Double success for USA bound students
A level students Maegan Pratt and Rahim Raja are enjoying a double celebration after both students were accepted onto the prestigious Sutton Trust US Programme 2017, which will see them travel to America this summer to spend a week at one of the country’s top universities.
The highly competitive programme is aimed at high achieving students and this year it received over 1000 applicants, which was then narrowed down to just 150 students who were selected to take part in the international residential in July. The two Cronton students have successfully passed the application and weekend interview stage which took place in London in March.
Maegan, previously from Wade Deacon High School and Rahim, from St Gregory’s High School, are both studying their A levels at Cronton Sixth Form College. The students applied for the programme after meeting with former Cronton student Emma Humphries who successfully gained a place at Smith University in Massachusetts with a full scholarship after completing the programme in 2015.
Emma recently came back to Cronton to meet with students who are part of the Prestigious Universities Programme at the college; a programme which helps to prepare students for the rigorous entrance exams and interviews at top universities in the UK and abroad.
Maegan, who will be travelling on a plane for the first time, will be spending a week of her summer at the prestigious Ivy League, Yale University in Connecticut. At the same time Rahim will be travelling to Massachusetts to spend a week at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), which is one of the world’s top universities. Both students will experience American university life and will also have the amazing opportunity to visit other universities, including the Harvard University fair and will gain insight and support into the USA university application process and financial support.
Maegan said, “I was so excited when I received the email telling me that I had received a place on the USA programme. I already feel like the programme has given me a lot more self-esteem because it forced me out of my comfort zone. I made lots of new friends at the application weekend in London and I am looking forward to seeing them again in America in July.”
Rahim added, “I had seen other student’s application videos and they were very good. When I knew other applicants had received their acceptance emails, I was nervously refreshing my emails awaiting mine. When it came through I was very excited, not only had I been accepted but I had also received my first choice of university. The whole process has already heightened my ambitions and made my dreams of studying in America more realistic. It has also given me the motivation to work really hard so that I can achieve the results needed.”
Paul Jackson, Physics tutor at Cronton Sixth Form, said, “I am delighted for both Maegen and Rahim. They are two of our most dedicated science students and it is fabulous that they have secured a place on the Sutton Trust USA programme. They will both benefit hugely from this experience; it will help them to make important decisions when deciding on universities to apply for in the future.”