NDA senior Daffne Gutierrez is among the 10-15% of students who get accepted into college fly-in programs each year.

“College ‘fly-ins’ are selective programs that allow high school students to visit out-of-state colleges,” explained NDA College Counselor Becky Bain.

She added, “Fly-in programs cover some or all travel costs for qualifying students. They are competitive. They usually target students with high GPAs.”

Gutierrez has been selected to the programs at Bowdoin College, Amherst College and Yale University.

She explained that because of her IB Psychology class last year, she is looking to study in the neurological field, but she really just wants to attend a school that has a good pre-med program.

“In class, my favorite topic was learning about the relationship between brain structures and behavior,” said Gutierrez. “I’d always loved studying Bio, but I also enjoyed Psych, so I think neurology is where I can find that perfect blend.”

She talked about how she hopes she can attend a school somewhere on the East Coast, preferably in a big city.

“I don’t think I’d survive in hot and humid weather,” she added.

Gutierrez is excited about this program.

“I hope to get a feel for what kind of college I genuinely see myself going to. Despite a college’s online presence being helpful, there’s nothing like actually staying on campus for a few days to really immerse yourself and experience all aspects of a prospective community,” said the senior.