Simon's College Admissions Journey

Two years of Zoom school in Frisco, Texas, had left me craving connection—real people, real conversations, real learning. So when I stepped into Goodwin House at Milton Academy as a new boarding student, nearly 2,000 miles away from my family, I felt the distance immediately. No more home-cooked meals. No more walking downstairs to see both my parents. Just a suitcase, a dorm room, and the hope that I’d find my footing.

The adjustment wasn’t easy. The academic pressure was real as classes moved fast, expectations were high, and everyone around me seemed to know what they were doing. Socially, I felt behind. I didn’t know the unspoken rules of dorm life or how to bond with people in the common room after a long day of classes. But slowly, things started to shift.

The first real breakthrough came from older students in the dorm. They showed me how to navigate Milton, not just how to get through classes, but how to make this place feel like home. One of them, Alex Zhang from the Class of 2024, encouraged me to join the Economics Club. I had barely scratched the surface of the subject before, but I figured I’d give it a try.

By March 2022, I found myself representing Milton at the Massachusetts Economics Challenge. With just a few months of preparation and not much background in the field, our team placed fourth in the state. I still remember thinking: Maybe I actually belong here. That experience lit a fire in me. I dove headfirst into economics, reading outside of class, writing articles, and asking questions in meetings long after they ended.

But little did I know, a single day at the Massachusetts State House would reshape everything.

During my junior year, I was invited to testify in support of a state bill mandating financial literacy education in public high schools. Standing before lawmakers, making a case for something I believed in. This was policy in action. I saw how words could shift laws. I realized I didn’t just want to study economics. I wanted to shape how economic decisions affect people’s lives. That day, my intended college major changed.

The summer of 2024 cemented that shift. I spent June at Massachusetts Boys State, debating education reform and running for Boys Nation Senator. In July, I flew to Washington, D.C., for Boys Nation and spoke on the Senate floor about opioid recovery programs for veterans. During July, I also studied transatlantic diplomacy at the Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic Fellowship, collaborating with students from over 40 countries.

Looking back, I see how far I’ve come from a quiet freshman unsure of where I belonged to someone who has testified for legislation, built friendships across the country, and discovered a calling in public service. My path to college wasn’t linear, and it didn’t need to be.

You don’t have to have everything figured out from the start. Sometimes, it takes just one moment—a new experience, an unexpected opportunity, or the guidance of a mentor—to completely reframe what you thought you loved and who you thought you were becoming.

For me, it began in a dorm room at Goodwin House.

Written by Simon Farruqui