Elizabeth ’21

Elizabeth spent her high school years in a Connecticut boarding school’s Global and Environmental Studies program. She studied French and Arabic and earned the Honors Tea Award for “Best Student in a Language Class.” She joined Model UN, became an officer in her school’s UNICEF club, and was awarded the “Norton Center Initiative — Charitable Blend.”

The Short List helped Elizabeth plan summer programs, including a dual-immersion French and Arabic trip to Morocco and a photojournalism trip to Vietnam and Cambodia. The crowning moment was a chance to study in Jordan her 2019 — 2020 junior year. Then COVID disrupted everything in the spring, and she quickly boarded one of Jordan’s last flights out of the country.
We hoped good test scores would offset Elizabeth’s incomplete transcript, so our test prep division worked closely with her. She improved with each mock test and was ready to perform well…before her test site cancelled the test, and each of the next five tests she registered for.

Once we knew Elizabeth would be applying test optional, we encouraged her to focus on her extracurricular activities senior year. She became an Environmental Proctor, UNICEF Club President, Residential Advisor, and Tour Guide, all of which showcased her desire to create community.

St Andrews in Scotland, with their dual program in Art and Middle East and Islamic Studies, became Elizabeth’s top choice. We brainstormed ways to share her international background and interests in her essays and interview. Thankfully, St Andrews accepted her after focusing less on a complete transcript or test scores and more on how Elizabeth viewed other cultures and communities. Her international journey continued when she moved to Scotland last fall.