Journey to Preferred University: Nicholas

I am delighted to share my experience with my university applications and how I eventually committed to the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. 

I applied to both UK and US universities through UCAS and CommonApp, intending to major in Economics in the UK and Computer Science in the US. From the personal statement for UCAS to the multitude of essays in the CommonApp, drafting and editing took place throughout many late nights. On top of that, in gathering letters of recommendation from various teachers in differing departments, I was eager to display my well-roundedness and positive impact in classrooms, fulfilling steps closer to my final application. When my applications were complete, a mixture of excitement, relief, and anxiousness took over me. 

On the 28th of January, at 4:27am, I received my first acceptance from the University of Michigan, my top choice in the US. I was shocked. Having watched many videos of students getting rejections over rejections in top-tier universities in the US, the acceptance seemed so unlikely, as I refreshed the page over and over to still see that there was no error, I had been accepted. I had also been selected for an advanced selection in computer science, the major I had intended to pursue. With UMich being my first acceptance early in January, I was filled with relief for the rest of my applications. 

UK decisions started to arrive throughout April, where I was offered a place in UCL, Edinburgh and Warwick. To be honest, I was not nearly as excited opening these decisions as I was from the University of Michigan, but still thankful for their places. My intent to pursue Economics in the UK came from familiarity in A-level Economics, a subject I enjoyed and wished to pursue in the UK. However, knowing that even larger than my passion for Economics lied Computer Science for its evolving nature and applicability, I decided to commit to the Umich, an easy choice to me boasting its large-reaching reputation, massive funding for technological facilities, and being located in the tech and engineering hot zone of Ann Arbor.

I’d like to commend BSKL, especially Ms Galloway and Mr Milliner for their immense support during the drafting of my personal essays. On top of that, I’d like to thank Mr Walker, who edited my essays during retirement, and Mr Biggs, who wrote my letters of recommendation during his holiday in Africa. I appreciate that these teachers, despite already carrying a heavy workload, can still take time off to support the students of BSKL. My best life lesson learnt at BSKL would be to always find support, whether it be friends or teachers, and share thoughts with everyone. Sometimes the greatest support can be found unexpectedly.

My parents have always been supportive of me, and whilst have never given me any academic pressure, hoped to see the best for me. They ultimately put the final decision on which university to go to solely on me, although they gave massive indications to go to the US instead of the UK. 

For future graduates of BSKL on University admissions and course choices, definitely start early on your applications to make them perfect, as you only have 1 chance each year. Know exactly what you intend to do and pursue as many extracurriculars outside of school related to that major, and if you don’t know what you want to study, start narrowing down on your choices from GCSE or A-levels. Research each university and course thoroughly as ultimately you’re deciding how to spend the next three to four years of your life - understand the experience you wish the gain from each University (don’t decide on universities randomly or base preferences off of rankings).