Hi, my name is Jordan Summerfield ’25, I’m eighteen years old, and I’m from Framingham, Massachusetts. I am a current Psychology major with a double minor in HR Management and Business Administration at Clarkson University, and I attended college a year early with The Clarkson School (TCS) last year.
Enrolling in an early college program was never something that I had initially planned to do – I had established a very comfortable life for myself back in Framingham and was looking forward to my senior year.
However, my plans pivoted unexpectedly in early June of 2022. After receiving the Junior High School Leadership Award from Clarkson University, I decided to do further research and discovered The Clarkson School. As I saw this incredible opportunity, my eyes were instantly glued to the screen, and excitedly reading away, my face lit up. I knew in my heart that I needed to explore this more.
There was no time to consider the “what-ifs”. I knew that if I wanted to attend TCS for the 2022-2023 school year I would need to act fast.
deciding that I would attend TCS!
After inquiring about the application logistics and receiving a response that I still had time to apply, I immediately sprung into action. I compiled transcripts, and recommendation letters, and wrote my college essay all within the span of a week. A few days later, my decision came in, and as I’m sure you can probably guess by now, I was accepted!
I couldn’t believe it – I was going to college a year early – something I had never heard of anyone else doing before. I was so excited! But as my adrenaline started to slow, my head flooded with questions: But what about my family? My friends? My school? The life I had built? It was at this point that all those “what ifs” finally hit me.
Soon after receiving my acceptance, my family and I drove the six hours to Clarkson University for a tour. I remember feeling really excited, yet also not quite knowing what to expect.
As we pulled onto the campus, it all felt so surreal – looking around as I envisioned what my life could be like going to school here. We first talked with all of the TCS staff and then took a tour of the school.
Suddenly, all the “what-ifs” disappeared. Everyone we met had been so kind and accommodating. It truly made Clarkson feel like a very welcoming community – one that you don’t find all that often. It was at this point that I knew I would be attending The Clarkson School.
Sure it was still scary taking that leap of faith and changing my plans at the last minute, but looking back I am so glad I did. Like every life change, there will always be challenges, but the support here in this program makes those challenges all the easier to overcome.
As I sit here in my dorm room writing this post as a sophomore at Clarkson, I can wholeheartedly say that coming to Clarkson to kick-start my college education was one of the best choices that I ever made.
