What Is ‘How Did A North Carolina Teacher Do When He Competed On Jeopardy?’

Every night while we eat our dinner we settle in to watch Jeopardy.  I know.  We've officially become our parents.  Anyway, occasionally, we see a contestant with ties to the Carolinas.  And, on the July 5th episode a Charlotte, North Carolina teacher competed.  Aubrey Gilleran teaches high school English in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school district.

And, Gilleran did fairly well throughout the competition.  In fact, the North Carolina teacher had the lead heading into Final Jeopardy.  However, fellow competitor Anji Nyquist took the win, leaving Gilleran to finish second in the episode.

Also, during the show Gilleran shared tweets praising Nyquist's game play.  And, he expressed gratitude for the experience saying "they made this dream so worth it."  The North Carolina teacher took the test to qualify for competition online.  His Twitter indicated that he taped the episode in May for the July 5th airdate.

I admire anyone who is able to even make it to a Jeopardy appearance.  And, to hang in with a lead right to the end is even more impressive.  Honestly, I try my hand at some of the categories as we watch.  And, there are a few I'm able to answer.  However, when it comes to 17th century poets and the periodic table, I'm out.  Pop culture, music and entertainment are more my speed.  And, ironically, the contestants typically struggle in those areas.  Different strokes for different folks!  And, Wheel Of Fortune that follows Jeopardy each night is where I shine.

But, a big congrats to Aubrey Gilleran.  The North Carolina teacher fulfilled his dream and represented Charlotte beautifully.   And, if you have any interest in trying your hand at the academic olympics otherwise known as Jeopardy, see here for more  information on taking the test for the competition.

We've got some fantastic universities in North Carolina. There is no question about that. But when I saw Niche's latest ranking of the most difficult schools to be admitted to I wasn't expecting to find an NC school ranked so high. But it's true, a North Carolina college is one of the hardest to get into in the entire country. It's ranked right between Columbia and Brown which is not bad company to be included in. This list is compiled by Niche and is based on acceptance rates and SAT/ACT test scores using data from the U.S. Department of Education. The top 25 features schools with acceptance rates between 5 and 12%. And while there has been an overall de-emphasis on SAT/ACT scores, you still are looking at scores in the high 1400s or 1500s if you want to attend one of the most elite schools in the country.

Of course, the Universities you'd expect are on this list including the Ivy League schools. And the top spot should come as no surprise to anyone. But I'll be honest there were several schools on this list that I had never heard of before. Though to have such rigorous standards for admission a lot of people must have. Most of the toughest colleges to get into are in the Northeast with some in California as well. While it's not a school I could ever get into, nor a sports team I find myself cheering for sans 2 games a year, it's still something to be proud of that a North Carolina college is one of the hardest to get into in the country.

So which one is it? Below you'll find the top 25 list, but I'll let you know that it's near the top. You can read the full Niche rankings here.

According to Niche

"What like it's hard?" Actually Elle Woods it is. Very hard. Harvard, located in Cambridge, MA outside of Boston was ranked the number one most difficult college to get accepted to in the country. Which doesn't surprise me at all. Looking to get in? The acceptance rate is just 5% of applicants (and let's be honest only the best of the best are even applying). You'll need an SAT score between 1460 and 1580 for the best chance. A perfect SAT score is 1600 just FYI. If you do get in tuition is $18,037 per year.

Coming in at number two is Stanford, I'm not surprised they made the list though how high Stanford ranks is a little unexpected IMO.

Location: Stanford, CA

Acceptance Rate: 5%

SAT Range: 1420-1570

Net Cost: $20,023

Number 3 brings us back to the Northeast this time New Jersey.

Location: Princeton, NJ

Acceptance Rate: 6%

SAT Range: 1450-1570

Net Cost: $18,685

More often referred to as "Cal Tech" the California Institute of Technology is the 4th most difficult university to get into.

Location: Pasadena, CA

Acceptance Rate: 7%

SAT Range: 1530-1580

Net Cost: $26,591

Everyone knows that the only real Ivies are the holy trinity: Harvard, Yale, and Princeton at least according to Blair Waldorf. So it's fitting that Yale rounds out the top 5. 

Location: New Haven, CT

Acceptance Rate: 7%

SAT Range: 1460-1580

Net Cost: $17,511

While I've been to Cambridge, I don't think I'm smart enough to live there. Not one, but two of the most elite schools in the country call this Boston suburb home.

Location: Cambridge, MA

Acceptance Rate: 7%

SAT Range: 1510-1580

Net Cost: $19,998

This one stood out to me just because I'm not very familiar with the University of Chicago, but they are in elite company.

Location: Chicago, IL

Acceptance Rate: 7%

SAT Range: 1500-1570

Net Cost: $36,584

Another Ivy League school that I would expect to be on this list.

Location: New York, NY

Acceptance Rate: 7%

SAT Range: 1460-1570

Net Cost: $22,126

North Carolina is represented on this list by none other than Duke University. I knew it was a top school and one of the most difficult to get into, but it's smack in the middle of some of the most prestigious schools in the country. That's impressive!

Location: Durham, NC

Acceptance Rate: 8%

SAT Range: 1470-1570

Net Cost: $26,932

I'd agree with Serena Vanderwoodsen and put Brown in with the Ivy's.

Location: Providence, RI

Acceptance Rate: 8%

SAT Range: 1440-1560

Net Cost: $27,659

Location: Philadelphia, PA

Acceptance Rate: 9%

SAT Range: 1460-1570

Net Cost: $24,167

Location: Evanston, IL

Acceptance Rate: 9%

SAT Range: 1430-1550

Net Price: $28,344

Location: New Hanover, NH

Acceptance Rate: 9%

SAT Range: 1440-1560

Net Cost: $24,525

Location: Claremont, CA

Acceptance Rate: 9%

SAT Range: 1390-1540

Net Cost: $30,392

Location: Houston, TX

Acceptance Rate: 11%

SAT Range: 1460-1570

Net Cost: $19,215

Location: Swarthmore, PA

Acceptance Rate: 9%

SAT Range: 1360-1510

Net Cost: $20,360

Location: Brunswick, ME

Acceptance Rate: 9%

SAT Range: 1360-1510

Net Cost: $25,622

Location: Baltimore, MD

Acceptance Rate: 11%

SAT Range: 1470-1560

Net Cost: $25,241

Location: Nashville, TN

Acceptance Rate: 12%

SAT Range: 1470-1570

Net Price: $25,804

Location: Ithaca, NY

Acceptance Rate: 11%

SAT Range: 1400-1540

Net Cost: $27,522

Location: Amherst, MA

Acceptance Rate: 12%

SAT Range: 1430-1560

Net Cost: $18,832

Location: Waterville, ME

Acceptance Rate: 10%

SAT Range: 1380-1520

Net Price: $18,552

Location: Annapolis, MD

Acceptance Rate: 9%

SAT Range: 1230-1450

Net Cost: N/A

Location: West Point, NY

Acceptance Rate: 9%

SAT Range: 1210-1440

Net Cost: N/A

Location: New Orlean, LA

Acceptance Rate: 11%

SAT Range: 1340-1500

Net Cost: $47,413