Brittany Stinson
"I'm going to Stanford!" she told Business Insider.
Stinson, whose Ivy acceptances were to Yale, Columbia, the University of Pennsylvania, Dartmouth, and Cornell, said her decision ultimately came down to where she felt the best fit, since all of the schools are academic powerhouses.
"All those schools have equal academic prowess, so it honestly came down to fit and location," she said.
For Stinson, the appeal of the West Coast, as well as Stanford's stellar science programs led her to decide on the Cardinals.
While Stinson plans to major in neuroscience, she was also impressed by Stanford's range of course offerings.
"It has strength in science and also the humanities," she said. "They have a lot of interdisciplinary classes and majors, so that really appealed to me too."
For her admission's essay, Stinson crafted a lighthearted reflection of her inquisitive personality, told against a backdrop of her childhood trips to Costco. The essay went viral after she shared with with Business Insider. Read her essay here »
Stinson, who is also valedictorian of her Concord High School class, is grateful some of the interest in her essay has begun to recede.
"When it reached its peak - oh my goodness - it was kind of overwhelming," she said. "I'm glad it's died down."