DSA Ivy Acceptances

Anticipation courses through seniors’ veins as the looming dates approach: college admissions. For some, however, the anxiety is heightened by the caliber of the school they’re applying to; for a handful of students, they waited anxiously for the acceptances from the best of the best, the Ivy League.

DSA’s Class of 2026 has not one, but three Ivy League accepted students, a higher number than DSA has had in many years. Getting into such schools requires a certain level of dedication and commitment that pushes applicants to dig deep with their strengths. The pressure and competition is incredibly steep, leaving applicants with worry and anxiety,

“The anticipation of opening the letter was far more nerve-wracking than the act itself. When I finally opened the letter, and the confetti appeared, it felt surreal,” Ella Roselli, the student council vice president and Yale admittee, said, mentioning her lack of expectation for the letter.

“I genuinely didn’t think I had a chance, but this moment made it feel like all the hard work I had put in over four years had paid off,” Rosselli admitted.

Jake Hillygus recounted his acceptance as ‘a weight off his back’, a chance to continue with his passions outside of high school. Hillygus, who got into Cornell, described how his passion for the school stems beyond his senior year.

“It’s a huge wave of relief, because I’ve wanted to go to Cornell since kindergarten. It’s always been the bird school. It’s, like, the best place in the world for ornithology,” Hillygus marveled. 

Hillygus has been known by himself and the people around him for his love of birds. For him, the acceptance to Cornell is the pathway to who he wants to be and what he wants to find, especially after a journey through high school that wasn’t always the smoothest.

“Freshman year, I’d say my biggest struggle was being social. Sophomore year was probably [AP] Gov. The classroom didn’t really align with my learning style. Junior year, there was just a whole lot of stuff, a lot of APs. My biggest struggle recently has been finding the motivation to do any kind of work,” Hillygus shared.

When asked the same question, Rosselli took a different approach. She focused less on the school aspect of her last four years.

“Balancing school and extracurriculars was probably my biggest struggle for me in high school. Since I put a lot of my energy into music, I had to figure out how to juggle everything,” Rosselli disclosed. 

For schools like these, the accademia is next level, with everything being\ looked at. Despite the stereotype that Ivy League-aspiring students have to only focus on academics, this is not the case at all for these seniors.

“Find a passion in your life and pursue that. That really helps with college applications and makes you stand out. They get so many applications from people with straight A’s, 5’s on APs, 1600 ACTs, but most people still get rejected or waitlisted, because all they do is academics,” Hillygus advised.

Senior year is often so stressful for students, as everything begins to feel real or come to a close, so people tend to try to cling to things, slowing time down. While relishing in the time you have is imperative, so is pushing yourself towards what you can be and do, reaching out and taking action. 

“I wish I had made better use of my summer before senior year. Aim to finish those essays as soon as you can, and try to gather different viewpoints. It’s not about sending them to everyone, but finding people you trust and getting their insights!” Rosselli urges.

College seems so far away, until it isn’t. For these seniors, they’ve put the work in, and now they’re reaping the rewards, while also finding the time to live.

“In my future I’m really excited about meeting new people and discovering new places, all while gaining a fresh perspective on the world,” Rosselli concluded.