Crawford Sandton’s top achiever for the Class of 2020 is ready to realise her full potential in the United States.
Savanna Cohen, who obtained a 91.85% grade average last year, is set to attend the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) to study neuroscience at the end of August.
According to the 19-year-old, one of the main reasons why she chose to apply to tertiary intuitions aboard was due to the abundance of opportunities that would be available to her.
“I wanted to expose myself to a foreign environment and meet people from all different walks of life. I believed that I would experience more growth and self-reliance.
“As a student in the US, I would have numerous opportunities to partake in ground-breaking research and I would be presented with more opportunities for success in the field of neuroscience than I would have been if I remained in South Africa.”
Local institutions such as the universities of Cape Town and Witwatersrand did also not offer a neuroscience major for undergraduates.
Determined to study in the US, Cohen applied to the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University, Northwestern University and the University of Chicago.
However, due to the increase of applicants applying to universities in the US, she was worried that she might not get accepted. Cohen then made the decision, earlier in the year, to attend the University of Cape Town (UCT) for a short period of time to study astrophysics and mathematics.
Preparing to now make the shift from UCT to UPenn, Cohen is excited for the journey ahead.
“I am excited to experience the culture shock as a South African coming to the USA. I am also excited to meet diverse people and learn from them.
“I cannot wait to take on the challenges that being a student at an Ivy League [University] will present me with and I am eager to learn about subjects that I was not able to in high school, from taking classes on opioid epidemics to learning about the neuroscience of stress.”
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https://www.citizen.co.za/sandton-chronicle/298533/crawford-learner-soars-for-the-skies/
https://www.citizen.co.za/sandton-chronicle/298375/crawford-staff-help-flatten-the-curve/
