While seniors Stephanie Fu and Luann Jung have had two different paths leading to their acceptance to one of the top technology schools in the country, they have one thing in common: they light up when talking about their future. Both Fu and Jung were accepted to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a college revered for its curriculum.

“It’s kind of been my dream college probably since seventh grade because I knew that I wanted to study computer science then,” Fu said, “and so I kind of looked up what the best technology schools were, and that rose to the top, so that kind of became the school that I wanted to aim for.”

Both Fu and Jung applied early action, meaning that they were granted a response sooner than normal applicants. Roughly 7.8% of early action applicants were admitted for the fall of 2017 according to MIT’s admissions statistics, and while some students denied early action were put into the pool for general admission, the vast majority were rejected. Being accepted in the early action process makes their admissions all the more rare.

“[Being accepted] was really exciting, I didn’t see it coming,” Jung said. “I opened it, and I expected to be rejected, so I was really surprised that I got in.”

While MIT was a dream school for Fu, Jung only realized after her acceptance that it was the place for her.

“When I was little I wanted to go to Stanford, but the older I got, I started realizing that each school has a different fit for me,” Jung said. “I didn’t really think about it too much until after I had gotten in and then I realized that MIT was the place for me.”

Meeting new people and making friends in a new city can be daunting, but the two are looking forward to meeting like-minded people that they can make connections with.

“I’m really excited to be surrounded by people who are super passionate about technology and because most people who go there want to study something technology-related like engineering,” Fu said. “Being surrounded by that, having those resources, is really exciting.”

From April 12 through April 15, students accepted into MIT had the opportunity to attend their Campus Preview Weekend where they were able to meet their future classmates and learn more about what MIT has to offer.

“I already met a bunch of people when I went to MIT for the preview weekend, and everyone there is so nice and they have a really diverse community,” Jung said, “so I really look forward to making friends and spending the next four years with them.”

MIT is roughly 1,500 miles away and is known for its rigorous programs, but Fu and Jung are ready to make it their four-year home.

“Even though it had been my dream school for so many years, I didn’t actually think I would get in,” Fu said. “I was expecting a rejection like everyone else or a deferral, but realizing that I got in, and it didn’t seem real for a really long time, but now it’s real, but it’s still mind-blowing.”