This high school student, named Kwasi Enin, is a true academic prodigy who excels not only in his studies but also possesses talents in sports and music.
Waiting for Harvard
According to reports, Kwasi had already received an acceptance letter from Princeton University as early as last December, and six other universities had also notified him of his admission. At 5:30 PM on March 27, Kwasi received an acceptance letter from Harvard University.
Kwasi himself felt very excited. He told reporters, "I feel like this is impossible." He said his original expectation was to successfully apply to "maybe two or three" Ivy League schools, and he never expected to be "accepted by all." Especially since the Harvard acceptance letter arrived late, Kwasi had originally thought it was just a rejection letter.
Well-Rounded Development
In addition to his excellent grades and graduating with straight A's, Kwasi is also a shot putter, a baritone singer, a violist, and a hospital volunteer.
According to reports, Kwasi took the SAT (the American college entrance exam) three times until he achieved a satisfactory score of 2250 (the maximum SAT score is 2400). This score ranked him 11th out of 647 students in the senior class at William Floyd High School.
Success Odds Comparable to Gambling
Kwasi is a first-generation immigrant who moved to the United States from Ghana with his parents. Both of Kwasi's parents are nurses at a hospital. Kwasi himself also volunteers in the radiology department at Stony Brook University Hospital. Kwasi's father said, "We are proud of him. When he was a child, we taught him and hoped he would achieve success. Now, he has proven himself."
Many "Academic Prodigies" in the Family
Several of Kwasi's cousins have also successfully applied to Ivy League schools, but Kwasi is the only one to have secured all 8 acceptance letters.
Kwasi's high school guidance counselor, Winkler, explained that the success rate of applying to major American universities, especially Ivy League schools, is sometimes no different from gambling, because each university has its own unique scoring system, which is somewhat mysterious to the public. In other words, being admitted to one prestigious school does not mean one will necessarily be admitted to others.
Teacher Overjoyed
Winkler stated, "When Kwasi told me he had sent applications to all 8 schools, my heart was pounding. For us, just applying to one or two of them is a big deal, and getting accepted to one or two is even more incredible."
What Do Straight A's Represent?
High school graduation requirements vary by state in the US. In New York State, where Kwasi is located, if a student achieves an average score of over 90/100 in five major categories—Global History and Geography, US History and Government, Comprehensive English, Mathematics, and Science—they are considered a straight-A student.
Looking Forward to Financial Aid
Reports indicate that the average acceptance rate for Ivy League schools this year is less than 9%, and Harvard University is the most sought-after, with an acceptance rate of less than 5.9%. Even Cornell University, which has the highest acceptance rate, is only at 14%.
Kwasi's goal is to work in a pharmacy-related field in the future. However, Kwasi has not yet decided which university to attend. Due to family financial reasons, he is still waiting to see if any school will provide him with financial aid. He told reporters that if possible, what he would most like to study is biomedical engineering at Yale University.
There are 8 Ivy League schools in total, including Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Princeton University, Yale University, and the University of Pennsylvania.
These 8 schools are all prestigious American universities with long histories, but they are all private universities, which also means that attending any one of them requires high tuition fees, with total annual costs ranging between $30,000 and $50,000.
In addition to the 8 Ivy League schools, Kwasi also received acceptance letters from Duke University, SUNY Geneseo, Stony Brook University, and Binghamton University.