How would you feel if you got accepted into one of the most selective private colleges in the United States?

Bear River senior Katelyn Meylor is following in the footsteps of her older sister by being the second child in her family to be accepted into Stanford.

Meylor explained the process she underwent to get accepted.

“I decided early on that I wanted to go to Stanford,” said Meylor. “I was working with the teachers and counselors a lot to form my curriculum that would be best suited for me. So, I took a lot of advanced classes.”

She elaborated further on her rigorous schedule and how being President and founder of the Native American Club helped her with her acceptance.

“I tried to take advantage of all the AP classes at Bear River,” said Meylor. “… I even started a club so that showed them that I participate in extracurricular activities.”

Meylor said that her sister was her biggest inspiration for applying to Stanford.

“My sister kind of inspired me to apply to Stanford,” explained Meylor. “My sister did a lot in high school to prepared for college. Actually, she did a lot of things I didn’t do. We took completely different paths. But, seeing her at Stanford and seeing her life at Stanford inspired me to go because everyone always thinks that Stanford is a high-class school when really the people there are just down to earth and nice. I liked the environment I was in.”

Meylor described how she felt when she found out that she had been accepted.

“When I got in I felt super excited and humbled and I credit everyone who helped me at this school for getting in,” said Meylor.

Seniors Kylee Dresbach-Hill and Kaylee Bohrer are both excited for Meylor and expressed their full support.

“I’m super proud of Katelyn,” said Dresbach-Hill. “ She should be super proud of herself because it’s an honor to even be accepted into Stanford. She has done a ton of stuff outside of school and has gotten the grades and I hope she takes advantage of that opportunity.”

“I was very excited,” said Bohrer. “Katelyn has worked very hard to get here and she deserves this.”

School Counselor Bethany Williams helped Meylor through the college application process. She explained how hard it is to get into Stanford.

“When I reviewed their website for the Class of 2020, they accepted 4.69% of the applicants,” said Mrs. Williams. “They receive on average 35,000 applications each year for incoming freshmen. An applicant must have a min GPA of 3.95, which means they are grouped as being one of your top students.There is not a typical student or formula to get into Stanford, which makes the process even more difficult.”

Mrs. Williams described Meylor’s early commitment to Stanford.

“Since I have known Katelyn she has wanted to apply to Stanford,” said Williams. “Because she has had this focus, her planning started before she attended Bear River. Once I met Katelyn we would meet regularly to discuss her four-year plan. It’s important to map out your courses to meet the college admission requirements and we always encourage students to go beyond the requirements. This helps when programs and schools are impacted. With her plan this included taking most of the rigorous courses offered at BR and courses beyond your typical classroom setting at Bear River. An example of this is she is currently taking AP Stats with an online school.”

Mrs. Williams acknowledged that all students are meant to follow different paths. She said she was excited to see Meylor earn a place at Stanford.

“Every student is different and has a different plan and, at the end of the day, if they are successful by reaching their goal I too feel successful,” said Mrs. Williams. “This is what working in high school is all about! I am extremely thrilled for Katelyn that she was accepted to her dream/reach school. As a counselor, this may be a once-in-a-career for me.”