Veronica Wall. Photo supplied.Ashburton rowing ace Veronica Wall has been accepted by one of the best universities in the world and will head off to the USA at the end of the month.

Wall has gained a place at Ivy League university Yale, consistently ranked in the world’s top 10.

She scored high in the university scholastic assessment test (SAT), which evaluates written, verbal and mathematical skills, and was also supported in her application by Yale rowing coaches who have monitored her performance in the boat over the last few years.

Wall has just returned from Florida, USA, where she finished fifth in the New Zealand quadruple sculls boat at the U23 World Championships.

She has 21 national rowing titles to her name and dominated junior rowing in her last three years at Ashburton College.

She finished her college studies last year and has been rowing out of the Southern Rowing Performance Centre.

She honed her talents at the Ashburton Rowing Club and has spent many early mornings practising on Lake Hood.

Veronica said she was excited to be accepted by Yale and was looking forward to studying and living in the USA.

She was securing a student visa and expected to leave home at the end of August.

She had chosen Yale for its obvious academic credentials and also because of the opportunity to continue her rowing.

Yale had good rowing coaches and had finished ninth at the intercollegiate (NCAA) championships.

“I want to continue on my rowing journey and to see what else I can achieve in the sport.

“Yale gives me that opportunity and also the chance to get a first class education.”

The university offered liberal arts and science courses and for the first couple of years she would be taking a broad range of subjects, before then having to decide on a major and minor.

Her major was likely to be a science subject, she said.

Yale University has close to 3000 international students from over 120 countries and a total student population of more than 13,000.

Yale does not award merit-based scholarships, but assesses the finances of applicant families to determine any scholarship amount.

Tuition and fees for undergraduates at Yale costs around US$55,500 per year.

By Mick Jensen - © The Ashburton Courier - 38 August 2019