All Paths Possible - Student Spotlight on Early Decision

Every winter, as Rutgers Prep seniors prepare to put their best foot forward in their college applications, members of the college counseling team hear some variation on a common misconception about highly selective institutions: “That school won’t accept me if they’ve already accepted someone else from my graduating class.” This year, as two strong candidates unknowingly applied to the same college through its early decision program, the happy ending each experienced once again demonstrated that colleges will offer the students they are most excited about a place in their incoming class… even if that means accepting more than one student from the same school. Please join us in congratulating Vaughn Hernandez '20 and Parth Thakkar '20 on their exciting news, and read on if you’d like to hear a little more “behind the scenes” stories from their journeys. 

Parth Thakkar

Parth Thakkar '20 started at Rutgers Prep as a seventh grader; his older cousins had graduated from Rutgers Prep in 2009 and 2011, and his aunt and uncle were really pleased with the experience, so Parth’s parents enrolled both of their children as well. Rutgers Prep was much smaller than Parth’s previous school; Parth remembers feeling like he had so much more space to navigate. “As soon as I sat down in morning meeting I started talking to people, and it seemed pretty easy to make connections… in fact the first person I talked to that day is still someone who I’m friendly with.”

From seventh grade until the winter of junior year, Parth thought he was going to be pursuing law as a career. But then, a junior year course changed his thinking. 

“Last year,” Parth remembers, “I took a course called ‘Topics in Human Disease’ which really opened my eyes to the universe of public health. We did some projects that I just found super-interesting and engaging. We did a project looking at healthcare disparities that affect the LGBTQ+ community, and through that we were looking at the ways in which different populations are affected by systemic forces. The second project was a historical research project into the history of vaccination and the ways in which misinformation can take on a life of its own. I loved the combination of rigorous science with an infusion of humanities through ethics and history, so at that point my thinking about my future started to shift.”

“My dad is a business owner, and there was a kind of unvoiced question of ‘Will I keep the business going after he retires,’ but as my interests started to be ignited by public health, I ultimately told him that I thought this was the way I wanted to go, and eventually he came around to my way of thinking.”

“Johns Hopkins popped up on my radar once I decided that my focus was going to be public health, and when I visited, that really cemented my decision… it’s a beautiful, old-fashioned campus that also feels very homey. I felt the same kind of comfort that I have at Rutgers Prep… I could just so easily imagine myself there. Other schools I visited were more spread out and also just didn’t resonate with me in the same way.”

“Switching majors relatively late in the game is something that is unexpected within families like mine. As a first-generation Indian-American, I knew that the shift was going to be challenging for my parents to wrap their brains around… up until last year, I had been taking lots of humanities courses and trying to focus on an eventual goal of law. This year I’m taking the Waksman research course and Physics, which are more aligned with my new goal, and I was able to apply as someone with a really diverse set of courses, which I had to just hope they would appreciate and understand. Johns Hopkins is itself a pretty flexible institution from a curricular standpoint, and it’s very research-oriented, so I think they understood that my research interests are driving my long-term goals.”

“Vaughn (the other ED applicant) is a lifer, and we’ve actually been good friends ever since I arrived. Somewhat surprisingly, we each actually had no idea that the other one had applied ED to JHU. He’s super smart, a great writer, and comes from a diverse background, so when I found out I was kind of glad I hadn’t known. But I did feel really good about the work I did on my application, so I was still hopeful.”

“The decisions came out on a Friday, and I was so nervous. The decision notification actually came out during the day, and as soon as the school day was over, I headed to the library with a few of my friends, tucked myself into a study cubicle with my iPad, logged into the portal, and got the best news I’ve ever gotten. It was Friday the 13th, and my parents were both at work, so I texted my parents to let them know that I had news to share with them. My dad didn’t respond to the text, but I talked to my mom. So my dad didn’t know until about 7pm, when we were driving to pick up my sister at college… he was assuming that I hadn’t gotten in, but then I told him that I had, and he jammed on the brakes; I think he was kind of in shock. I am just so happy now that it all worked out.”

Vaughn Hernandez

Vaughn Hernandez '20 is an only child whose parents attended NJ public schools and were seeking a stronger educational experience for their son. When the family lived in Franklin, Vaughn’s mom drove past Rutgers Prep a lot, until finally one day they came and took a tour, and were impressed by how kind and courteous everyone in the community seemed to be. Vaughn has spent his entire academic career at Rutgers Prep, earning him the coveted title of “lifer.”

About his path to Johns Hopkins, Vaughn shared, “I’ve always been a math and science guy, and eventually my interests narrowed down to medicine. When I was thirteen and in seventh grade I got an opportunity to shadow an orthopedic surgeon who is a client of my father, who works as a financial advisor. At that early date, I didn’t really have any questions, because I didn’t know enough to even ask anything, but it was the first time I got to see - via a monitor - the inside of someone’s knee, and even though I was silent, I was for sure smiling under the mask. It was just fascinating to me. This year a friend of mine tore his meniscus, and while I’m sad that it happened to him, I’m honestly looking forward to seeing the images that come out of his surgery.”

“I want to be in a position to help people, and I’m happy to do that from wherever I end up within the medical universe. I was introduced to Johns Hopkins when an older cousin of mine graduated from there as an engineer, and the more I learned, the stronger my affinity grew.”

“Then I attended a summer program called Discover Hopkins, and my program was specifically about orthopedics, so I was totally in my element. It was a two-week program and the time really flew; I made a great group of friends from places all over the world such as Puerto Rico, Colombia, and Venezuela. (My mom is from Puerto Rico and dad is originally from Bogota, Colombia, and they wish now that they’d spoken more Spanish with me… I can understand pretty much everything, but I still need to work on my comfort with speaking.)”

“After attending the program on campus, it became so easy for me to imagine myself there… I would see pictures on the school’s Instagram account and think, ‘I know exactly where that is.’” 

“As for Parth and I, we didn’t know that the other had applied ED until well after our applications had been submitted, which we ultimately thought was a good thing. We did get a little jumpy once we found out, because we both think really highly of each other, which made us worry a little bit about what would happen.”

“I was happy to have an opportunity to submit a résumé in addition to the other parts of the application, because there are so many things that I’d want to share with the admissions committee that maybe the CommonApp doesn’t have enough room to truly describe. I ended up feeling really good about the strength of my application. I guess you could say that I was hoping for the best, but prepared for the worst.”

“I initially planned not to access my decision before getting home, but then I saw Parth heading into the library to check his decision, so I tagged along and got to witness him getting in. For a few minutes I was thinking, ‘Well, this maybe means I won’t get in,’ but then I checked and I got in as well. We all went to the lounge and jumped around for joy… it was really cool… there were lots of congratulations and hugs!”

“Here’s my advice to anyone heading into the college process: Get an early start, because it’s a lot to juggle. Having a résumé can really help, especially if you’ve gone “above and beyond” in terms of the things you’ve dedicated time and energy to. And always believe in yourself.”