Penn curriculum plays pivotal role in Bohn’s Harvard admission

By COLE POLLYEA

Penn High School student reporter

For the students at Penn High School, be it their freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior year, college admissions is on the radar. While some are preparing for standardized tests in an effort to set themselves up for admission to selective universities, others are waiting to hear back from the very same schools. As far as selectiveness goes, there are none more so than the formidable Ivy League schools, with their frightening acceptance rates and daunting price tags.

As it happens, one of Penn High School’s own, senior Camden Bohn, attained acceptance this fall and is planning on attending Harvard University, one of the most prestigious of the eight Ivies.

Bohn said that Penn’s curriculum played a critical role to prepare him for Harvard admission.

The importance of establishing a rigorous schedule is not just something that counselors say to make students’ lives miserable. Rather, it is a necessary component for admission to Ivy League universities, and it is one of the factors Bohn weighed most heavily when deciding which high school to attend.

“I had a decision to go to Penn or Saint Joe when I was entering high school,” Bohn said. “I think the best thing that going to Penn has done for me is that it allowed me to make my schedule as difficult as I want … and since I knew I wanted to go to a prestigious college, I challenged myself from the very beginning. You’ve got to give it up to Penn for offering the AP classes that a lot of other schools don’t.”

Rigorous academic challenges aren’t the only criteria Ivy League schools consider in the admission process.

“It seems that the most emphasis on Harvard’s application was on the extra-curriculars, what you’re doing outside of the classroom,” said Bohn, who plans on studying medicine. “When I visited, they said that they could take so many kids who got perfect scores on the SAT or ACT, but, ultimately, they want a diverse group of students who are capable of forming a great community. They’re looking for something special, something that sticks out in a person, more so than that person getting perfect test scores.”

All things considered, a 36 ACT and 2400 SAT is undoubtedly something to strive for. According to PrepScholar, Harvard’s average ACT is a 34, average (old) SAT is a 2260, and average GPA is a 4.04. But the lesson here is to get involved. Test scores are insurmountably important, yes, but, according to Bohn, they have to come along with a strong extracurricular package.

Bohn is attending Harvard in the Fall of 2016 and is planning on playing football there as well. While he didn’t receive an athletic scholarship (Ivy League schools don’t award scholarships of any sort), his athletic contribution to the school was considered when his application was evaluated. A quarterback, Bohn led Penn to the Class 6-A state championship game in football this season, and was named the IHSAA Mental Attitude Award winner.

Of course, not every student athlete is capable of playing sports at the collegiate level despite their involvement at the high school level. Does this mean, then, that participation in high school varsity athletics counts for nothing outside of self-fulfillment? Upon being asked this, Bohn responded with a fortified no.

“I think that playing sports shows that you’re able to function in a team environment, and that you are able to thrive in a team environment,” said Bohn, who quarterbacked Penn’s football team to the state championship game this season. “Being able to work with other people is something that they really like, especially on the application.”

Never overlooked, either, is the importance of submitting strong, eloquent essays on the application. Bohn admits that, while it’s impossible to know if the essay was something that got you in or kept you out of a college, he was informed by the football coach at Harvard that these essays were seriously important in judging a student’s character.   

As mentioned, with either the SAT or ACT (or both) being a critical factor in an application, many students are faced with the dilemma of preparation. Assuming that test-takers are aiming high, ignoring prep courses can be OK for some, but not so much for others ― certain students might hit a home run with their first swing of the bat.

Bohn indicated that, in his case, preparation for these courses was a huge payoff and most definitely factored into his admittance.

“I was always kind of a natural on the math section, but not so much on the reading and writing sections,” Bohn said. “It definitely took a lot more work in the preparatory stages for me to boost up my reading and writing scores to get on Harvard’s radar.”

It is the advice of this Ivy Leaguer to take advantage of prep courses and/or hit the prep books when it comes time to think about the SAT/ACT, if schools like Harvard are on the horizon.

Bohn expressed his appreciation for the support that Penn offered during his four years here, whether it be through the athletic programs or the stellar academic programs (both in which he most clearly thrived).

Ultimately, however, according to Bohn, he is a self-starter and his advice to any students seeking Ivy League admittance is this: “Be yourself, but do something that stands out. Chase your dreams. Even though you’re a high schooler, you can do something that’s different than other high schoolers. They’re looking for someone extraordinary, not just someone who could get a 4.0 in the classroom.” (Even though that, too, is incredibly important).