Fit for physics and art history | Tanya, Duke and Swarthmore

US schools allow a list of three to four possible majors. So, for most schools, I went with some variation of physics, philosophy, art history and STS (science, technology and society). For the UK, I mainly just applied to study physics. I want to study physics because I believe it is the discipline that comes closest to explaining the fundamental workings of the world and is therefore incredibly fascinating.

I always knew that I wanted to major in physics but was not sure whether I wanted is to be my career. When looking at US universities I realised that students are given the first two years to explore and could also double major in two completely different disciplines. That is why I chose to apply to the US and now intend on double majoring in physics and art history.

I have committed to Duke, but towards the end, I was mainly deciding between Duke and Swarthmore. I like Swarthmore because they are a liberal arts college, meaning they have smaller classes, a strong sense of community, and lots of communication between students and faculty. This is similar to Wellington, so I would also be in my comfort zone if I went to Swarthmore. Duke does not have those perks because it is a big university, but because of that, it has a stronger alumni network and better resources. However, the reason I ended up choosing Duke is their location in North Carolina (nice weather) and their famously good cafeterias.

Without the University Guidance Team, the outcome of my applications would not have been near as good. Mr Tippen, Mr Beard and Ms Huang always quickly responded with great feedback on personal statements and CommonApp supplemental essay drafts, helping me create a set of essays that I could really be proud of. Last year’s workshops about college applications also meant I started thinking about the process early, so I was well prepared when the application season began, and I never hesitated to pop into their office if I had any questions. They were also incredibly supportive and encouraging during the stressful wait for decisions to come out.

I struggled with health issues throughout the applications process and was even in the hospital for a week while writing my UC applications. The University Guidance Team helped make sure that many universities I applied to knew this.

Try to get as much IB stuff out of the way as possible before the college application process starts. The added stress from having IB deadlines on top of US and UK college application deadlines is not something you want to experience, and I learned that the hard way. With regards to college choice, I think the most important thing is to pick colleges you really like and are a good fit in terms of academic and social atmosphere rather than considering prestige, although I understand prestige is a big factor as well.