Odessa High School senior Matthew Thompson faces a tough decision — where to attend college.
He’s gotten into six of the top schools in the country — UT Austin, Tufts, Harvard, Columbia, Rice and Berkeley.
“I applied … with low expectations, especially with Harvard and Columbia. They’re very selective schools and they do have a criteria for being admitted, but sometimes it’s a roll of the dice,” 18-year-old Thompson said.
He is in the International Baccalaureate program at OHS and is involved in Teen Court.
“Colleges recognize the requirements of IB. It’s heavily research oriented and you learn to pick up on skills like researching, how to form cogent arguments, how to think critically, most importantly,” Thompson said.
Aaron Cox, Thompson’s debate teacher at OHS, said Thompson is the type of student that you know will achieve whatever he sees as his goal.
“Mr. Thompson doesn’t see road blocks. All he sees is speed bumps. I cannot wait to see what he does post high school,” Cox said.
Principal Mauricio Marquez said he is extremely proud of Thompson.
“What separate Matthew from other students is his determination and perseverance to his academic studies. Not only is he enrolled in our most rigorous advanced classes, but he is also involved in tennis (and) debate along with other organizations on campus,” Marquez said in a text message.
“His dedication to his academic studies is certainly paying off in his acceptance to the top colleges/universities in our nation. I wish him the best in all of his future endeavors and look forward to his many accomplishments. …,” he added.
Thompson’s common application essay was about his struggle, being an idealist.
“Someone who has these ideas and wants to apply them to the world, but can’t quite figure out how to, especially coming from a city where my opinion is not the majority and figuring out where my purpose is within my city and just ultimately figuring out that change comes in small steps. The first step to any change is asking what’s impossible, unrealistic and unreasonable. In the conclusion, I posed the question, am I unreasonable? And if so, I do not conform to a reasonable environment. That was one of the lines that I really liked,” Thompson said.
He added that he wrote it the essay with the intention of applying early decision, but he decided he needed more time and applied regular decision.
“When I did receive the first notice from a college it came in the form of a likely letter from Columbia. It was before the official date when all the Ivies release their decisions. So I sort of had a an idea of what the decision would be. But when I was admitted to Harvard, it was a complete surprise. I remember, I still had the shaky hands, the nervousness,” he said.
“I was sitting with my parents and I was scared to click the status update on the computer. As soon as I did my eyes were teary. My parents are extremely proud and excited. It was just really surprising and it felt like the work I put into my application paid off,” he added.
He said it was rewarding, especially with all the doubt he felt during the application process.
“I had so much doubt and I did not have high confidence. I don’t think anybody does when it comes to those schools, but I’m just extremely fortunate about the outcome,” Thompson added.
He said his personality matches the humanities.
“I like to ask questions like who we were, who we are, who we ought to be. I was thinking about majoring in philosophy. I know a lot of people bring up the utility of a philosophy major, how useful it is in terms of your future career. But it’s … part of my personal academic journey, of understanding our and my humanity,” Thompson said. “In terms of what comes afterward, I do plan to go to law school.
Having asked what he wants to do after that, Thompson replied with an expression he likes: “Man plans and God laughs.”
“I do have an idea of what I like to do. I would like to create change through the law,” he said.
Some have said Thompson would be a great politician.
“I get told that a lot and I think it’s a presumption because I do have good writing and speaking skills. But I think I would like to be a lawyer and then … then to be appointed as a … federal appeals court judge,” Thompson said.
He noted that appeals is next to the Supreme Court and he’d like to make it there.
Thompson has a brother, Mason, who is a sophomore.
He said his world opened up more when he entered junior year because that’s when he figured out who he was.
“… I was facilitated by some excellent teachers. I think as you’re entering junior year, you’re stepping into a door in which your thoughts are not dependent on your parents’. You start to become curious about life’s questions and that transition was uncomfortable for me. But because I had good teachers that were always there for me when I did have a question. Some teachers reminded me that we’re all sort of uncomfortable in what we know and what is yet to be known, and in that way, I felt part of a community of learners wanting to examine our presumptions and have a desire to know more,” Thompson said.
He added that he found that in the IB community at OHS.
Thompson said he feels the IB program will prepare him for wherever he goes to college.
“For example, I have to write an IA (Internal Assessment) for each subject. There’s a speaking portion to the IA, an oral. There’s also (a) research project that is about 4,000 words. At first it seems really intimidating and overwhelming. Once you get into the research and you build this collective knowledge about what you are researching, the writing process flows much more (easily) and organically,” Thompson said.
He said Ivy League schools don’t award merit scholarships.
“But for Colombia, I was selected to be a John Jay Scholar and that comes with extra resources. Like if I wanted to pursue a fellowship over the summer, they would cover it; extra lectures, one-on-one time with a special advisor …,” Thompson said.
Asked about the possible move from Odessa to the East Coast, Thompson said it will be novel in every aspect.
“But I think I come with a perspective that is valuable. Initially, I did perceive this community to be old-fashioned, or obstinate when it came to change. But I think that’s a generalization. When I approached Odessa with an open mind, that’s when I found my avenue for change. So when I do go to a place like the East Coast that is heavily progressive; liberal, I think I can offer a new perspective to how we perceive rural communities, conservative communities and that rather than regard them as unrecoverable, or not worth trying to reach there’s much more nuance than what’s on the surface,” Thompson said.
He added that there is a difference between fact and truth.
“Fact is non-negotiable. Truth is something arrived at by constant debate and different perspectives clashing together to arrive at an understanding, or a form of understanding to reach an ideal truth. That’s important to have multiple perspectives — conservative or progressive,” Thompson said.
He added that the first step in establishing dialogue is to set aside how you see the world and step into another person’s shoes.
“… That’s just one overarching theme about me, if I could translate. It’s being able to have or imagine yourself in somebody else’s shoes. I know a lot of the time we rely on assumptions, or substitute knowing for assumptions. The first step to falsifying those some of those presumptions is getting to know an individual listening, doubting in their assumptions, which applies to learning in general,” he said.
Thompson planned to visit Harvard through a program that invites admitted students to explore the campus, talk to students and listen to professors.
“Harvard will be paying for all the expenses; the flight; and housing. I will not have the opportunity to visit Columbia, unfortunately. But I have talked to students that have contacted me. It will be a difficult decision, to say the least,” Thompson said.
