24th January 2024
Christmas came early for one of our ASPIRE students, Joe, when he received confirmation of his place at Dartmouth College along with a full scholarship! Now he’s settled into the new term we caught up with him to reflect on his incredible achievement.
Joe’s journey towards studying in America began when he enrolled onto the Sutton Trust US Programme, an opportunity that our Careers Team helped him discover. Through this specialist scheme Joe has had many incredible experiences, including a fully-funded week-long trip to New York, and dedicated support throughout from his mentor.
Although intense – a personal statement and four short essays – Joe found the American College application process enjoyable and holistic. Rather than solely focus on academics, he loved the opportunity for Dartmouth to get to really know him and understand why he was excited to study specifically with them. It’s not a case of one size fits all, Joe was able select the topics he wrote about and they included “celebrate your nerdy side” and “let your life speak” which allowed his personality and passion to shine through.
His studies will begin in mid-September but Joe plans to head out to the US in late August to meet other overseas students and get into the swing of American life – something he loved during his week in New York last summer. His time across the pond (also fully-funded thanks to his scholarship success) will span four years, with the first two discovering what he wants to major in for his final two years. He’s excited to try it all and get the full liberal arts experience!
We asked Joe what advice he’d give to students considering applying for this incredible opportunity and he said the most important thing is to be yourself, the American style of application means you don’t just have to focus on academia and you should explore all your options to find out what and where fits you best.
Click here if you would like to find out more about Sutton Trust US Programme.
