2021 Top College Acceptances

Top Private School Celebrates Seniors’ College Acceptances to Elite Universities 

American Heritage Schools is a leading college preparatory school with the highest number of National Merit Scholars of all private schools in the nation, and our students receive acceptances to the nation’s finest colleges and universities each year.

This year is no exception.

“We’re really proud that despite the challenges of Covid-19, there was no evidence of diminished learning; this is due to the excellence of our teachers and the perseverance of our students,” said Dr. Douglas Laurie, President of American Heritage Schools.” said Dr. Douglas Laurie, President of American Heritage Schools.

According to a report by CNBC, the pandemic has made it harder for high school graduates to get into a top college. An example, Harvard University’s early action acceptance rate fell to 7.4% from 13.9%, while the number of total applicants rose to a record high. This proved the same at other selective schools, such as Yale University, University of Pennsylvania, and Dartmouth College. Data from the Common App college application organization indicates applications to large, prestigious universities skyrocketed in the 2020-21 school year.

Yet seniors at American Heritage can rejoice in their success as they hold acceptance letters from the Ivy Leagues and many other selective colleges and universities.

“This year students needed to prepare differently because schools held their interviews online,” explained Dr. Gabriela Zaviezo, a graduate of Brown (undergraduate), Columbia (graduate), and University of Miami (doctorate), and currently an AHS teacher and interview coach for students applying to selective colleges and scholarships. “Having a connection with someone and relating your passion through a device is a completely different experience, so students' stories and narratives about who they are were essential in capturing the attention of their interviewer,” she added.

American Heritage students are dedicated, high achieving, and passionate about creating a better world and putting their academic, artistic, and altruistic endeavors to good use. Alumnus, Mateus Falci, AHS ’10, Harvard ’14, attributes his success to the time he spent as a student at AHS, “I owe so much to American Heritage since the teachers and staff there started me on the path of learning and growing as an individual both at Harvard and in the next stages of my adult life.”

AHS senior Gabriel Sun will attend Harvard University, majoring in Applied Mathematics, in pursuit of a career at the intersection of technology and business. “American Heritage has prepared me for both my future studies at Harvard and my life beyond college by strengthening my leadership skills,” Gabriel said. “Through exploring the wide variety of academic and extracurricular opportunities at American Heritage, I’ve become a better problem-solver and teammate while also growing my desire to effect positive change in society.”

Jonathan Bogen will be attending Dartmouth College and also feels well prepared for his next big step. “American Heritage developed my critical thinking skills through its rigorous academic curriculum and exposed me to many different perspectives on global affairs through extracurriculars like debate and courses such as AP World History, which inspired me to accelerate my studies in International Relations and pursue a career as a diplomat,” Jonathan said.

The academic rigor and access to high-level resources at American Heritage Schools continue to prove successful year after year as the capabilities of our students keep expanding, and their goals are shaped for the future.