<p>What a wonderful journey you kind folks led me on. Without you I would have been lost in the college search jungle. Your guidance led me to apply to Kenyon, Grinnell, Vassar, Swarthmore, Pomona and Williams. I have not gotten a packet back from Swarthmore yet, but Williams, Pomona, and Vassar have all sent me word of acceptance. Williams has cast a particularly attractive lure: a free campus visit, and a tentative financial aid package so comprehensive that I will be left paying only $4,000 a year. I should note that my mom and stepfather are separated now, and Williams seems to have taken this change into consideration. Perhaps Pomona has too, but their award would leave my family paying some $11,000 out of pocket each year. Vassar has yet to send me its financial aid package.</p>
<p>On top of these great offers come three surprising decisions. The first two: Grinnell and Kenyon waitlisted me. Perhaps I should not be too surprised, because it is a habit of second-tier to reject their top applicants in order to protect their yield. But the Kenyon rejection is especially painful because I found its campus absolutely magical. I visited in the autumn when its trees were dressed in beautiful yellow and orange, and I even interviewed while there and made my interest clear. I would honestly have turned down higher-ranked schools to go to Kenyon if only they had offered me a scholarship.</p>
<p>The third surprise is that I have been offered a spot at Princeton University. On a college tour last week I stopped by Penn, Swarthmore, Vassar, Harvard, and Yale, and I agonized over which path of education was better: the liberal arts college with the tight community, the committed professors, the beautiful campus and the quaint town versus the sprawling university with rich history, jaw-dropping architecture, grander opportunities and greater prestige. In my heart I liked the small colleges best, but my mind salivated at what universities had to offer. When I visited Princeton I learned that I could have both. Its residential colleges provide a strong community; the University focuses its greatest resources on undergraduates; the campus was gorgeous and unbroken by city streets; and the town was quiet and quaint. I walked away from Princeton knowing it was my top choice, but I felt a twinge of sadness after leaving because I did not think I would be back. I am extraordinarily humbled to be part of its 2018 class.</p>
<p>My commitment is tentative, for a small snag has caused my aid award to be delayed. But given Princeton’s endowment and history for financial generosity, I expect its offer to be workable. My thanks go out to everyone on this board who has lent me their help and their heartwarming care. Your encouragement, across my many threads and at multiple stages in my process, pushed me to pursue the wonderful opportunities that I now have today.</p>