From Forward College to Columbia and beyond: Isaac’s road to top American universities
Isaac shares how his time at Forward College — the journey, the network, and the curriculum — allowed him to earn acceptances at Georgia Tech, Columbia, Waitlisted at MIT, UCLA, Duke, Carnegie Mellon, Boston University, and LSE.
When Isaac first arrived at Forward College, a place at a top American university was an aspiration, not yet a plan. We sat down with them to hear how they got there — and what role Forward College played.
Q: Let’s start with you. What were you doing before Forward College, what brought you here, and where are you now?
Isaac: Before, I was a very curious student who knew he wanted to study abroad. Forward gave me the best of both worlds — the opportunity to grow academically while exploring my curiosity at the same time. Now, at 21, I have lived in more places and explored more cities than some people do in their whole life, and that has opened my eyes in so many different ways.
Q: You earned acceptances at Georgia Tech, Columbia, UCLA, Duke, Carnegie Mellon, Boston University, and LSE — and were waitlisted at MIT. What was that moment like, and how did you decide?
Isaac: It was amazing. I knew that these schools were really competitive to get into, now more than ever, so being accepted into them made me feel ecstatic and very fortunate. It was a difficult decision — I had no bad choices — so I had to make the choice that felt best based on very intangible factors and just hope I made the right one. For now, I’m very happy with my decision.
Q: How did Forward College prepare you to compete for spots at universities like MIT and Columbia — whether through the curriculum, the international setup, the small classes, the network?
Isaac: Forward gave me a very good starting point for competing for spots at these top universities. Just the fact that in every interview they commented on the uniqueness of the institution and the experience — always in a positive way — makes me think that it at least got my foot in the door.
Q: Was there a moment during the process — writing your essays, in an interview, in a conversation — where you thought, ‘Forward College gave me exactly this’?
Isaac: In almost all of my interviews there was a recurring question, something along the lines of “When was the last time you had a disagreement while working in a team?” And I always felt lucky that I could draw on my Project-Based Learning examples, which led me to have very solid responses.
Q: What would you tell a student who has big ambitions but isn’t sure a place like Forward College can really get them there?
Isaac: “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail” — Ralph Waldo Emerson. Places like Forward College give you the opportunity to form your own path.
