West Texas to Harvard – Larissa Baker

The Small Town Top College Podcast

West Texas to Harvard – Larissa Baker

“Harvard is incredibly generous with their financial aid. . .It was going to cost just as much for me to go to Texas A&M.”

Commencement 2015 in Harvard Yard

For episode number five of the STTC podcast, I had the opportunity to chat with Larissa Baker. Larissa graduating from high school in Albany, Texas (pop. ~2,000) after which she attended Harvard University. She graduated in 2015 with a degree in Earth and Planetary Science with a secondary in Global Health and Health Policy. Currently Larissa is gearing up for medical school.

We had a great conversation and I can’t wait to share it with you.

A group of Larissa’s best friends after a Harvard win in The Game (against Yale)

In this episode we cover:

• How the movie Chasing Liberty was part of the spark that pushed her toward applying to Harvard.
• Her experience with the Harvard interview.
• Deviating from the plan to stay within her home state.
• The feeling of not knowing what she was doing during the application process.
• Being well rounded and how that helped her get in.
• Finding out she was accepted via phone call.
• Being the first girl from her town who graduated from an Ivy League University.
• Financial Aid at Harvard. Hint: They can help out a lot!
• The differences between Boston and West Texas
• Forming relationships with highly accomplished faculty.
• Dealing with loneliness and the big city
• Gaining confidence as a woman with high career goals.

Main Street in Albany, Texas

A morning walk to class in Cambridge, Mass

Links we mentioned during the interview:

• Ted Talks
  • Short, moving speeches from some incredible individuals. I highly recommend.
• C. S. Lewis-writer of The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrobe
• G. K. Chesterton-author
• Paul Farmer–A big name in global health who was one of Larissa’s professors.
  • Author of Infections and Inequalities
• Earth’s Deep History: How It Was Discovered and Why It Matters
  • Check out this book if you might be interested in Earth and Planetary Sciences

At home on her horse.

Contacting Larissa

Larissa has been kind enough to share her Twitter handle if you’d like to get in touch with her. She can be found @larissa_kb

Links

Along with the player at the bottom, you can also find this podcast on most podcast hosting services like Google Play, Overcast, iTunes (search Small Town Top College).

Thank You for Listening!

Thank you so much for listening to this episode of the STTC Podcast. Please share any feedback below in the comment section. I’m always looking for ways to make the show and the site better.

Also, please leave an honest review for The STTC Podcast on iTunes. Ratings are extremely appreciated and help us out a ton! Each rating matters for the ranking of the show, and I would love to make this show a hit. I promise to read every single one.

Finally, like I mentioned on the podcast, I’ve just released my new ebook College Acceptance Essentials. In it, I talk about 10 actions I took in high school to give myself a better chance of being accepted. To get your free copy, just put in your email address on one of the banners.

Special thanks to Larissa for joining me this time. Had a blast doing this interview!

Good luck out there!