Student hits the right notes for college prep
May attend in-state school to stay close to family
BY TARA PETERSEN
Staff Writer

FARRAHMAFFAI staff Every fall, Liam Jaeger can be found practicing with the Allentown High School marching band. He enjoys jazz, rock and classical music, and plays guitar. He hopes to attend The College of New Jersey next year.

Marching band commitments leave Liam Jaeger, of Allentown, barely enough time to focus on college.

“It’s hard to do anything outside of music,” Liam said.

His mother, Kathy, agreed.

“His biggest problem is finding time to look at college applications and write essays,” she said. “Band is a very big commitment. In the fall, for the most part, it’s seven days a week.”

Liam, 18, a senior at Allentown High School (AHS), plays saxophone in the marching and symphonic bands, and plays saxophone and guitar in the jazz band at school.

Liam enjoys a range of music including jazz, rock and classical, and also plays outside of school as a hobby.

“I like to get together with friends and play music,” he said.

Liam, who has a 4.2 GPA, feels fairly confident that he will be accepted to his top three schools of choice — The College of New Jersey (TCNJ), Ewing, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, and Rowan University, Glassboro.

Lehigh University is another possibility but is a distant fourth for Liam.

He was able to take honors and AP courses, which are weighted courses, to get his average above 4.0; he also is in the National Honor Society.

He plans to major in one of the engineering disciplines, most likely mechanical or computer, he said.

His strength in mathematics and science steered him into engineering.

“I took a physics honors class and really enjoyed the application of math and physics to real-life situations,” he said, noting that he noticed many fellow students have more trouble making a connection between math, science and real life than he does.

Liam’s No. 1 pick is TCNJ, he said, but it is also the toughest to get into.

Liam’s top SAT score is a 1240, with a 530 verbal and a 710 math.

He took the exam three times to try to increase his math score, he said. He used standard sample tests in SAT preparatory books, concentrating on the mathematics section, and ultimately raised his score by 50 points.

He says he’s happy with his GPA, but “I’d feel a little more confident with my application if I’d done a little better on my SATs.”

Liam has been preparing for college for about the last two years.

Finances are a concern for the family, especially since Liam’s sister, Cassie, is a junior at AHS, and also plans to attend college.

“I’m hoping for financial aid, and I’m optimistic that with his grades we will get some help with scholarships,” his mother said.

Just as Liam was gearing up for his senior year, in August, he and his family suffered the loss of Liam’s father, William, as a result of cardiorespiratory arrest. He was just 55 years old.

“On top of school and college, it was another thing that really added to the stress,” Liam said.

“It’s been a difficult few months,” Kathy said, noting that the staff at AHS has been very supportive.

Kathy said the family is still adjusting to the loss, but that at times it feels William is with them.

“He had wonderful communication with my children. We talked about so many things for so long that we feel his guidance through this,” Kathy said. “He was such a talker that I know what he would say as we’re going along. It’s like I don’t have to wonder what he would think about things.

“But by the same token, as we look at colleges, I have to think, ‘He should be here,’ ” Kathy added.

She said her son has been very strong through the ordeal.

“I’m so extremely proud of him. He’s amazing and so strong. He’s his own person — not put-on at all,” she said. “He doesn’t try to be what he isn’t.”

Liam’s plan to attend a school in-state sits well with Kathy.

“We are a very close family. I’m glad he’s [staying close],” she said.

GPA: 4.2

SAT scores: 1240

Clubs/sports:

Plays sax in the band, marching band,

symphonic band,

jazz band,

National Honor Society

Colleges applying to:

The College of N.J.

Rutgers University

Rowan University

Lehigh University, Pa.