5 Questions with Sophia Stone, a Science Hill student accepted into Yale University

Meet 16-year-old Sophia Stone, a current senior at Science Hill High School who will be attending Yale University this coming fall.A lifelong Johnson City resident, Stone enjoys playing the cello, tennis and considers herself both a romance novel connoisseur and a classical music snob.An NPR fangirl, Stone also exhibits a strong interest in journalism and currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of Science Hill's student newspaper, the Hilltopper Herald.When deciding on colleges, what led you to pursue Yale?I visited Yale's campus the summer before my junior year of high school, and though cliche, it was love at first sight. It's slightly superficial, but I adore a good library and Beinecke's marble and ambiance were an immediate hook. After I began researching Yale more properly at home, the dream just fell into place. It obviously has very strong humanities, but beyond academics the pretty small size, location on the northeast corridor, and student culture were a great fit for my aspirations. Yale seemed like a place with the academic rigor and intellectual curiosity I thrive on, combined with a genuine, warm and down-to-earth community.How did you manage the "waiting game" of waiting to hear back from the university?I mainly tried to distract myself by spending time with friends, binge-watching movies, and catching up on schoolwork. I had a huge calculus final to study for the night before my decision, so the stress of that helped take my mind off decision day. I also worked on a lot of application essays for other universities in case I was deferred or rejected by Yale.What was your/loved ones reaction to your acceptance?I actually holed up in the study to open my decision alone. I wanted to have a personal moment if the outcome wasn't optimal, though I did record a reaction video to share if things went well. When the Yale fight song started playing with the congratulatory message, I just started screaming. My dad was probably a bit concerned in the room over. I ran over to tell him, called my mom, then FaceTimed my friends. There was a lot of crying and hugging, and when two of my friends also got into their top choices hours later, there was yet more crying. I think my parents were in disbelief (my mother asked me to check the name on the acceptance letter) but very proud and happy.What are you looking forward to most as a future Yalie?I'm most excited to be surrounded by a class of brilliant and inspiring peers; I know that Yale will help me find amazing people to learn, grow, and have fun with. I also can't wait to start reporting for the Yale Daily and exploring the wide range of clubs Yale has to offer!Finally, what will you be studying and what career field would you like to see yourself in?I applied as an American Studies major, which is an interdisciplinary program that seeks to examine American culture and society from a wide range of angles. This means taking courses in literature, history, political science, philosophy, sociology, economics, and media. I love this major because I think it'll give me a lot of room to explore and connect my passions within a larger framework. If I find myself falling in love with a more specific discipline like political science, I might consider double majoring or transferring. My eventual goal is to attend law school, and while I'm not set on a particular area of law yet, I am especially fascinated by constitutional law.