--- title: New York High School Student Accepted to All Eight Ivy League Colleges description: He was born in Nigeria and moved to the U.S. when he was eight canonical: https://time.com/3772494/student-accepted-all-eight-ivy-league-colleges/ author: Samantha Grossman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-04-06T17:05:38.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:48:30.538Z og:title: This Teen Says He Was Accepted to All Eight Ivy League Schools og:description: He was born in Nigeria but now lives in Elmont, New York og:url: https://time.com/3772494/student-accepted-all-eight-ivy-league-colleges/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltecef94c6870219da/6986882ae8524b5f946021d0/73071977.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5405 og:image:height: 3040 og:image:alt: Harvard University og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: This Teen Says He Was Accepted to All Eight Ivy League Schools twitter:description: He was born in Nigeria but now lives in Elmont, New York twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltecef94c6870219da/6986882ae8524b5f946021d0/73071977.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # This Teenager Says He Was Accepted to All Eight Ivy League Schools > Sponsored content. 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It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ## Video: College Choice Doesn’t Affect Happiness … But Don’t Slack Off! [Watch (HLS stream): College Choice Doesn’t Affect Happiness … But Don’t Slack Off!](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/oig4rJdD.m3u8) (1:51)  _Published 2014-05-06. According to a new Gallup poll, the Ivy League doesn’t always trump the small liberal arts college or the state party school. The poll indicated good professors and active engagement in extracurriculars had far more bearing on future happiness._ by [Samantha Grossman](https://time.com/author/samantha-grossman/) ## Samantha Grossman Apr 6, 2015 5:05 PM UTC  Harvard University Harvard University Getty Images by [Samantha Grossman](https://time.com/author/samantha-grossman/) ## Samantha Grossman Apr 6, 2015 5:05 PM UTC High school seniors across the U.S. are currently making tough decisions about which college to attend — but one student in Elmont, N.Y., has a particularly difficult choice to make, because he was reportedly accepted to all eight Ivy League schools. His name is Harold Ekeh and along with the eight Ivies, he was also accepted to schools like MIT, Johns Hopkins and Vanderbilt, ABC News [reports](http://abcnews.go.com/US/long-island-high-schooler-accepted-ivy-league-colleges/story?id=30108451). The 17-year-old was born in Nigeria and moved to the U.S. with his family when he was eight years old. His main college essay was about his struggles adjusting to his new surroundings, [according to](http://money.cnn.com/2015/04/04/pf/college/immigrant-accepted-all-ivy-league-schools-harold-ekeh/index.html) CNN Money. Ekeh says his parents told him they came to America for the education opportunities. Now, nearly 10 years later, Ekeh is choosing where to continue his studies. He told CNN Money he’s leaning toward Yale because he competed there for a Model UN competition and liked “the passion people at Yale had.” Ekeh’s ultimate goal is to become a doctor and neurosurgeon. His advice to fellow college hopefuls? “Like my parents always told us, the secret to success is unbridled resolve.” _Read next:_ [_‘Wasting Time on the Internet’ Is Now an Ivy League Class_](http://time.com/3543663/internet-education-upenn-college/?iid=time%5Freadnext) [_Listen to the most important stories of the day._](http://time.com/newsletter/the-brief/?sl%5Fautoplay=true&xid=spl-fullbrief-article) ## Transcript According to a new Gallup poll, the prestigious Ivy League doesn't always trump the small liberal arts college or the state party school. The type of schools these college graduates attended, public or private, small or large, very selective or less selective. Hardly matters at all to their workplace engagement, and current well- being. We're going streakin! Wait a second, that does not mean let your 18 year old loose at the number one party school in the country. As the New York Times points out, measuring alumni satisfaction is very different and much more difficult in measuring something concrete like future income. In taking a yardstick to someone's success, or quality or life, how much can be attributed to one's alma mater, versus someone's aptitude, intelligence and doggedness? This gallop poll specifically dealt with two factors it believes lead to a better quality of life. Being engaged at work which it defines as deeply involved in, enthusiastic about and committed to. As well as thriving in all areas if well- being defined by a sense of purpose, financial security, physical health, close relationships, or community pride. It seems what happens during college, no matter where it is or how much it costs, have the profound effect parents and students are looking for. For example, grads who recalled having a professor who cared about them as a person or made them excited about learning were twice as likely to thrive in all aspects of well- being. Being actively involved in extracurriculars and organizations had the same effect on the odds of being engaged at work. So when choosing between this. And there is a problem, on the board right now. [ MUSIC ] That took us more than two years to prove. And this. You guys up for a toga party? Toga! Toga! Pick the school with great teachers, work hard and sit in the front. Just like your parents said in the first place. 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