Stanford, Harvard universities vie for Hyderabad student Amita Gondi

Hyderabad: While other students struggle to secure seats at reputed universities, Amita Gondi from Hyderabad is spoilt for choice. This grade XII student of Oakridge International School has received offer letters from Harvard as well as Stanford.

Amita plays squash and racquetball at the international level and is a national-level swimmer. She has many awards to her name and is currently ranked first in India, in squash, in the girls under-17 category. She has finished in the top three at major tournaments including the 2016 US Junior Squash Open, the 2015 Canada Junior Open and the 2016 Canada Junior Open.

Amita received a letter from Harvard University in July 2017, inviting her to visit their campus and finalise the admissions process. She then received an offer from Stanford University, which she accepted earlier this month. Luke Hammond, the assistant coach of the Harvard University Men’s and Women’s Squash Teams, had written to Amita in July, asking her to visit the campus for an official visit and interview, upon which her acceptance would be dependent.

Subsequent to her visit, she received a letter from Stanford which read, “It is a tribute to your outstanding achievements as a student-athlete that our Department of Athletics has requested an early review of your application for admission to Stanford for Fall 2018. I am delighted to share this good news with you ahead of our regular notification period. We offer congratulations on your distinguished accomplishments and welcome you to Stanford.”

Ranked first in India in the girls under-17 category

SAT Score: 1530 (Math: 800, English: 730)