As we enter winter break and the January 1 deadline for many US universities is quickly approaching, we have interviewed past Sentinel Sun alum Alice Lee about her experience with the application process, academics, extracurriculars and school life in general. Read more to get some last-minute application tips on application and school tips, particularly for Grade 12s!
What is your biggest tip for admissions?
Find your strengths and highlight them in your applications. To do this, I recommend writing out everything you have done (courses, activities, experiences, hobbies, etc). After you’ve written everything out, find out where your strengths and weaknesses lie; Once you’ve pinpointed them, try to create a ‘theme’ surrounding your strengths through what you’ve done, whether those are classes or activities. Highlighting them in your application will help admission officers better understand who you are as an individual!
What do you think you struggled with the most?
I struggled the most with resting enough while balancing my commitments and school work. I learned that sacrificing sleep weakens your performance drastically (through the hard way!). Therefore, it's better to feel well-rested before a test than to cram the last couple of hours before. I still emphasize sleeping at least 7.5 hours each day even in college right now and it has helped so much with my attention span and productivity!
How did you balance academics, extracurriculars, and applications?
It’s important to know that it’s impossible to bring the same energy to every single commitment you have. You only have certain hours in a day and you will have to decide where you will dedicate your time and what you will have to sacrifice in order to do it. I found it helpful to do this with the help of a calendar to map out time slots for work and deadlines for applications; This helped me avoid potential obstacles during busy times.
Also, I found that finding a purpose or meaning to why you do what you do is super helpful in persevering when times get TOUGH! If you can find some meaning in what you do, it will make the process much more enjoyable even if it won’t solve all of your problems.
Now that you are enjoying life in London/Europe, what do you think was your biggest takeaway from the experience?
Sometimes you just have to YOLO to let life take you in the direction you need to go in. Studying abroad in the first semester of university was a non-traditional academic pathway that felt risky to me. However, I have learned so much about myself and others through this experience and would not have traded it for the world. If you feel drawn to something, don’t think twice about it! Don’t rob yourself of an opportunity just because other people think it’s a bad idea. There are so many more opportunities and experiences in the world that await us than we think.
You were involved in various initiatives and clubs during your time at Sentinel. Do you have any advice on leadership and finding opportunities for involvement?
I highly recommend exploring and finding what you’re passionate about first. Some ways you can find out is through attending clubs, community events, or other learning opportunities. Once you’ve found a “niche”, find ways to learn about all the opportunities available to you, whether that’s googling them on the internet or asking past students who have experience in what you want to do. I find word of mouth and social media great ways to find leadership opportunities (This is my way of saying go follow all of the clubs you’re interested in on Instagram!). I find that word of mouth is also a great way to learn about opportunities that may be hard to find; It’s a great idea to ask people who have already done what you want to do!
Any extra comments?
Life gets better! Being a student at a rigorous school like Sentinel is definitely not for the faint of heart. However, you will become a seasoned veteran and well-prepared for the future. Believe me and believe in the process. Stay strong, you got this! I’m so proud of you all!
Thank you so much, Alice! For those of you who would like to learn more about Alice Lee, check out our previous interview with her on The Kairos Times.
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