High grads, Ivy Leaguers, share insight to success

Jenny Le and Shawn Du know what it takes to get admitted to an Ivy League university.

Le just completed her freshman year at Harvard University, and Du has finished his first year at Princeton University.

Now the 19-year-old Clear Lake residents, both summa cum laude graduates of Clear Lake High School, are reaching out to high school students in their community with similar goals.

Le and Du created an Ivy Exam Club that has allowed students to take free proctored SAT exams Fridays at the Freeman Branch Library, 16616 Diana Lane, Clear Lake. The final session is July 22.

"We really believe test prep is key (for successfully applying to college), and it's not fair if students can't afford it," Le said.

"The SAT is one of the easiest ways to improve your application," said Du, who said he's been enjoying the opportunity to help high school students this summer and offer them advice. "It feels great, personally."

Le said she remembers her own efforts to make herself a competitive applicant.

"It helped having someone I could talk to, so I could understand the process," she said.

"Because most of the high school students who take the course are from the Clear Lake area, too, we can talk and share stories. We're able to connect to the students and give them one-on-one attention."

In her case, it was her older sister, Ngoc Le, who encouraged Le to work on grades, take challenging courses and prepare for the SAT.

At her sister's urging, Le worked with her on the vocabulary portion in sixth grade. Middle school may have been a bit early, Le said, but she would encourage students to start preparing no later than the ninth grade.

"Test preparation is a gradual process," said Le, who is considering a career in business or in law.

Du urges students to practice for the SAT as frequently as possible.

It also helps, he said, to get involved in extracurricular activities.

"As long as you have a few, as long as you're passionate about them, colleges like that," he said.

By their senior year of high school, students can do little to dramatically change their grade point average, he continued, but they can improve their applications by devoting effort to their essay questions.

"Everything else is just numbers," Du said.

"The essay is what sets an applicant apart.

"The most important thing is to be sincere and personal."

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Why I will be studying at a US university

Alexandra Morton UK student

One student starting at Princeton this autumn says it was the incredible facilities at the Ivy League university that clinched her decision.

Alexandra Morton, 18, has turned down offers from four top UK universities – including Cambridge – to study at Princeton, in the US, this autumn.

Morton says it was the breadth of subjects and "incredible facilities" at the Ivy League university that clinched her decision.

The Cheltenham Ladies' College pupil will study for a four-year liberal arts degree, but hopes to major in English literature.

She is one of a growing number of UK students choosing US universities over their UK rivals. Morton says at least 10 of her school friends are also going to be undergraduates in the US this autumn.

"I'll be able to pick a subject that I have not studied before, such as Italian or Russian," Morton says.

She visited some US campuses with her parents three years ago on a family holiday. "Princeton was really impressive. It had a massive library and a beautiful campus. Some of the UK universities have buildings that are spread across cities, Princeton is more concentrated in one place."

The full cost, including tuition and living costs, comes to $60,000 a year (£37,000), but Morton will be in receipt of financial aid, which works out at a 15% to 20% discount.

Morton has lived in the UK since she was 11, but lived in the Middle East and Canada before that. "It is daunting to move, but it is really exciting," she says. "I'll discover a new way of life."