To some, Thursday, March 28, 2019, was just a normal day. But to seniors that applied to Ivy League schools, it was Ivy Day, the day that all Ivy League schools announce their admissions decisions for regular decision first-year applicants.

Senior Mario Jauregui waited patiently for his results from Yale University.

“I felt very excited, but also anxious,” he said. “I was trying to do anything to get my mind off of it. I couldn’t even take a nap!”

Emotions obviously were running high as he waited and found out that he got accepted to go to Yale University.

The eight Ivies — Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Penn, Princeton, and Yale — typically release their decisions at the same exact time.

Although Jauregui will be choosing to attend Washington University in St. Louis, he’s very honored to have been accepted.

“I put a lot of time and effort into the process,” he said.

For Jauregui, Ivies seemed out of reach right up until he found out he got into Yale University.

“I don’t get the hype, and I still don’t get the hype,” he said. “But I do understand it’s prestige and why people would love to go there.

His decision to go to Washington University may be a surprising one to most. But, it gives him the most financial aid, he can stay close to his family, and have safer financial stability.

Jauregui said that college is like a game that he has to be good at so he can be as successful as possible.

“I love learning and learning about things,” he said. “Through college, I can develop myself and learn what I like.”

If he could give advice to a current freshman who would like to be in a position similar to his, he said to start early.

“Do something you love to do and if you’re good at it, keep going,” Jauregui said. “That’s what I did.”

He said your whole high school career doesn’t have to be dedicated to getting into an Ivy League college.

“If you dedicate yourself to only getting into an Ivy League, you may miss out on other amazing opportunities that can come your way.”