"I'm from Indonesia and I went to secondary and high school in Singapore. In Singapore, I was an international student as well. There's a stressful, competitive atmosphere in schools there, and I wasn't sure I wanted to continue with that for colleges. The tests you take early on determine the level of courses you're in later on. There are 11 levels in your third year of secondary school--so if you're at the top, in 3-1, you feel the most successful. But if you're in 3.9, there's a certain hopelessness attached with moving up, as though your path is already set.
"I didn't visit Notre Dame before I committed, but I did talk with a friend who goes here. I saw that Notre Dame had the values and the atmosphere that I wanted going forward. It's very different from the impersonal nature of an urban school.
"Since I couldn't visit any of these schools, my decision was driven by gut feeling. Some of my friends looked at schools' rankings. But just because a school is ranked in a 'top ten', it doesn't mean you'll get in. And if you do get in, that's not a guarantee that you'll fit in. Under my circumstances, I felt like going with my gut was the best decision."