CoryLevy.com

College worries began during the summer between my sophomore and junior year. Between two awesome summer internships (TechStars and Union Square Ventures), I participated in a Summer Study at the University of Colorado in Boulder. I took Business courses and a Kaplan SAT course.

The main reason I was there was for this Kaplan SAT course. I did not do as well as I would have liked on the practice tests. Because the actual SAT was months away, I did not put as much focus into the program as I should have. Anyways, following the Summer Study, I knew that I had a ton of prepping to do before the “real” SAT. I do not do extraordinary on standardized tests. As a matter of fact, I very much dislike the ACT and SAT. You cannot fairly test one’s academic ability (or one’s chances of success in college) on this four-hour test. After months of prepping, I ended up taking the SAT. I took this test three times. To sum it up, I was not too excited for colleges to see my standardize test scores.

My high school grades are above average. My school does not rank, but I have an A average. Throughout high school, I did not take many advanced courses. I took a total of four advanced courses (one my sophomore year and three my senior year).

I would not be able to do what I am passionate about (tennis and entrepreneurship) if I were to take more advanced (or as admission directors like to call it, “challenging”) courses in high school. I had to make choices, and I was fully aware that these choices had consequences. If I could go back in time, I would not do anything differently.

I had a unique high school profile (average testing scores, good grades, and phenomenal extra-curriculars). That being said, I was not sure how college admission counselors would respond. So, I applied to MANY schools. I applied early decision to Stanford. I hosted a conference there in November, and a professor wrote a letter of recommendation for me…but that didn’t get me in. After Stanford, I had three top college choices – Duke, University of Texas, and University of Illinois. I did not get into Duke, but I was offered admission to the University of Texas and to the University of Illinois. For months, I was split 50/50 between the two schools. Within the next few days, I will make and announce my final decision.