A high school student who was offered more than $10 million in scholarships from almost 200 colleges has decided which university he’ll be attending later this year.
Dennis Barnes, a senior at International High School (IHSNO) in New Orleans, Louisiana, broke a record after being flooded with millions of dollars of scholarship offers after applying to 200 schools across the US, with aims to pursue a dual undergraduate degree in computer science and criminal justice.
Speaking to WWL-TV last month, the 16-year-old 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."
He’s now had at least 188 offers from US colleges and universities - and has finally made his decision.
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At a press conference yesterday, Barnes confirmed that he’d be heading to Cornell University in the fall.
Popping on a red Cornell jumper, Barnes said: "It is an honor and a privilege to be accepted to the Ivy League.”
Barnes will be studying at the university's school of engineering and plans to pursue a degree in computer science.
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He went on to say that it had been an easy decision to make as he’d always wanted to attend the prestigious university, explaining that going to another school ‘was never really an option’.
"Once I received the admission, I knew that's where I was going," he added.
Barnes, who did not disclose exactly how much his Cornell scholarship was, said he had opted for the university because of the strength of its engineering program and because it was situated in New York, giving him an opportunity to spread his wings.
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He said: "I love my city, but I do want to venture out and experience new things and see different things that I haven't seen before.”
Talking about the secret to his success, Barnes went on: "It's easy to get distracted as a teenager.
"There's nothing wrong with having fun and doing different things, but I think that whenever you have your mind made up and you're determined to get something done then it can have a definite effect.
"Where there's a will there's a way. So when you have a will to get done what you want to get done, it's definitely going to happen and your dreams and aspirations are going to come true."
Claire Reid