Emma

We often hear from students, “I would love to get as much done this summer as possible because I know senior year will be busy.” As we got to know, Emma, however, it became clear that “busy” was an understatement. Our first priority became reducing stress for her and  her family.

Emma was a cheerleader throughout high school and elected team captain. She was part of a three-year leadership academy that included teaching second-graders in Belize. She joined Kids Helping Kids and was twice selected to travel to the Dominican Republic. She progressed upward through the organization, serving first as a junior mentor, then one of seven super mentors training other mentors, before being elected a natural helper and finally to the executive board.

Emma thrived working with others, so we recommended she join The Short List’s first-ever summer group class for families looking to expedite the early application process. Emma’s group consisted of six students and two counselors. Each week they tackled another step in the process and collectively completed their common applications shortly after Labor Day. Weekly assignments kept the process moving forward in a manageable way so Emma could maintain a summer job as a lifeguard. She quickly stood out as the student who came to each call prepared, spoke up during the group sessions, offered feedback to others in her group, and welcomed their feedback in turn. 

At school, Emma served as a teacher’s aide and had long considered becoming a teacher herself. The Short List helped her research schools with strong academics, school spirit, and affordability. She visited several and took careful notes, comparing one school to the next. She was accepted to every school she applied, even one to which she hadn’t applied but that offered her an acceptance because her application was so outstanding.

Emma was thrilled with her choices, but one school stood out from the rest because it based tuition rates on academic major and earning potential after graduation. That meant she could get the education she wanted without becoming burdened with student loan debt that would make teaching less feasible a profession.

Emma decided Duquesne University was the perfect school for her goals. She announced her decision at a family gathering toward the end of 2018, and then got back to her busy senior year.