Issue link: http://latinschool.uberflip.com/i/96440
Alicia Singham Goodwin ���10 Alicia Singham Goodwin seems unconcerned with the advice ���Don���t put all your eggs in one basket.��� When applying to colleges last fall, she sent in only two applications ��� one to MIT and one to Yale. Her gamble paid off; Alicia started at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology this fall. But she���s quick to point out that it wasn���t much of a gamble in the first place. ���I applied to MIT Early Action and learned in November that I got in. That took the pressure off, so I knew I didn���t have to apply to any backup schools.��� Early Action means Alicia both submitted her application and received MIT���s decision months ahead of her classmates. If you are seriously interested in a school, she says, it���s a step you should consider. ���The security makes senior year so much easier. I went into the regular application period already knowing everything was going to be okay.��� Before committing, Alicia did a lot of legwork to prepare for her application. She started brainstorming what she wanted from a school early junior year. Campus visits began shortly after that. Ever the organizer, Alicia gathered as much information as she could at each step. ���I made multiple visits to schools I really liked. I met with Latin grads at every college I visited. I did a lot of introspective thinking. I even made Excel spreadsheets to compare schools!��� Alicia says, laughing. Alicia���s parents played a big role in helping her analyze what she had seen on tours. ���On the car rides home we discussed every nitpicky detail. Having to articulate from the beginning what I saw and liked was helpful. That���s how I learned things growing up ��� debating around the dinner table.��� Alicia knew her future school would have to boast strong programs in math and science. Eventually, Alicia wants to become a teacher of the hard sciences, and both her college choices offer departments rich in resources. She also wants to stay politically engaged while at school. ���I���ve always enjoyed local, grassroots campaigning. It���s always seemed like my personal obligation to get out there and get involved.��� In the end, Alicia decided on MIT precisely because of how strongly the school���s community united her two passions. ���The nerdiness definitely appealed to me. Also how creative everyone there seemed. You get the feeling that an MIT student could invent something in the lab, then take it out and save the world.��� n ��� Tiana Pyer-Pereira ���03 ���I made multiple visits to schools I really liked. I met with Latin grads at every college I visited. I did a lot of introspective thinking. I even made Excel spreadsheets to compare schools!��� Latin School of Chicago 27