Kwasi Enin, Teen Accepted to All 8 Ivy Leagues, Decides on Yale
Kwasi Enin, the Long Island teenager accepted to all eight Ivy League universities, decided Wednesday that he would be attending the prestigious Yale University in New Haven, Conn. The 17-year-old said his visit to the campus and their similar qualities is what prompted him to choose their school.
Kwasi Enin, who was accepted to Harvard, Yale, Brown, Columbia, the University of Pennsylvania, Dartmouth, Princeton and Cornell, announced his decision in a big way— he held a press conference in the gymnasium of his school, William Floyd High School. Enin's story has made national headlines, so he invited reporters, teachers and students to the gym to let them know why he chose Yale.
"My Bull Dog experience last week was incredible," he said of his visit to the New Haven campus. "I met geniuses from all across the world. And everyone there was so friendly and inviting. … And I believe that their deep appreciation and love for music, like I have, was very critical for me deciding to go there."
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"I really liked their sense of family, relationships between undergraduates and professors, and the residential college," Enin said earlier in April. "They also have a strong biomedical engineering program, which is a wonderful combination of biology and creative tools that doctors and health care professionals can use."
Enin, who wants to go to medical school and be a doctor, also said that he couldn't have achieved all he has without his support system of family and teachers, according to CNN.
"Without their assistance, I would not be in this position," the teen admitted. "I would not have had the initial drive to strive for excellence."
His parents, who emigrated from Ghana in the 1980s, are both nurses, and both pushed him to excel in his academic career.
"I told him, 'Look, your worst grade in school should be a 95,'" his father Ebenezer told NBC News. His mother also said that they worked hard to instill "strong moral qualities" in Enin and his younger sister, 14-year-old Adwoa, since they were young.
"We are grateful for all the inspiration," his parents said. "We gave him a lot of freedom, even though at the same time we were very strict with him in terms of academics and the way he behaved … We only pray that going forward he will stay focused and not be distracted."
Enin scored 2250 out of 2400 on his SATs, making him in the 98th percentile in the country. He is 11th in his class at William Floyd, but plays three instruments for the chamber orchestra, sings in an a capella, throws shot put and discus for the school's track and field team, contributes to student government, acts in school plays and volunteers at a local hospital.
In addition to all eight Ivy Leagues, Enin was also accepted to Duke and three New York State universities.
