With an average acceptance rate of about 6.78%, getting accepted into even one of the Ivy League schools, let alone all eight is notoriously difficult, but not for this brilliant young woman. Meet Roberta Hannah, a high school senior who was accepted into all eight of the Ivy League schools for the Fall 2020 semester.
“Originally, I was only going to apply to three, but then my mom and my sister were like, ‘You should just apply to all eight,’ so I didn’t really have a choice,” she says.
Roberta Hannah, who attends the Springfield High School of Science and Technology in Massachusetts, knew early on that four of the Ivy League schools selected her, but it wasn’t until ‘Ivy Day’ on March 26 that Hannah found out that all eight of the schools accepted her. “I was really anxious getting up to the day, and then I started opening the letters, and I was like oh, I keep seeing ‘yes,’” says Hannah.
Roberta Hannah credits the support of her mother Valerie Williams and her sister for her success, saying: “I think because of the fact my mom didn’t go to college, she always pushed us a little extra hard.”
Roberta Hannah also says that her amazing achievement is due to hard work, determination and “a lot of studying” as she took four AP (Advanced Placement) classes last year is currently preparing for seven AP exams this year. In addition to her academic prowess, Hannah also has an impressive track and field career and even does community service with the National Honor Society.
As for which of the eight Ivy League schools she will attend, Roberta Hannah selected Columbia University and is looking to study biochemistry and African-American studies there. “So my goal is to be a medicinal chemist, but with making medicine and kind of the one researching it, I want my focus to be on increasing accessibility and making the medicine more affordable,” says Hannah.
