Oliver

Oliver attends an international school in South Korea. He came to us somewhat lost as to what he wanted to study in college. The more The Short List learned about Oliver, the more we understood why.

Oliver was about to enter junior year and his school’s two-year International Baccalaureate (IB) program. His three higher-level courses—psychology, economics, and French—highlighted the breadth of his curiosity. His extracurricular activities demonstrated his creativity: He served as set designer for various school theater productions and participated in Tech Crusaders, a club that designed the school’s website and taught coding to middle schoolers. 

Oliver was slow to reveal his passion for video games, believing we wouldn’t understand. But we clearly saw how video games combined stagecraft, coding, and design. Once we validated his passion, Oliver took us deep into the world of video game production, storyline, and user experience.

We traveled to Korea to meet with Oliver and his family, and we encouraged Oliver to consider summer game design programs, including one at the University of Washington. The Short List also researched both traditional universities and renowned game design schools for Oliver to visit while in the U.S. Finally, we brainstormed Oliver’s IB program extended essay. Oliver settled on researching how the gaming industry has influenced French culture, adding a twist by deciding to write the paper in French.

Oliver spent several weeks on the University of Washington campus collaborating with award-winning designers and passionate classmates on the design of a new video game. When he returned home, he poured his energy into his applications, highlighting how his academics, extracurricular activities, and summer program connected him to game design. 

After submitting his applications, Oliver turned his attention to completing his IB essay. He also organized an in-school Super Smash Bros charity video game tournament, with all proceeds supporting Compassion International, a charity that supports service work globally. Oliver was beginning to see how he could turn his passion into meaningful action. DigiPen Institute of Technology saw the same and, in December, accepted Oliver into their award-winning game design program.