Every year, thousands of top students (valedictorians, salutatorians, top 10) spend hours perfecting their applications to stand out amongst other applicants in similar rankings applying to Ivy leagues. Many believe that being top of their class is crucial for even standing a chance at standing out.
For Lizeth Ortiz, getting into Yale was the culmination of hard work, dedication, and an application that impressed the admissions officers.
Ortiz said that applying to Yale was, in her opinion, a far reach. “I thought if I applied, my application would be taken as a joke,” In fact, applying didn’t even cross her mind. It wasn’t until she met with Dr. Gutierrez that she decided to give it a shot. “I helped Liz with her application, and I thought I’d recommend her to apply because her Common App essay was promising.”
Ortiz worked hard on her applications. She stayed up late nights to ensure that every single word she wrote mattered. “Watching videos and learning more about what a specific school looked for in their applications really helped me when it came to figuring out how to write my supplemental essays for a specific school,” she said.
Before finding out about Yale, Liz celebrated several acceptances from other schools – UC Davis, UC Santa Barbara and UCLA. “I was really excited when I saw that I got into those schools because I wasn’t really expecting to get into all of them,” This is because before finding out about getting into those schools, she got her first waitlist from California State University Long Beach.
Although it wasn’t a rejection, getting waitlisted at CSULB took a toll on her confidence. “Since getting waitlisted from Long Beach, I didn’t think my chances of getting into the other schools I applied to were looking too good.” It wasn’t until she got her second waitlist decision, but this time, from one of the most prestigious schools (UChicago) that her confidence started picking back up, easing her nerves for other decisions she was still waiting for.
On Ivy Day (known as the day when all of the Ivy decisions come out together), Liz logged into her Yale applicant portal in the middle of doing her makeup, already expecting a rejection. However, when she opened her portal to a “Congratulations! And welcome to… Y(insert bulldog)LE,” she couldn’t believe her eyes. “I didn’t care that my makeup got ruined because I got into Yale!”
Not only did Ortiz get accepted into Yale, but she also got a scholarship that is Yale’s need-based grant aid for undergraduates that covered her entire cost of attendance, including personal expenses and flights to and from Yale.
Before this, she thought that she was for sure going to go to UCLA. However, when she saw that going to Yale wouldn’t cost anything compared to UCLA, she decided that Yale was the better option, no matter how far from home it was.
“It’s definitely scary to move so far away from home,” Ortiz said, “However if something is scary, it’s worth doing.” She knew that if she chose Yale, the amount of doors opened for her would be endless. Especially considering the fact that her dream is to become a lawyer.
Having her parents support wasn’t an issue. “My parents were proud of me and very supportive, no matter the choice,” Ortiz said.
Being a first generation student, Liz’s parents understood that sacrifices needed to be made in order for her to be successful. To them, these sacrifices were about allowing their daughter to move across the country to pursue further education. “I couldn’t be prouder that she’s doing something I couldn’t do. This is what I came to the United States for, and if it means letting her move across the country for her to do it, then so be it,” Ortiz’s mom, Rosario, said.
Having everyone’s support, the final decision was all on Liz and what she wanted for herself. It wasn’t until she actually visited the UCLA campus on an AVID trip that she started considering UCLA as a possible option again. “Visiting the UCLA campus split my decision 50/50, but I knew that once I went to visit Yale, I would know for sure where I would go.”
On Bulldog weekend (where Yale hosts events for admitted students to explore opportunities on campus), Ortiz took the long flight to Yale all by herself, leaving late at night and landing early the next morning for a preview of what her next four years would be like.
Although she was still entertaining UCLA as a possible option, the thought of it left her mind the second she got to Yale’s campus. “When the bus dropped me off and I started talking to some of the other admitted students, I knew that this is where I could see myself for the next four years of my life.”
Looking back, Yale has always been the dream. From when she binged Gilmore Girls to when she gave herself a chance and applied. The only difference from then to now is that before, she thought that only people like Rory on Gilmore Girls who live, eat, and breathe studying could make it to a top school like Yale.
“I couldn’t have done it without the help of Dr. Gutierrez for helping me with my supplements and Ms. Huerta for helping with everything else,” Ortiz said.
