Early birds get the college education

1 teen freed, 2 hunted in Barnard slay

One of the secrets of college success isn’t just applying yourself — it’s applying early.

Lizbeth Garcia learned that lesson as a junior in high school, when a counselor at KIPP College Prep High School in the South Bronx approached her about filing for early acceptance at the college of her choice.

Applying early would boost her chances of getting in, the counselor told her. It would also help her secure a generous financial aid package, while the school still had plenty of funds to allocate.

All of that sounded good to Garcia — except for one thing. The early admissions process requires a firm commitment from the student to their first-choice school. If they get in, they’re expected to attend.

“I’m very indecisive. I didn’t know if I’d be able to commit to one school,” said the 17-year-old, who lives in Manhattan.

But since counselors at KIPP College started the conversation early with Garcia, she had time to warm up to the idea. She liked the increased odds of a yes and the more likely guarantee of financial support.

And her concerns she’d get locked into a college that she didn’t like evaporated when she was able to make a visit to one of her top picks, Northeastern University in Boston.

“When I stepped foot on campus, the feeling I got was that I belonged on campus,” she said.

Garcia decided to take the plunge. She was one of the nearly 30 seniors this year at KIPP College Prep who opted for the early applications — a step the school is aggressively pushing to improve their chances of longterm success.

“Top liberal arts schools that have extremely high graduation rates are filling

Criminal charges were voided early Saturday against a 14year-old boy suspected in the murder of Barnard College student Tessa Majors as cops hunted for two more teens involved in the killing, officials and sources said.

It was not immediately clear if the 14-year-old teen was still a suspect in Majors’ death or was still being questioned. The charges were dropped at the 26th Precinct in Harlem before the case got to court, officials said. Neither the NYPD nor the Manhattan DA’s office would explain the decision.

No other arrests had been made as of Saturday afternoon, officials said.

A 13-year-old boy who confessed to a role in her death was sent to a juvenile detention center in the Bronx until his next court date.

Majors, 18, was jogging down a set of steps in the park on W. 116th St. near Morningside Drive around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday when at least three teens confronted her, and one of them stabbed her with a knife, said investigators who reviewed surveillance video.

Sources said she was slashed on her chin and stabbed underneath her arm where her heart was pierced by the knife.

Majors staggered back up the steps to a Columbia University security guard booth, where she collapsed. A security guard called 911. Barnard is a women’s college affiliated with Columbia, and its students use Columbia’s campus and facilities.

The 13-year-old charged in the murder said that a middleschool buddy had killed Majors and that the college freshman was stabbed so hard he could see “feathers coming out of her jacket,” NYPD Detective Vincent Signoretti said during a court proceeding Friday afternoon.

Cops have repeatedly canvassed Morningside Park, and have spent several days searching its pond for evidence.