Looking Back

The Ivy League Connection is a unique program. It offers students an incredible opportunity to visit colleges and experience a little of what college life is like themselves. Most students would never be able to afford to go to the East Coast for a summer program at an Ivy League school, and many don't even bother to investigate them as possible college choices. The Ivy League Connection not only changes the lives of the students who are accepted into the program, but also all the other students with whom those students talk about their experiences and what they learned.

I participated in the ILC the summers before both my junior and senior years, and it has been a truly valuable experience for me, from the application process and the interviews to the college tours and the courses themselves. My first year, I applied to the Vanderbilt program, my first choice, but didn't even get an interview. Nonetheless, I applied again that year, to the Physics program at UPenn, and was accepted. I didn't know what to expect, and the whirlwind of college tours and information sessions seemed to fly by in a blur. I came home at the end of that summer a little more knowledgeable about the college applications process and what I wanted in a college, a little more experienced, a little more mature, and a little more independent.

The next year I was determined to succeed where I'd failed the year before, and I applied again to Vanderbilt after double- and triple-checking my essays to make sure there was nothing I could do better. My determination paid off, and I became part of the Vanderbilt ILC cohort of 2015. Determination in the face of failure was the first lesson I learned, but far from the only one. This year I was much more invested in the college information sessions, knowing that I was only a few short months away from applying. The whole experience was incredible, with a wonderful cohort that bonded immediately, a class on math, and a program that was fun and exciting. I flourished in the atmosphere of the Vanderbilt Summer Academy. I learned about college and admissions, and got new ideas for majors I'd be interested in. I came home ready to go off to college and learn about everything... unfortunately I'm not quite there yet. I still have the whole admissions process to get through, not to mention graduating high school.

I returned home with my excitement for learning rekindled, and I'm excited to talk to friends as well about the incredible opportunity the ILC is, and everything I learned from the experience.