Featured student: Andrew Roland
| Name: | Andrew Roland |
|---|---|
| School: | University of Notre Dame |
| Hometown: | Tonawanda, NY |
| Major: | Mechanical Engineering |
Andrew, a 2022 graduate of
Kenmore East High School in Tonawanda, New York, will attend University of Notre Dame. He shared that he chose to enroll at Notre Dame because "Notre Dame has been my dream college ever since I was a little kid. I love their tradition and culture that they’ve created over the years that makes being there feel like home. I know that I won’t only receive an amazing education here, but I’ll also be able to grow spiritually."
At Notre Dame, Andrew will major in Mechanical Engineering, with future plans of using his degree "to get a job that will bring good to this world."
We asked Andrew:
What are your hobbies?
I enjoy getting active and playing sports. My main sport in high school was track and I hope to continue that in college by joining their running club. I also like to mess around with technology and see what I can do with it when I’m bored.
What one tip about the college application process would you share with seniors or their parents?
Take your college essay seriously. We need to remember that some college admissions officers look at thousands of applications. At some point, outstanding grades and extracurriculars might not be what these colleges are looking at in a student. The only way that colleges and their admissions officers really get to see your personality shine over other applicants is through your essays. This is where you need to put an impression and them and make them remember you. There’s several tips and tricks to that, but my biggest advice would be to be unique!
We know the past few years of your high school career have been different than what you imagined they would be; what is one positive thing that came out of the experience?
I developed a sense of work ethic through these troubling times. COVID gave us to opportunity to practically do school in bed. That’s a very tempting opportunity! But it also made school a much more independent task. We didn’t have teachers at our side helping us 24/7 anymore. Because of this, I needed to develop a work ethic that could replace that.
What is one fun fact about you?
I learned how to do a back flip in the middle of a nature preserve
At Notre Dame, Andrew will major in Mechanical Engineering, with future plans of using his degree "to get a job that will bring good to this world."
We asked Andrew:
What are your hobbies?
I enjoy getting active and playing sports. My main sport in high school was track and I hope to continue that in college by joining their running club. I also like to mess around with technology and see what I can do with it when I’m bored.
What one tip about the college application process would you share with seniors or their parents?
Take your college essay seriously. We need to remember that some college admissions officers look at thousands of applications. At some point, outstanding grades and extracurriculars might not be what these colleges are looking at in a student. The only way that colleges and their admissions officers really get to see your personality shine over other applicants is through your essays. This is where you need to put an impression and them and make them remember you. There’s several tips and tricks to that, but my biggest advice would be to be unique!
We know the past few years of your high school career have been different than what you imagined they would be; what is one positive thing that came out of the experience?
I developed a sense of work ethic through these troubling times. COVID gave us to opportunity to practically do school in bed. That’s a very tempting opportunity! But it also made school a much more independent task. We didn’t have teachers at our side helping us 24/7 anymore. Because of this, I needed to develop a work ethic that could replace that.
What is one fun fact about you?
I learned how to do a back flip in the middle of a nature preserve