Ever since Shaleigh Kunkler was young, she had been interested in going to Columbia University. Columbia University, based in New York City, is a prestigious Ivy League school with rigorous application criteria. Kunkler’s interest in Columbia all started whenever she received a letter in the mail.

According to Kunkler, other colleges were not as appealing to her since they never lived up to Columbia in her eyes. She had multiple target schools and safety schools, but always vied for Columbia.

“They were the first college I researched,” Kunkler said. “That’s only because they sent me a postcard in the mail and my mom said they were a ‘really good school’.”

Kunkler applied to multiple colleges through an application called QuestBridge. Questbridge is an online non-profit that allows for low-income, exceptional students to receive opportunities to attend their dream college.

“Since I went through a scholarship named QuestBridge instead of the Common App, it was a bit different than usual,” Kunkler said.

The Questbridge application has a couple steps starting with the opening of the National Match Application on Aug 1. After filling out the application, participants have to wait for their results. If they get in, “finalists” have the opportunity to match with their colleges and be awarded with the full four-year scholarship.

According to Columbia University, the acceptance rate was 3.9% for the class of 2027. 57,129 applications were received by the university, but only 2,228 undergraduate students were admitted.

“It was definitely stressful,” Kunkler said. “But, I wouldn’t say it affected me too negatively. All of my free time was spent on the application, but that’s also attributed to the other seven colleges I was working on simultaneously.”

According to Matt Zalzanick of District Administration, 37% of high school graduates taken from a sample test group, “are still not sure they are where they want to be,” and, “41% felt unprepared to make a career choice or declare a college major at graduation.” Kunkler related to the 37%.

“It’s definitely a load off to know exactly where I’ll be,” Kunkler said. “College shifted from this arbitrary concept to a more tangible, assured thing.”

Athletic Director Jeff Staley for Pittsburg High School stated that as far as he could find, nobody in the history of PHS had previously received a full-ride scholarship to an Ivy League university, solidifying her legacy at PHS.

“People should go to a school that they feel comfortable with and that suits their needs well,” Kunkler said. “If that means applying to Columbia — or any other top college — then go for it. I think people who want to apply to a prestigious school shouldn’t refrain from doing so, but I don’t think you should force yourself either.”

Kunkler’s mom, Jacquelyne Pierce, was at Kunkler’s academic signing on Jan. 31. Pierce has always encouraged Kunkler to attend college. According to a Pew Research Center survey, 41% of parents find it extremely important that their children get college degrees. 

“Since [Shaleigh and her siblings] were little, we’ve always encouraged them,” Pierce said. “They’ve always thought they had to go to college like you do regular school, so there was no question about it.”

College is a serious aspect of most students’ futures. College is one of the major pathways that a person can pursue after their highschool life ends, and choosing the correct college can drastically change your post-highschool life.

“Make sure that you feel good about the campus, courses, and surrounding area,” Kunkler said. “You’ll have to attend there for at least four years, after all.”

Although this specific pathway to college may be arduous, Kunkler says give it your best shot.

“Just go for it.” Kunkler said. “I genuinely think there are a lot of insanely smart students around here who don’t try even if they have the capacity to get accepted to Ivy League schools — or just top schools in general. There’s nothing to lose from trying; don’t assume you’ll automatically get turned down.”