“These students can compete with anybody,” said UHS counselor Ms. Cook of this year’s seniors. With admissions growing increasingly competitive — Brown University received over 30, 000 applications for 1485 spots — and scholarships harder to find, our students have done extremely well. Many seniors have received ample financial aid and acceptances into prestigious universities such as “Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, MIT, Stanford, Chicago and NYU,” according to UHS Economics teacher Ms. Gray.
However, this should come as no surprise. Last year’s 181 seniors made up only 5.5% of the 3322 TUSD ’09 seniors. Yet, they accounted for an impressive share of acceptances both in-state and out of state. The Senior Survey — with a participation rate of around 75% — on TUSDStats records such information. Last year, our seniors made up 19.5% of the 843 TUSD students admitted to the University of Arizona, 26.1% of the 241 TUSD students admitted to Arizona State University, and 11.1% of the 327 TUSD students admitted to Northern Arizona University. Notably, this hard-working crew also provided 100% of the 5 TUSD students admitted to the University of Chicago, and large percentages at many other colleges as well.
Just as impressive is the financial aspect of the acceptances. According to Ms. Gray, “typically 80% of our students stay in state.” The incentives are huge. UHS ’09 seniors received nearly 40% of the 18 million dollars of scholarships awarded to TUSD students. This year’s awards should be just as striking: of the 20 Flinn scholarships, four have already been offered to UHS students. This scholarship provides a “total dollar value [exceeding] $54,000- on top of the cash value of tuition provided by universities” and is regarded as the most prestigious in Arizona.
Although we applaud their achievements, we will miss our friends. Some will settle in cities in faraway states, spreading from Providence, Rhode Island to Columbia, Missouri, to Claremont, California. Others will stay in Arizona. Either way, the campus will seem empty without them. Senior Sasi Aradyula comments: “I love the idea of going to a new city and entering a new stage in my life, but this excitement is bittersweet. I will miss the school that has allowed me to reach this point in life, and the great friends I have made over the years!”
More information:
TUSD senior survey: http://tusdstats.tusd.k12.az.us/paweb/aggD/SenSurv/SenSurvFront.aspx
Flinn Scholars:www.flinnscholars.com
