Most school leavers would be ecstatic to score a spot at a prestigious university – so when Melbourne teenager Cecilia Xu received offers from six of the world’s top colleges, her reaction was understandably extreme.
The 18-year-old from Glen Iris rolled on the floor and screamed when offers flooded in from four US Ivy League universities and another two of the country’s top institutions.
“It was insane,” she said.
Xu this year won spots at Ivy League universities Princeton, Yale, Brown and Harvard, and also at leading US colleges Stanford and Duke.
In the end she chose Harvard. She is one of just seven Australians to secure a spot at the hallowed Massachusetts institution this year.
Not bad for the daughter of Chinese migrants who arrived in Australia 28 years ago with just $100 to their names. So how did she do it?
Xu was dux of Melbourne Girls Grammar in 2025, with an ATAR of 99.95, though she believes her academic results alone were not what caught the eyes of the notoriously picky Ivy League admissions officers, who knock back up to 97 per cent of non-US based hopefuls.
Her enthusiasm for language – she established her own online French magazine while still at school – and music helped give her an edge, she says.
“The biggest thing that may have gotten me in was my story and a passion, because I had a very distinct passion for history and French and music.
“I received enough financial support based on what my family needs – we are able to afford the cost of four years without financial strain! I don’t think they give out [merit] scholarships for undergraduates; instead this is financial aid,” she says.
Xu, who plans to study history and economics at Harvard, started playing the French horn when she was aged eight, and the instrument has become her biggest passion. Music will remain a fundamental part of her life, though she is still not sure what she wants as a career.
“That’s been a constant throughout my life, and I can envision that being in my life forever,” she says.
Xu says she drew a lot from her parents’ migrant story too.
“From their story, what I’ve learned is to just adapt quickly to all the challenges with that huge end goal in sight,” she says.
“Because it was so difficult for them for at least the first 10 years, but they kept pushing because they knew, for my brother and me, it would all be worth it, and we would end up having opportunities that they didn’t have.
“They’d start work at 4am and work double what a normal person might. “So I’m just super grateful, I feel like … almost all of my success is owed to them and their belief.”
Xu’s practical tips for students with their sights set on an elite university place include managing time well and getting one-on-one sessions with educators.
“Especially in year 12, it was just making use of every little second that I had, like recess and lunch time,” she says.
“Yes, I would take a break, but most of the time I would be chatting with my friends about assessments coming up, or questions we had.
“I booked a lot of meetings with my teachers whenever I had a SAC [school-assessed coursework] coming up, or just when I had a question in general, I’d always be in with my teachers just asking them.”
Xu also credits winning a Premier’s Spirit of Anzac Prize as part of her success with her university offers.
Will Yaxley, a regional manager with Crimson Education, a consultancy that helps students with international university applications, says few Australians are accepted to the top US and UK schools.
Yaxley says applying to overseas universities has become more popular since the pandemic, and about 120 year 12s have applied for US and UK schools via his company this year. Of those, 38 are focused on US colleges, 31 on UK schools, and the rest are applying to both countries.
But students don’t need perfect scores to get in, he says.
“Those Ivy League schools [each] only accept five to 10 Australian students annually, with between 40 and 80 students getting in across the network. I think for the more competitive universities, academics get you a foot in the door. We recommend aiming for a 97 or 98 ATAR.”
US colleges have three pillars in their application processes: academic, extracurricular and personality. With only 40 per cent of the application based on academic achievement, Yaxley says he has seen students with lower grades succeed because they had a great story to tell.
One student started a school scrunchie business that tanked.
“The essay she wrote to Stanford started with, ‘I first declared bankruptcy at the age of 16,’” he says.
“It was what she learnt during that experience. It’s that ambition they look for. If you have a really interesting authentic story to tell, that’s the real differentiator.”
Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
Nicole Precel is an education reporter at The Age. She was previously an audio video producer. She is also a documentary maker. Get in touch at nicole.precel@theage.com.auConnect via X, Facebook or email.