High School Student Accepted To 39 Colleges, Offered $1.6M In Scholarships

High school senior Jordan Nixon was confident she would get into a few schools. But she was shocked to as the acceptance letters piled up — she's gotten in to 39 colleges and universities so far. 

Her high school in Douglasville, Georgia says no other student at the school has ever gotten this many acceptances. "The crazy thing is, I'm still waiting on decision letters, but I was not expecting that at all," 17-year-old Nixon told CBS Atlanta affiliate WGCL.

Nixon applied to about 50 schools all together, and she didn't just choose them on a whim. She specifically researched schools that are diverse and have her desired major: International Business. 

Even after all these acceptances, she still hasn't gotten used to seeing the word, "Congratulations." 

"It's shocking, each and every time, you're taken aback every time you open one," Nixon said.

"It really was amazing at first, and then it became, when are the letters going to stop?" her mother, Angelia Nixon, joked.

She's certainly made her parents proud — they say she is independent, well-rounded and has excellent time-management skills. "We're so happy for her because she does put in a lot of due diligence into applying for these schools," her mom said.

Nixon also participates in various extracurricular activities. She is one of the captains of the varsity cheer team, a participant in Chick-fil-A Leader Academy and a member of DECA, an entrepreneurship club. 

In addition to the acceptance letters, she has also been offered a massive amount of scholarship money — over $1.6 million. 

"Students like Jordan who took advantage of being able to apply to a lot of schools through certain avenues like the Common Black App — you can apply to a lot of schools with one low price for that one, and then also Common App — they can apply to up to 20 schools at one time on one app," said Pinky Quick, the College and Career Center Specialist at Douglass County High School.

Nixon says her success has been a result of both motivation and a strong support system. "I think my secret is to just give my all," she said.

Nixon has yet to choose which school she will attend. She has until May 1 to make a decision. 

First published on March 8, 2019 / 3:02 PM

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