Jess Hardiman
A student has broken a record with 125 college offers, having also been handed more than $9 million in potential scholarships.
Dennis Barnes, a senior at International High School (IHSNO) in New Orleans, Louisiana, applied to 200 schools across the US, with aims to pursue a dual undergraduate degree in computer science and criminal justice.
Amazingly, he found his inbox ‘overflowing’ with offers after submitting the applications last August, receiving no less than 125 offers from colleges and universities.
Better still, within those were offers totaling $9 million in scholarships, proving just how desperate the schools are to have Barnes studying with them.
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Speaking to WWL-TV, he said: “I submitted college applications in August, with an eye on raising the bar high for college admissions. Decision letters were an overflow in my mailbox and hundreds of scholarship offers."
The number of offers Barnes has received breaks the previous record documented in the Guinness Book of World Records – held by a high school senior in Lafayette, Louisiana, who received $8.7 million in scholarships back in 2019.
IHSNO is now reaching out to Guinness to make its student’s new record official, but either way it seems like he’ll be pretty set for further education, with his school saying he plans to announce his college decision on 2 May.
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The school added that Barnes has a cumulative grade point average of 4.98, holds leadership positions in the National Honor Society, is fluent in Spanish and received the Jose Luis Baños Award for Excellence in Spanish Language by the Honorary Consul of Spain in New Orleans - puts the rest of us to shame, doesn’t it?
WWL-TV also reported that, as well as being enrolled at IHSNO, he has been taking classes and earning college credits at Southern University of New Orleans for the past two years.
As for other seniors applying to colleges and scholarships, Barnes recommends being vigilant.
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“The road to a successful future is to plan ahead, network with the collegiate partners, and know that if you can see your vision, you can achieve your goal," he said.
Barnes is set to graduate on 24 May, with Dr. Adierah Berger, Head of School for IHSNO, praising his dedication to academics and eagerness to help his peers.