Madison Crowell always knew she wanted to go to college.
The 18-year-old from Hinesville, Georgia, will fulfill that dream this fall when she heads off to High Point University in High Point, North Carolina, where she will attend under a full tuition scholarship.
But what makes Crowell's story extraordinary isn't just that she's going to college but that she had applied to hundreds of schools and was accepted into 231 of them and awarded $14.7 million in scholarships to help fund her longtime dream, according to High Point University.
"I wanted to apply to as many schools as I did … because I'm coming from a low-income area of Georgia and so I want to show the kids here in Liberty County that it's possible to get accepted into not only just local schools like Georgia Southern [University] and Savannah [Technical College], but that you can get accepted into schools like the University of Alabama and University of Colorado and [schools] that you think might be out of your reach but is definitely in reach," Crowell, senior at Liberty County High School, also in Hinesville, told "Good Morning America."
In a statement, High Point University President Dr. Nido Qubein, celebrated Crowell and her decision to attend the university.
"We welcome you to our HPU family. You're going to do exceptional things right here at The Premier Life Skills University, where we call everybody to be extraordinary," Qubein said. "The sky is not the limit … and when you come here to High Point University, we know you'll be a leader. We know you'll make amazing things happen. We're here to resource her, cheer you on and celebrate you victory."
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Crowell said she and her parents – dad Sgt. 1st Class Delando Langley and mom Melissa Langley – have been preparing for her to go to college ever since she was a young girl but when she was in middle school, their preparations kicked into high gear and they would periodically take road trips and go on college tours whenever they could. She also said she made a commitment to herself, knowing that she wanted to pursue a career in the medical field and major in exercise science, that she would work toward her goal of going to college.
Although she has received so many acceptances and been awarded more scholarships than she initially expected, Crowell also said she knows what it feels like to not receive an immediate yes.
"I know what it's like to be deferred from a dream school and you don't know if you're gonna get the chance to apply again or you're not going to be accepted again," Crowell said, adding that she wasn't accepted into other top schools.
Now, as Crowell gets ready to say goodbye to her high school career and prepare for her next chapter in college, the aspiring physical therapist is sharing her top three tips for the next generation of high school students coming up behind her.
"Number one is always prioritize yourself," Crowell said. "Don't make this application process more stressful than it needs to be so always take time for yourself, whether that be self care, hanging out with your friends and family, or playing with your dog, whatever the case may be. Always take time to do things that you enjoy so that you're not getting burnt out."
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Crowell's next strategy is one she implemented with her mom while applying to both colleges and multiple scholarships. The mother-daughter duo would use a shared digital spreadsheet to keep track of Crowell's applications and the contact information for each of the schools and scholarships she was considering so it would be a one-stop resource that was easy to refer to.
"The second thing is to stay organized," Crowell said. "Staying organized is something different to everybody else so [make] sure that you find something that works for you and your family."
For her final tip, Crowell recommends students stay positive throughout the process, even if it grows larger than expected.
"The third thing is just to always keep a positive sight on these things because it can get a little overwhelming," she said. "That also just goes hand in hand with making sure that you're keeping yourself sane and having outlets to release some energy."
"At the end of the day, I'm just another student," Crowell added. "We're about to graduate, some of us with uncertain futures. And I just want to make it known that nothing is impossible and that the sky is not the limit and that you want to keep pushing for greatness."
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