Pinoy student who got accepted to 5 universities in US names chosen school
Filipino student Carl Audric Guia is headed to Harvard!
Carl, a student from the University of the Philippines Rural High School in Los Baños, Laguna, had been accepted to 5 Ivy League schools and prestigious universities in the US. Last Sunday, April 30, he revealed his school of choice.
"We're Harvard-bound!" he wrote on Facebook, tagging a fellow CAUSE mentee named Aryenne Isabelle or Ayen. Ayen had also been accepted in several universities, including Princeton, Dartmouth, Penn, and Cornell.
"This privilege is something we never dared to imagine. We both used to pray for just one school to accept us, but we’ve been faced with overwhelming offers from the Ivy League and more," he continued.
He said that the decision to pick a school "was not an easy one," as he had to pick from four other universities including Yale, Stanford, Princeton, and the University of Notre Dame.
"Coming from public high schools in the Philippines, we didn't expect how difficult it would be to close some doors after trying so hard to find them in the first place," Carl added.
The 17-year-old said that they spent most of their time in April "seeking advice" from everyone—mentors, co-students, alumni—and "looking for signs and reflecting on our priorities."
"In the end, a combination of reason and gut directed us to commit to Harvard," he said.
Carl and Ayen accepted the invite together, which was shown in a video he also posted.
He thanked everyone "who guided us in this journey."
"As the first students from a Filipino public school to attend Harvard College, we raise our flag proudly. Go Crimsons!"
Carl was offered a full scholarship in Harvard and three other universities.
In a previous interview with PhilSTAR L!fe, Carl said that he is looking for a school that has a "strong astrophysics program and broad research opportunities."
"Academically speaking, the schools that accepted me are all top-notch, so I guess my decision would come from the littlest things like vibes, community, and frankly, gut feeling," Carl added.