Greetings, My name is Issa Odeh, a senior currently enrolled in the A-Levels program at La Salle Beit Hanina High School in Jerusalem. I'm writing to share my story about applying to colleges in the US, hoping to inspire others to pursue higher education abroad.
My college application journey began with a common aspiration shared by many ambitious young Palestinians –- the desire to study abroad, particularly at esteemed institutions like Harvard and MIT. Thankfully, as a student at Horizons Academy, I was provided with the much-needed information and tools to start pursuing this dream. Thus, with the guidance and supervision of my counselor Yara Abdeen, I started writing the infamous college essays needed for applying to said institutions.
It took months of hard work, tough research, late-night meetings, and an uncountable number of all-nighters to come up with an application worthy of submission, all while juggling my difficult school course load. Reflecting on the experience, it was one of the most mentally and physically draining periods of my life. Applying to university is not a piece of cake. So for everyone who thinks it's going to be sunshine and rainbows, I hate to break it to you; it is not.
The next big chapter in my story came approximately a month later. I received an email from one of the universities I had applied to. I was informed that I had been selected as one of three Palestinian students for a full-ride scholarship to great univeristy, but not my dream school, a month before the highly anticipated Ivy Day. It was here that I was faced with a dilemma: either accept this generous offer and disregard my Ivy dream, or step into the unknown and reject this offer in hopes of achieving my aspirations. I was advised by many to take the offer, Nonetheless, I chose to take a leap of faith and follow my dream.
The night of March 28 (Ivy Day) was an emotional rollercoaster, I was constantly flipping between extreme excitement for the release of the decision and genuine fear of rejection. At last, 2 a.m. rolled around, and I started opening my letters, I found out I had been admitted to Harvard and MIT!
It felt so surreal. I had finally achieved my childhood dream, I had done what had seemed impossible. Goosebumps. Almost a full month later, I still check the decision letters from time to time to make sure that I am not living in a dream, and that this is, in fact, reality.
Almost 2 weeks after the release of the decisions, I received invitations to attend campus preview weekends at Harvard and MIT. It was a long journey, taking about 35 hours to reach Boston, but finally, I arrived on campus. During my week there, I met some of the most brilliant and talented people in the world, working in the widest range of academic disciplines and I even got to see the iconic Annenberg Hall. After visiting, it truly made sense why these universities were considered the best in the world. Below is a photo from my visit.
My message to any Young Horizons student, or any Palestinian who has a dream of studying abroad is: It is very possible, It just requires hard work, determination, and a lot of resilience. But I truly believe that with enough effort, anyone is capable of achieving it. So if you have a dream, go out and pursue it! And finally, always trust your gut. After all, it was my gut that allowed me to get into both Harvard and MIT!
Stay tuned for September to find out where I have decided to matriculate in the end!
