On Friday, June 3, the 127 members of the Shady Side Academy Class of 2022 received their diplomas at the Commencement Exercises ceremony on the Senior School campus. With a broad range of academic interests and a genuine curiosity, these graduates leave SSA ready to make their mark on the colleges and communities they are about to join.
Some notable college matriculation statistics for the Class of 2022:
- Will attend 84 colleges in 27 states plus Washington, D.C., and Canada
- Admitted to 223 colleges
- 77% will attend college out of state
- 31% will attend a US News & World Report Top 25 National University or Liberal Arts College
- 52% will attend a US News & World Report Top 50 National University or Liberal Arts College
- 56% will attend a Barron's "most competitive" college
- 14% will play college athletics in 7 different sports
- 5 will take a gap year to pursue athletic, travel, service or career opprtunities
- Admitted to "very selective" schools at 2x the global rate (23% vs. 11%)
But what's just as important as where they're going is how they got there. These graduates' college decisions are the culmination of an educational journey at Shady Side Academy that challenged them to think expansively, act ethically and lead responsibly. Through a rigorous and balanced curriculum of academics, arts and athletics, and a unique culture of faculty-student mentorship, SSA has ensured they have the discipline, drive and intellect to succeed wherever they go next.
A snapshot of the Class of 2022's SSA experience:
- Hail from 9 states and 6 countries
- 7% earned a Certificate in Social Entrepreneurship from UPenn via the SSA Social Innovators Program
- 10% are "lifers" who attended SSA from grades K-12
- 14% were recognized by the National Merit Scholarship program
- 24% were members of the Senior School boarding community
- 46% participated in the performing arts (theatre production or musical ensemble)
- 50% completed an independent study or senior project
- 50% attended SSA Middle School
- Helped 8 SSA athletic teams win 13 league championships
SSA's College Counseling Office and its three full-time college counselors have partnered with these students and their families to maximize their college options and find "best fit" schools that will nurture their abilities and talents, while allowing them to realize their career aspirations.
The Class of 2022 College List
(number of attendees in parentheses if more than one)
- Amherst College
- Bates College (2)
- Boston College
- Boston University
- Brown University (2)
- Bucknell University (3)
- Carnegie Mellon University (2)
- Case Western Reserve University
- Chatham University
- Claremont McKenna College
- Clarkson University
- Colby College
- Columbia University
- Cornell University (4)
- Dartmouth College (3)
- Davidson College
- Denison University
- Dickinson College
- Duquesne University
- Elon University (3)
- Fashion Institute of Technology
- Furman University
- George Washington University (2)
- Grove City College
- Hamilton College
- Hampton University
- Johns Hopkins University (2)
- Kenyon College
- Lawrence University
- Lehigh University
- Liberty University (2)
- Maine Maritime Academy
- Marietta College
- Marquette University (2)
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- New York University (2)
- Northwestern University
- Oberlin College
- Ohio State University (2)
- Pennsylvania State University (3)
- Pennsylvania State University New Kensington
- Princeton University
- Providence College
- Purdue University
- Queen's University (2)
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
- Ringling College of Art and Design
- Rochester Institute of Technology
- Rutgers University (2)
- Southern Methodist University
- Spelman College
- Stanford University (2)
- Syracuse University (2)
- Temple University
- Texas Christian University
- Tufts University
- Tulane University
- United States Merchant Marine Academy
- University of Akron
- University of California, Los Angeles
- University of Chicago
- University of Colorado Boulder
- University of Florida
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- University of Kentucky
- University of Maryland (2)
- University of Massachusetts Amherst
- University of Miami (2)
- University of Michigan
- University of Nevada, Las Vegas
- University of New Hampshire
- University of Notre Dame (3)
- University of Pittsburgh (8)
- University of Pittsburgh Johnstown
- University of Pittsburgh Greensburg
- University of Southern California
- University of Toronto
- University of Virginia (2)
- University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Vanderbilt University
- Wake Forest University (4)
- Washington University in St. Louis (2)
- Wesleyan University
- Westminster College
Congratulations, Shady Side Academy Class of 2022!