Student Highlight: Winthrop Senior Heads to Harvard in the Fall

To say that Brandon Preble is active in school, is an understatement. The soon-to-be graduate has spent four years in the math club, four years in the STEM Club, three years on the Quiz Bowl team, and two years throwing discus and shotput for track and field. Not to mention the fact that he founded the strategy games club at the high school.

When Preble isn’t involved in school activities, he is working at the 21st Century program teaching and supervising elementary school kids, playing the piano, or making trinkets with his 3-D printer.

After putting in a lifetime of hard work and earning accolades such as the President’s Excellence Award, AP Scholar with Distinction, AP physics and AP calculus awards, Preble will be heading off to Harvard in the fall. In the interview below, he shares a bit about his future plans and what it’s like to be accepted into one of the most prestigious schools in the world.

Has Harvard always been your dream school, and what will you be majoring in?

I plan on majoring in mechanical engineering. My dream school for many years was MIT. Regrettably, I was rejected from there, but I am more than overjoyed for the acceptance I got from Harvard. It was a completely unexpected turn of events; however, it was definitely appreciated as it made my college choice crystal clear.

Harvard is amongst the most prestigious schools in the world. What are some things that you’ve done throughout your educational career, that have helped you with your success?

I think that the major factors in my acceptance include:

1.  An exceptionally high degree of academic rigor (10 AP classes and 4 total college courses at local state universities over the past spring, summer, and fall. Most of the college courses were STEM-centric such as Calculus 3 and Physics 2).

2.  Well roundedness in addition to a spike in a certain area (I took humanities such as AP literature and AP US history along with being involved in track, but my main focus was always on STEM).

3. I spent many hours writing and revising my Harvard application essays in order to portray the most authentic version of myself to the admissions committee. I did this while still maintaining a unique and interesting story to read.

 How do you juggle, school, activities and sports and manage to excel? 

Time management is key and enjoying a busy lifestyle certainly helps.

 What is your favorite subject? 

I personally enjoy physics because of how it demonstrates the practicalities of math in the real world. My love for physics is one of the main reasons I plan on majoring in mechanical engineering.

 Who is your role model? 

Many people have made a positive impact on my life from friends to family to teachers, but my mother is my greatest role model hands down. She’s always been there for me and encouraged me to reach for the stars. I highly doubt that I would have made it into Harvard if not for my mother’s influence.

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