By Alice ‘30
For most people, not coming from a more common sending school does not affect their desire to apply to Harvard-Westlake. The same was true for me. I was the only person from my school to apply, or even consider applying. I knew no one at this new school, and it seemed overwhelming at times. My first few days at Harvard-Westlake taught me a lot about friendship, this community, and this school.
I think mine, and everyone else that shares this story’s application process and school life will always be a little bit different, but not always for the worst.
Harvard-Westlake gave me a guarantee that I would no longer change schools, and no longer need to start over. I would be with most of these people, and this community all throughout high school. It was the fresh start I did not know I needed.
There was no pressure. At my old school, no one else applied in my grade. I was often late to school because of tours, and other admissions events I attended. No one really knew what I was doing, and I didn’t tell my friends until later on in my application process. No one I knew was competing against me for that spot, and I knew that no one would have cared if I had gotten rejected. That feeling of zero pressure kept me going through the application.
If all else failed, I had a place to go. I applied to two schools that year, and I knew that if all else failed, I still had my current school.
However, as the year went on at my old school, I felt as if I needed to leave. That school was just not right for me, and I became increasingly more worried about my applications.
Harvard-Westlake became my favorite over the other school I applied to. From its breathtaking campus to its many many art classes, I knew I would love it there. On the day of the results, I was overjoyed to see that I had been accepted to both schools, although my mind was only on one of them.
During new student events, FastStart, and the first days of school, I met many new people. I also discovered that some kids come to HW with many other students from their sending school. Some schools have a history of sending larger groups of students to HW and some schools send only a couple, or in my case, only one student. Even though there were groups of kids that came to HW from the same school, I still was excited to meet them because they wanted to meet new people, too!
Just remember, if you are also the only one from your school, then:
Remember to branch out. Meeting as many people as possible the first few days gives you many opportunities to form close bonds. If I hadn’t talked to that person in first period 7th grade history, we would not have formed such a friendship.
You can talk about your old school. Just because you didn’t come from a school that more people in the HW community know about, doesn’t mean you can’t be proud of your school.
Get used to the idea of change. My school seemed to me like a past I wanted some distance from. And even though it is a fresh start, there is always a possibility someone else from your old school might apply next year. Sure, they may know more about who you were in your old school, but everyone gets a fresh start at HW–even if people know you from years prior end up here too!
I know everyone’s experience at this school is different, but remember, even if you are the only one, you are not alone.
