Editor’s Note:
This article originally appeared in the Atherton Aerie Student run newspaper. It’s author, Miles Davis, now contributes to The Louisville Voice.
— Jay
Applying to college is an involved process that many high school students undertake their senior year. But the work that goes into crafting the best application starts well before then: years of academic excellence and extracurricular involvement are a necessity to impress and be accepted into the top schools.
For one Atherton student, their dedication and discipline ended up paying off in a huge way. Azam Tashtanov applied and was recently accepted to Johns Hopkins University with a full-ride scholarship.
Tashtanov said he vividly remembers receiving the confirmation of his acceptance to the university, which has an acceptance rate of around 5%.
“It was December 21st: third period, Miss Berlin's class,” said Tashtanov. “I see an email saying results are out...I opened it right then and there.”
Tashtanov was awarded the scholarship through Questbridge, a national non-profit that connects lower-income students with top colleges and universities via the National College Match. He was one of only 2,550 nationwide to receive the scholarship.
“The application process was really extensive, especially with QuestBridge,” Tashtanov said. “You had to get several recommendations. They made me write about things like...my hobbies, what I do, why I want to go to school.”
From left: Noah Cooksey, Adam Olin, Azam Tashtanov, Augustin Veroslavsky, James Changaris, Daksh Dubey, Zachary Bailey (all class of '25). "It was an incredible experience to be able to both be on a team and see [Azam's] growth," said Augustin Veroslavsky.
Tashtanov had plenty to write about. He’s the team captain for the Chess Team, as well as the president of The Astronomy Club. He’s involved in National Honor Society, National Math Honor Society, Philosophy Club, and plays the violin in Atherton’s Orchestra. Outside of Atherton, he’s a player and referee for Highland Youth Recreation’s Club Football Team.
“Universities like it when they see that you’re putting effort into other things outside of school for extracurriculars,” Tashtanov said.
Though performance in standardized tests like the ACT can play a big role in the admissions process, Tastanov said that it’s not the only important factor. “I had a 32 composite, and when you compare it to other students that applied to the university [Johns Hopkins], it’s definitely below the average,” Tashtanov said. According to Johns Hopkin’s website, the average ACT score is 35 for accepted applicants.
“I was able to get in with a 32 just because my extracurriculars and my academics were that strong. Your essays, too, your essays matter a bunch”
“If you do have a lower-than-average test score for the university that you're applying to, there is still a great chance that you'll be able to get in.” This past summer, Tashtanov participated in the Governor’s Scholars Program at Murray State University.
He said experiencing the program and living on a college campus for five weeks made him more confident about attending university in the fall. “They have a bunch of workshops, especially for the ACT, SAT and college prep,” Tashtanov said.
“All these residential advisors and faculty members are either already graduated from university or in university and have a great education. So they have great advice that they can give you.”
Johns Hopkins University was founded in 1876 in Baltimore, Maryland, and is considered to be the first research university in the U.S. It remains one of the best nationwide, providing undergrads with exceptional research opportunities, a big reason Tashtanov wanted to apply to the school.
“I do want to become a researcher and scientist, so I feel like this is a great way to get ready,” Tashtanov said. “I do have a dream to be a teacher too. I really do love the idea of educating others and helping them on their path in life. So if I do get the opportunity, I do hope to teach a class or at least be a teaching assistant one day.”
Tashtanov’s dream is already becoming a reality. He and William Schroll (12) created the YouTube channel - Azam and Will Explains. The channel is their Torchbearer Project for National Honor Society, where they publish videos of solutions to IBHL Analysis and Approaches problems as a resource for students in the class.
As well as teaching, Tashtanov has a passion for astronomy. He said his love for it got him interested in the sciences. “If [Johns Hopkins] had an astronomy major, an astrophysics major, I would have immediately chosen that instead. But the closest thing is chemistry,” Tashtanov said. “It's just so interesting how the universe is all connected through atoms, molecules, these huge things that are so complicated. It's awesome.”
Azam has some notes for future “Reach” college applicants
Tashtanov’s biggest piece of advice for college applications is to start early.
In fact, this is a strategy he recommends applying across your life.
“The moment it comes up, I say get on there, make it count, start researching some stuff, get it done early. That's what I did and it helps so much with the stress,” Tashtanov said.
When it comes to combating stress, Tashtanov finds peace in reconnecting with nature. “If I could recommend one way to just calm down for anyone, just go outside, sit down a bit when it's windy, good weather, look outside, and just breathe,” Tashtanov said.
Written by Miles Davis, staff writer for The Louisville Voice and The Atherton Aerie, Class of 2026 Atherton High School, Louisville KY.