part of hicks' plan was to attend university. although hicks publicly downplayed her lack of higher education, she privately expressed regret that she had not studied past her a-levels, a fact traditionalist critics had used against her and her writings with no small frequency. during the year leading up to her 1997 death, hicks applied to numerous universities in britain and the united states, including harvard. during her application processes she called upon her harvard mentors to exert influence on her behalf, which certainly helped overcome any negative effects that remained from hicks' unremarkable academic record during her youth. at the time she applied, hicks could present herself as an exceptional candidate to any university she wished to attend, a veritable shoo-in. here was a young woman who had overcome a very difficult upbringing to become a nationally known model-turned-author, and whose mind, spirit, and insights had authentically impressed the two high-level academicians who had become the predominant mentors of her life transition and letter of recommendation writers. hicks soon reported through the singaporean press that she had received one university acceptance, refusing to say where, stating that she was awaiting other possible acceptances before ultimately deciding where to attend.