At first glance, OVS senior Serry Park appears to live in a college fair.
Her dorm room is covered with quantitative and qualitative college information.
Color-coded sticky notes are arranged tastefully along her bedside wall. They list colleges and their acceptance rate by percentage. An assemblage of various posters and banners from universities frame her side the room.
Serry, 18, has been at Ojai Valley School since her eighth grade year in 2007. But middle school days have long since passed and she has made one of the hardest decisions of her life: choosing a college.
The colleges’ responses have been a NASCAR race, letters and emails flying in like Formula One Cars of relief or doom.
Her letters of acceptance from Boston College, UCLA, Brandeis University, Vassar College, UC Berkeley, New York University, USC, Boston University, and Wellesley College did not leave her with a clear and easy choice.
She received scholarships from several colleges including a full ride from UCLA, $49,050 from Boston University and the coup de grâce, $56,885 from Wellesley.
After a month-long struggle of choosing between USC and Wellesley, she decided to go east and continue her education in Massachusetts at Wellesley, the esteemed all-women’s college.
She plans to go to medical school and will major in cellular and molecular biology and is considering a double major, adding on psychology after she begins her courses.
“Wellesley is absolutely beautiful,” said Serry. “[And] it has a connection to MIT, so I can take classes there. I really want to take advantage of that incredible opportunity.”
The class of 2012 has college destinations all over the country.
College acceptances have come from Michigan State, Penn State, UCSB, Santa Clara University, Trinity University, Whittier, University of Redlands, UC Irvine, St. John’s University, University of Arizona, University of San Francisco, University of Minnesota, and the University of Pittsburg.
Two students, Georgina Bridger and Gunner Helman, have chosen to attend Chapman University in Orange, California. Georgina is the current Design Editor of the Ojai Valley School newspaper On the Hill and plans to major in communications and minor in journalism.
Chris Lee has chosen the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and will begin school in the fall.
Joanna DeGroof will start her freshman year at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles, Sophia Hua is going to UC San Diego and Gavin Silver will attend Menlo College, a private university specializing in business, located in Atherton, California.
Wendy Lin has been accepted to her top school, Northeastern University, a private institution in Boston, Massachusetts. She will be near three OVS alumnae, Lucy Kim, Boston College ’16, Joanna Chen, Suffolk University, ’16, and Paloma Spencer Wellesley College ’16, as well as current classmate, Serry.
Wendy plans to major in psychology and is considering a minor in business.
“Right when I went on campus, I knew that’s where I wanted to go,” said Wendy. “The classes, the people, the campus and the program just felt right. It was the one.”
Henry Mooney is also heading east to Stony Brook University in New York. Stony Brook is home to a division one men’s lacrosse team and Henry, this year’s OVS lacrosse team co-captain, is trying out for the team.
“[Getting into] Stony Brook came as a surprise,” said Henry. “I thought I was headed to the University of Albany, but when I got my letter I was so happy. I’m a Seawolf now!”
And Serry’s a Wellesley Blue.
On top of the $56,885 from Wellesley, Serry was awarded the Julius Gius Scholarship of Ventura Country, earning her an additional $5,000 for her college education.
She was overjoyed to receive the honor and because of Julius Gius Scholarship, will only have to pay about $1,000 dollars for her freshman year tuition. Serry is ecstatic about beginning college and looks forward to having new experiences.
“I am excited for the next chapter of my life,” she said. “After visiting Wellesley and meeting other admitted students, I was overwhelmed by this feeling of being able to accomplish anything. I am ready to pursue my dreams, find myself, and live life to the fullest.”
Story by Emmy Addison, Class of 2014. Photo by Max Pacholski, Class of 2012.