As seniors at Columbus High School near graduation, one student: MC McCoy, has been accepted into one of the most prestigious colleges in America: Princeton University.
Princeton is a private university located in Princeton, New Jersey. It's ranked by US News as the #1 National University and is well-known among Americans due to its Ivy League status.
Ivy League universities began as an association for eight "highly competitive athletic colleges," according to Studyportals.
"Since the 1960s, these Ivy League schools and colleges gained a widespread reputation for producing graduates with high academic performances, social prestige, and promising career futures."
What does it take to be accepted into such a prestigious school? For McCoy, she has been building her rèsumè since middle school.
" I took part in National History Day beginning in middle school and into high school. I made one individual documentary in middle school, and Eva Cheraisi and I made two group documentaries at CHS," she reveals.
Additionally, McCoy was a part of the Governor's Honors Program, a summer program for gifted students who are upcoming juniors or seniors.
As far as extracurriculars at CHS, McCoy is the secretary of Young Democrats, has been a member of GEMS (Girls in Engineering, Math, and Science), Model United Nations, National Honor Society, Beta Club, National Social Studies Honor Society, National Spanish Honor Society, National English Honor Society, and Mu Alpha Theta.
She has also taken part in the Georgia Secretary of State's Student Ambassador Program, a leadership training program that encourages "civic participation and voter registration," according to the official website.
"I have been volunteering at the Columbus Public Library, at various political associations, and at my local stable throughout high school too," she adds.
McCoy reveals that she chose to apply to Princeton because her father did in the 80s, but was not accepted.
"I decided that I also wanted to try and see if I could get in instead. Originally, it was kind of a joke, but I visited the campus right before my freshman year at CHS, and I really enjoyed the tour and the general atmosphere at Princeton."
McCoy is not yet 100% decided on what her major will be, but applied to Princeton as an Art & Archeology Concentrator, which she will likely major in. She is also considering Classical Studies. Her minor will be Archaeology or Hellenic Studies, or both.
For those who would like to attend an Ivy League in the future, McCoy advises students to "know who you are as a student and keep a consistent identity throughout your applications."
"Keeping your identity consistent makes it easier to write all your applications with the same person secure in your mind, so nothing in your application will seem out of the blue."
McCoy has committed to attending Princeton in the fall and will be taking the next step in an already admirable academic career.