Sunday, June 30, 2013

From Julia Maniquiz


Dear ILC,

I am in the summer before my senior year at UC Berkeley and I was a part of the Freedom and Justice program at Cornell University back in 2009. Because of my AP classes and the units I collected from this ILC course, I have enough units to graduate a semester early. I am still contemplating whether to do so, as I've learned there is no other experience like college and it goes by far too quickly.

For me, one of the best parts of college has been getting to take any type of class I desired. My advice to you all is to take advantage of this freedom and venture out of your comfort zone. I have always strictly been a humanities person; I'm a rhetoric major here at Cal. But many of my favorite classes I've taken have been outside of my department. For example, I was completely enthralled with a Molecular and Cell Biology class. To this day, it is one of my favorite classes. When I was in high school, I never would have anticipated liking or even choosing to take such a course - but college is all about testing your boundaries and moving beyond your comfort zone. Take chances, with classes, on-campus clubs, etc. College is such a wonderful experience and I wish you all the best in your future endeavors. College is challenging. It is completely different from high school due to the intensity of the academic work combined with the change of scenery. But no doubt, you will be much more prepared than the average high schooler because of the exposure the ILC has given you to higher level courses, college campus environments, and out-of-state independence.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any specific questions. Take care and good luck.

All the best,
Julia Maniquiz
University of California, Berkeley ‘14

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