Audrey Stankunas answers questions about what led up to her being accepted into Yale.

What clubs and activities have you been involved in throughout Granville High School? What were your favorites?

I have been involved in many clubs throughout Granville, from Latin Club, Enviorthon, and Ski Club, to Model UN, Youth and Government, and Theatre. One of my favorites has been student government! I have enjoyed the opportunity to run campaigns, decorate for the homecoming festivities, and to talk to all kinds of people throughout this school!

What were your favorite classes at Granville?

Global Issues or AP Government were two of my favorites. I also really enjoyed AP Enviro.

What were all the colleges you applied for?

I applied to 15 schools (and I tried to make them a combination of safety, target, reach, and lottery schools):
American University – accepted
Barnard College – waitlisted
Brown – waitlisted
Georgetown – waitlisted
Lafayette College – accepted
McGill – accepted
MIT – denied
Princeton – denied
OSU – accepted
University of Virginia – accepted
University of Rochester – accepted
Wellesley College – accepted
William and Mary – accepted
Worcester Polytechnic Institute – accepted
Yale – accepted

Where were you first hoping to get accepted into? What were the top three?

I tried to compromise my list of many schools that I would be happy/could see myself at. During the college admissions process, I tried not to idolize one school or another (not to get my hopes up, because highly selective admissions often seem like a random process/zero-sum game). Ultimately, once I received my acceptances, my decision was between Yale, Wellesley, and the University of Virginia. With more research, I realized that Yale was the blend of these vastly different colleges.

What are your plans for the future?

I am going to school at Yale University to study Global Affairs and Computer Science. In my career, I hope to work in the Federal Government or some form of an international business/nonprofit as a cybersecurity analyst or policy maker

When you were younger did you see your self going to Yale?

When I was younger, I wanted to go to Miami University in Oxford or Georgetown. With more research, however, I realized that Yale fit my goals and ideal academic community more.

What were the reactions of your family and friends of you getting accepted?

My mom started crying (tears of joy, I hope) when I told her the news. My friends were very excited but many of them wanted me to go to Wellesley College instead!

If you were to change your major/ path of life what would it be?

I have considered pursuing Electrical Engineering instead of computer science, and maybe political science instead of global affairs. All of these are very close to each other, but I might pick up a taste for a strange class and switch to that (you never know).

What is something people might be surprised to learn about you?

I am a heavy metal fan!