Most of Rye Neck, Mamaroneck HS Seniors College-Bound

Nearly the entire Rye Neck High School Class of 2010 is off to college in September. The school's director of guidance, Ann Wallace, was pleased to report that out of 105 graduating seniors, 102 are headed to college in the fall.

Her department processed 603 college applications this year; of those that were completed and submitted, the acceptance rate was about 70 percent, she said.

"We had 55 acceptances at the 50 most competitive colleges," Wallace stated. Among the Ivy League acceptances were three to Harvard University, four to Cornell University, two to Brown University, two to Dartmouth College, and one each to Princeton University and Yale University.

In addition to the Ivy Leagues, seven students were accepted to Boston College, three to Georgetown University, six to the University of Michigan, five to Boston University, two to Johns Hopkins University, and two to New York University (NYU).

Among the other schools Rye Neck students received a "yes" from are: Bowdoin College, Carnegie Mellon University, Colgate University, The Cooper Union, Duke University, George Washington University, College of the Holy Cross, Lehigh University, McGill University, Northwestern University, University of Notre Dame, University of Rochester, University of Southern California, Tufts University, Villanova University and Wesleyan University.

With the cost of private university education becoming increasingly prohibitive, many New York-area high school seniors have looked to the state university system as a more affordable alternative. Wallace said there were more applications by Rye Neck seniors to state schools this year, noting that nine students were accepted to SUNY Binghamton.

When asked what distinguishes this graduating class, Wallace stated: "This class is actively involved in all aspects of life. Whether it is in academics, extracurricular activities or athletic endeavors, they were thoughtful about their choices, which led to greater and sustained commitment throughout their high school years. Additionally, community service is an integral part of Rye Neck, and this class of just 105 topped the charts with an amazing 12,951.75 hours."

While most students have made their decisions where they are going in the fall, Wallace said there are a few who are still waiting to hear about waitlists. Two are returning to their home countries for college, and a couple of students are going to college in Canada.

At Mamaroneck High School, about 95 percent of its current seniors have applied to college, according to guidance director Nick Kourabas. The remainder will be working, joining the military or pursuing other opportunities.

"Mamaroneck has a diversity of which we are very proud, and we have students admitted to all kinds of schools at all levels," Kourabas noted. "Of course, we had students get into Brown, Harvard, Penn, Yale, MIT and most every competitive school in the nation. So while we had a healthy number of students gain admission to Cornell (11), we are also very proud of our students who have gotten into branches of CUNY, SUNY, and places such as U Michigan, U Wisconsin, Pomona, Washington University in St. Louis, Tufts and Northwestern." 

This year's seniors were very sensible in their choices, Kourabas said, and they were realistic about their chances of getting into certain schools. "We always encourage kids to reach for admission to selective schools, but they also need to keep their feet firmly planted on the ground and understand that there are many great choices of colleges," he explained.  "I always tell students that, while I may not know where they will ultimately be admitted, I can promise them that if they work hard once they get to college, they will emerge with an outstanding education."

Kourabas claimed that to be the simple truth about college admissions in 2010.

"There is little or no need to stress about the situation, because these colleges and universities are full of brilliant professors, facilities and opportunities," he explained. "It's a great time to be a college student in the USA."