways to be competitive for college, but I do not think it is necessary to take these classes if they do not interest the student,” Yeo said. “For example, I was particularly interested in science, which is why I took multiple science classes during my sophomore and junior years.”

In addition to thriving under a rigorous academic load, Yeo is involved with many extracurriculars — including golf, chess, and student government — and has completed many service hours through Kaiser Permanente, the Montana Immersion, and other various organizations. On top of this variety of activities, Yeo has also been playing piano in his spare time for many years.

As a senior who has already gone through the stressful process of applying to college, Yeo has gained much wisdom which may help underclassmen. “Start on your essays early,” Yeo advises. “One thing I regret is not working on them early enough; for several schools, I procrastinated and did not have enough time to edit my essays.”

“Another thing I recommend is to try out different activities early on in high school and commit to a few of them instead of trying to do many activities,” he said. “Finally, I would say that it is extremely important to do what you enjoy instead of only doing things for the sake of college or other reasons. It is much easier to commit yourself to something that you enjoy.”

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Myriam Yao

Still only 16 years old, Myriam Yao was accepted to variety of noteworthy schools, including Stanford (4.7% acceptance rate), Dartmouth (10.3% acceptance rate), and Santa Clara where she was offered a full-ride presidential scholarship.

In the fall, she has chosen to attend Stanford due to a good financial aid package, as well as the school’s academic opportunities and name recognition. Yao is currently undecided on a major, but she is considering pursuing international relations with a minor in economics.

During the past four years, Yao has taken full advantage of the many challenging courses offered here at La Salle, including Honors and AP English, Chinese, and more. She is also a member of the varsity cross country team, varsity track team, and the speech and debate club. Outside of school, Yao spends time regularly volunteering at the Oregon Humane Society, which she has been involved with since she was twelve.

Although she insists that she is not an expert on college application advice, she still has a lot of insight to offer to those who are about to embark on the journey of applying to college.

“A lot of people say that high-level colleges no longer look for ‘well-rounded’ students; rather, they want people with high achievements in a particular area,” Yao said. “I do think that students should find one or two things they love and spend a lot of time on those things rather than filling their time with clubs and activities in which they have but mild interest. It would be a lot more fun the first way, and you’ll have a higher chance of winning national awards or something, which can’t hurt your college application.”

As far as more selective schools go, the process may seem daunting at first; however, Yao has also gained knowledge in that field which may help prospective underclassmen.

“Some schools have acceptance rates around 5%, but at that level acceptances are very, very random — they’ll admit or reject someone based on his or her ‘personality’, or just how the admissions officers are feeling that day,” Yao said. “Essentially, for many people it’s a lottery, but if you apply to a lot of good schools the odds can be more in your favor. In fact, studies show that although it is really difficult to get into top level schools, getting into any one of the top level schools has gotten easier, simply because of the lottery thing.”

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Sean Henson

Sean Henson will be attending Harvard in the fall (5.2% acceptance rate), a school which he has dreamed about for as long as he can remember. Although he is still undecided as far as which major he will pursue, he is considering both pre-med and international business with a focus on French.

Throughout his four years at La Salle, Henson had challenged himself with an assortment of AP and honors courses which include AP Physics, AP Chemistry, AP English, and Honors French. Aside from academics, Henson also plays for the varsity tennis team, is a member of student council, plays piano for an orchestra, and works part-time at Nuestra Cocina.

Henson explains that his key to successfully managing his time-consuming list of activities along with academics ultimately comes back to solid time management, a skill which can take years to master.

In order to be competitive for more selective universities, Henson thinks that it is important to be a well-rounded applicant. “It’s [also] cool if you have a talent,” he added, explaining that it will set you apart from the crowd.

After his acceptance to Harvard, Henson has some advice which may help underclassmen, especially juniors, as they prepare to apply to college — regardless of whether it is a prestigious university.

“I’d say they should take hard classes and participate in extracurriculars of course, but they should also find something they’re really passionate about and work hard at it — whether it be art, music, speech and debate, or something else,” Henson said. “When college admissions time comes around you can reflect that passion in your application. For me my passion was the outdoors and I was able to write about all the time I’ve spent backpacking, rafting, and camping all across the Pacific Northwest and what that time meant to me in my Harvard essay and I think that it’s what helped me gain my acceptance.”

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It is definitely a challenge to be accepted to an elite university such as these. Hopefully this advice will aid any aspiring underclassmen who are striving for such an honor. Make sure to congratulate these three hard-working individuals the next time you see them!