DEHP alums William and Monique Bailey, schoolmates since childhood, always shared a similar path of academic achievement. After their high school graduation in May of 2012, their paths diverged as William entered Yale University for computer science and Monique embarked upon a biomedical engineering major at Johns Hopkins University.  Looking back at their time in the Dual Enrollment Honors Program and their journey to prestigious universities, these high-performing siblings are happy to share advice about the application process to selective schools and lessons they've learned along the way.

William Bailey is now a sophomore studying computer science at Yale University.  He will intern at Google this summer.

   Homeschooled from kindergarten through seventh grade, the Douglasville siblings learned independence and responsibility early on. "My mother started homeschooling us at the same time, when my brother was five and I was four," Monique explains.  Though the two are not twins (Monique started school a year early and 

graduated at age 17) they encouraged and supported each other as classmates, continuing to Veritas Classical Schools, Georgia Virtual School, and dual enrollment at KSU. This diverse educational background, William says,  encouraged discipline, "which has been helpful to me in being able to structure my time when less structure is provided by others." 

   Monique and William each graduated from high school with a 4.0 GPA, and each completed 28 credit hours at KSU, including honors courses, Calculus I and II, and two science courses. Both earned impressive SAT scores. William scored 790 in Critical Reading and 760 in both Math and Writing. Monique earned a 720 in Critical Reading, 760 in Math, and 740 in Writing. "It was very helpful that I took the test multiple times," Monique explained, "as my score improved with each test."

Monique Bailey, 19, is a semester ahead in her Johns Hopkins coursework because of her DEHP credits.  She urges students to "practice, practice, practice" to hone their interviewing and essay-writing skills.

   Understanding the application process.  The college application process was similar for both siblings. William attended an information session in Atlanta for Yale, which helped to demonstrate his interest in the college. The Yale application process included completion of the Common Application (an online application used by 500 colleges), submission of a five-paragraph essay as well as other shorter responses, and an interview with a Yale alumnus. For Johns Hopkins, Monique was asked to submit online applications, including several essays and teacher recommendations, and was required to complete personal interviews with school alumni. She was accepted not only at Johns Hopkins, but also at M.I.T. 

   When asked to share what she believed set her apart in the application process, Monique answered that it was a combination of factors including strong grades, SAT scores, essays and interviews. "I don't believe that any one aspect of my high school experience completely outweighed the others, but rather all of them together made for a strong application," she explained. William credits his dual enrollment, among other factors, for helping him stand out. "Dual enrollment at KSU was a good opportunity to gain experience with college while demonstrating that I could handle college work," he said. He believes his diverse coursework, including classes such as Biblical Greek, Rhetoric, Philosophy and Computer Science, which are somewhat unusual for high school students, also helped set him apart. 

   Tips for writing a strong essay.  The college admissions essay is a source of anxiety for many students.  William and Monique suggest several tips for writing strong essays. "The best essays are those that are personal," Monique advises. Whatever the topic, William emphasizes the importance of solid writing skills. "Use concrete examples," he recommends. "For example, if you want to say that leaders should be selfless, you might describe a situation where a leader stayed up till 2:00 a.m. to listen to someone who needed to talk." Using vivid vocabulary and active words and phrases when describing your accomplishments is also important, William says. "Rather than saying, 'I worked on a coding project,' you could say, 'I implemented a web application to do XYZ.'"  He recommends looking up sample essay questions online and using these to practice writing five- paragraph essays, then sharing them with peers, parents and teachers for suggestions.

   Surviving the alumni interview.  Interviews with alumni are a common part of the admissions process for Ivy League schools.  William's interview began with standard questions he expected about his background, academic record, and extracurricular activities.  Other questions he was asked included, "If you had a free afternoon to yourself, what would you do?" and "Tell me about being a big brother," and "What would you consider to be your greatest strength and weakness?"  William recommends that students seek out extremely challenging or unusual questions. "They can help you learn to think on your feet and feel more comfortable handling the unexpected."

   In preparing for a college interview, both siblings stressed the importance of practice. "I am thankful that a member at my church offered to give my sister and me practice interview sessions," William said. William and Monique also conducted practiced interview sessions with their parents and with each other. Monique shared the importance of knowing key facts about the school in advance, and being prepared with questions to pose to the interviewer. Some sample questions that William suggested are: "Could you describe the culture and atmosphere of the school?" and "What are three pieces of advice you would give me if I got accepted to the school?"

   Now sophomores, both Bailey siblings are happily settled in to their college routines. "I've enjoyed campus life so far!" William said. Yale divides its student body into 12 residential colleges, each with their own dining halls, dorms, "butteries" (snack shops) and other amenities. "I've made many friends within my college."  He has also participated in a martial arts group, Christian organizations, and attended political debates. After graduating in Computer Science, he plans to pursue a career either as a software developer or a lawyer. At John Hopkins University, Monique has been involved in a student organization that hosts basketball games for local children at a community gym. She plans to major in Biomedical Engineering and is considering a career in pediatrics.

   So how do classes at Yale and Johns Hopkins compare to classes at KSU?  "Though some classes are more challenging than others," Monique says, "I find that my KSU experience has prepared me for the rigor of college level courses. The size of my classes are much larger than those at KSU, especially my science lecture courses, but the instructors at Hopkins are just as nice and personable as professors at KSU. My DEHP experience did prepare me for my college experience now. Not only was I able to experience college courses ahead of time, but I was also able to transition from being almost completely homeschooled to [now] living on a college campus."  William has found that "the general theme of being responsible for your own work is the same."  Although Yale does not accept dual enrollment credits from any college, "from an educational standpoint," William says, "it was good to have a year of taking college courses in DEHP to adjust to the college workload. The biggest differences I have seen are in the amount of reading, and the emphasis on critical assessment and analysis in readings and essays." 

   To help pay for college, Monique and William each won scholarships. Monique was awarded Johns Hopkins' Bloomberg scholarship, a merit scholarship awarded to students based on high academic achievement which pays for all four years of college tuition. Yale provides financial aid based on family income, and in addition to this, William received scholarships for $2,500 in 2012 and 2013 as a National Achievement Scholar and Capital One Diversity Scholar. He also received a $500 book stipend from Google for participating in their Computer Science Summer Institute, a summer program for high school seniors, and interned at Google last summer as part of its Freshman Engineering Practicum. He plans to return to Google again this summer as a general intern.

   Through their work ethic and outstanding accomplishments, the Bailey siblings have demonstrated the dedication required to be successful at highly competitive universities. "To a large extent, the small things can set you apart," William shared on putting forth extra effort. "Have a well-rounded application by showing community involvement and dedication to an extracurricular activity," Monique added. William also shared the importance of exploring new subject areas in order to find one's passion. They both also reflect on their journeys with gratitude to those who helped them along the way.  "I am very grateful to my family, especially my parents, for helping me grow and learn to be a successful student," said Monique. Of his sister Monique, William said, "I am thankful to have had her as a classmate and my 'running buddy' to encourage, help and work with me." - Liza Stepat