A Spalding Grammar School pupil has beaten off competition from more than 1,200 students in a bid to land a place at one of the top 10 universities in the world.
Edward Tranter has become the first pupil from the Priory Road school to ever be selected for the Sutton Trust US Programme.
The Bentley House captain is the only student selected from a Lincolnshire School. The aim of the programme is to encourage academically talented British students to consider studying at American universities.
Edward was initially selected from 1,200 applicants to join a group of 175 students to attend a weekend introductory residential in London.
After a series of interviews and tests, he was finally given the good news that he was in the final 150 and had secured a ticket to fly to America for one week in late July.
A delighted Edward said: “When I first found out I was so excited. This will be such an amazing experience.
“Both my parents are very proud, my mother overly so. She tells everyone about my place – even strangers.”
Edward will use the time to decide whether to proceed with his ambition to study in America upon leaving Spalding Grammar School.
He will participate in a summer school in the US at Yale University, spending a week living on campus and will visit Harvard and other universities in the area.
Edward’s application demanded six 500-word essays as well as a detailed list of 10 extra-curricular activities.
He recently took the ACT (American College Testing) exam and scored 31 out of 36 which put him in the top four per cent of all test takers.
Edward added: “I plan to perform talks for Spalding Grammar students at the beginning of next year to promote the Sutton Trust and to ensure that more students receive this fantastic opportunity every year.
“Due to my predicted grades/ACT score, I plan to apply to either Yale, Harvard, or the University of Virginia (all of which are in the top 10 universities in the world).
“The Sutton Trust support me when applying for financial aid so I should be able to travel to the US and take part in a four-year undergraduate programme for free (with no student debt). I plan to study philosophy.
“I’d like to especially thank Mr Love for his unwavering support throughout my application to the Sutton Trust. I can’t wait to go to Yale during the holidays and look at potential colleges.”
