Apply to your dream schools! (Attn: High School Juniors and Seniors)

When I started the college admissions process, I had researched tons about the average SAT and GPA scores of all the colleges I wanted to go to. This scared me tremendously as I had a high GPA but a low SAT score. Regardless, I figured it’d still be best for me to apply to all the colleges I had originally planned on. My list consisted of 22 colleges. I was denied at all the Ivy-League Schools, USC, Duke, UC Davis, UCLA, NYU, and Stanford. I was accepted at San Francisco State, San Jose State, UC Irvine, UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, UC Berkeley, Boston College, and the University of Washington. Although my rejections really did sadden me, my acceptances really imbued me with joy. Since I moved to California in the 6th grade I had visited both the UC Berkeley and Stanford campus multiple times and knew that I wanted to attend one of these two schools. However as my time went by in high school I was more and more nervous of college applications. So to deal with what seemed to be pre-meditated rejection I decided that it’d be best if I started telling all my friends and teachers that I “didn’t really like Berkeley,” and I “have no intention on attending Berkeley even if i’m accepted.” Without a doubt in my mind I knew that Berkeley was the school for me. I’m interested in the fields of business, economics, and computer science and being able to attend a school where all three programs are phenomenal with an esteemed and highly tainted faculty was definitely a plus for me. Another thing that immediately set Berkeley aside from the other schools was it’s proximity to my house (only one hour and fifteen minutes away). It was far enough where my mom could not visit me randomly but close enough for me to drop in at home when I felt home sick. Additionally, Berkeley has a plethora of social activities and extra curricular activities that I can join to ensure that I continue maintaining a good balance of work and play. Lastly, Berkeley’s proximity and alumni network in conjunction with the silicon valley is second to none. This will only help me when I plan on breaking in to the technology and entrepreneurship scene. Not to mention, the campus felt like home. Reflecting on the whole college admissions process there are several aspects that I would change. First off, I would stop stressing because as I learn more about other schools i’ve began to realize that higher learning institution rankings really don’t matter all that much. What matters is: how the student feels on campus, what the student learns on campus, and how this prepares them to change the world for the better. Secondly, I would stop worrying about the number aspect of the college admissions process. Although a high SAT and GPA look good, the students that I have met thus far have all been immersed in one or more extra curricular activity in which they excel. Thirdly, apply broadly and shoot for the stars. I feel like one advantage I had on the process was power in my sheer number of applications. Although I was denied to a fair number of schools I still had a substantial amount of schools to choose from. And to reiterate, I never in my wildest dreams imagined myself attending UC Berkeley. I even accepted rejection/failure months before decisions came out! But after repeatedly refreshing the application portal on March 26th, the news of my acceptance shocked me. Had I not applied to Berkeley simply because of my own fears, I would have never been able to take this great opportunity to continue my education at such a great institution.

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