Around this time last year my son Zach was rejected from all the Ph.D. programs that he had applied for.  It was a difficult time for him personally, especially after years of study with distinction ratings from each of his undergrad and master’s programs.

Doubly difficult with his depression and anxiety…

I guess they didn’t really see the value of his education with a Canadian undergrad from McGill (Montreal) and a two-year master’s program from Australian National University (Canberra).  Totally their prerogative, but they truly missed out if you ask me.

What a difference a year makes…

I’m so proud of him in that he decided that instead of sitting out a year and reapplying with the same type of application that he’d go back and complete a second master’s degree at the University of Chicago to try and get some further advantage in his applications.

He truly poured his heart and soul into making this another standout year, with opportunities to lecture undergrads on several occasions and consistently great results across his program.

So, with some trepidation he reapplied to the Ph.D. programs at the same school he had applied to the previous year with the addition of a couple of new ones.

However, this time instead of rejections he was accepted into the Ph.D. programs at the University of Texas (Austin), McGill (Montreal) and Stanford (Palo Alto). He has also been waitlisted for the University of California at Berkeley (Oakland) and the University of Chicago.

Not too shabby – and such a huge change from his last application cycle.

If there is one thing about Zach, it’s his absolute determination to be a history professor.

Strangely, it all began in the summer between Year 10 and Year 11 at high school.  Instead of going to summer camp Zach asked if he could attend a summer program at a US university.   My ex and I said that if was applied and was accepted then he could go to the program.

With zero help from us, he applied, including completing the entrance essay requirement and was accepted into Georgetown University in Washington DC.  He had applied for the undergraduate International Relations program.

Up until this point, he had been an okay student with lots of ability but hadn’t really applied himself and so he was about average for his year group.

After dropping him off at Georgetown he dove into the program and loved every minute of the four-week program.  When he got back home, he told me that he knew exactly what he wanted to do with his life.  The Georgetown experience had solidified in his mind how he saw his life unfolding.

It was truly a revelation.

Year 11 for him began very differently for him.  With this newfound belief in his future, he completely and utterly began applying himself.

For starters, instead of coming home after school from this point on he would go to the city public library and work for three-hours every night and arrive just in time for dinner at 6:45 pm.  He poured over his studies and as you’d expect his grades raised significantly from mid-70’s to high 90’s within the first couple of months.

He maintained this regime, including going to the library on weekends for the remainder of his high school (two years) and as such graduated with a 98 average which was by far and away the top mark at his school.  The next closest at his school was a 94 average.

From here he went onto apply and be accepted into McGill University for his undergrad in history.  After successfully gaining a distinction from McGill he applied for a master’s program at the Australian National University (ANU) in Australia as I had, by this time moved back to Australia.  Given his dual citizenship this was no issue and so he spent two years completing his first master’s degree in history at ANU.

He was very fortunate to be tutored by one of Australia’s foremost historians during his time at ANU, which he thought may help him with his initial Ph.D. applications.

His dedication and focus has been incredible since his announcement back in 2015 and had been steadfast in his conviction with his actions speaking louder than his words.

He’s already decided that Stanford is going to be his likely home for the next six-years, and as such has given up his placement for both McGill and the University of Texas so that someone else can come off the waiting list at those two schools.  He’s a thoughtful person.

So far, he’s had a series of video calls with other Ph.D. students at Stanford and is excited by the opportunity.  In addition, they’re flying him down to Palo Alto in early March for a visit to meet with faculty and to acquaint himself with the campus and his new peer group.

By the time of his graduation from the Ph.D. program, I’m hoping that there are lots of job opportunities globally to finally allow him to realize his dream of becoming the history professor.   He’s certainly earned it!

I’m so proud of him and his stick-to-it-ivness to reach for his goals…

Until next week.

Ciao!

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