Senior Austin Chustz received early acceptance to Stanford University, on Dec. 9.
Chustz applied early to three other schools, UNC Chapel Hill, Notre Dame, and University of Maryland.
Chustz’s mother, math teacher Karla Chustz, remembers the moment Austin was accepted to Stanford.
“We kept waiting for it to come in the mail,” said Chustz’s mom. “It didn’t come in the mail though. We’ve been checking the mail everyday waiting for the letter and on that Friday I was at the movies, and Austin got a message on his phone from Stanford. He kept calling me, and I was sending him straight to voice mail. After a while I finally answered. He was like, ‘Mom I got in.’”
Many students consider acceptance to Stanford early an impressive feat because many view early admission as difficult to accomplish. Chustz disagrees.
“Early acceptance is just like normal acceptance,” said Austin Chustz. “I just had to fill out the application by Nov. 15 and check the ‘early action’ box.”
Chustz favored Stanford because he believed it was an elite school that did not have an elitist mindset.
“They care more about you than who your father is,” said Chustz, “I’m not really qualified to say why it’s elite. It’s just prestigious and selective and has a strong history of academics and athletics.”
The school is widely regarded as one of the best in the country, on par with Ivy League schools, and has an annual tuition of $57,000.
Chustz credits his acceptance to his high GPA, high ACT score, his participation in the IB Diploma program, and his wide range of extracurricular activities, which include the mentor program and marching band.
Chustz looks forward to no longer waking up at 6 a.m., not operating on a high school schedule, and living a long distance from home.
Chustz’s mom says the distance from Reston to Stanford, which is located in Palo Alto, California, will create challenges.
“It’s funny,” said Karla Chustz. “When Austin is being like a normal teenager, we have ‘Stanford moments’ where we can’t wait for him to go. At the same time though, it’s far away, and we’re going to miss him. Since we can’t see what he will do music-wise, we’ll just have to hear about it later.”
His mom is especially proud of him.
“We are very proud of him,” said Karla Chustz. “[Stanford] is a great school.”
