UC Santa Barbara
01/31/12
I believe congratulations are in order to the Ivy League Connection. Honestly, you all deserve the recognition for the effort you put into ensuring the success of all of the ambassadors throughout the Ivy League process as well as the general college application, financial aid, and admissions process. I know I wouldn’t have felt nearly as confident throughout the process if I didn’t have the Ivy League Connection experience behind me.
For those of you that don’t know me, my name is Jacqueline Lares. I graduated from Hercules High School, class of 2011. I attended Cornell University for the Hotel Operations and Management Program in the summer of 2010. Currently, I’m undeclared, but taking prerequisites in order to major in Economics.
The experience I obtained through the Ivy League Connection helped me excel during my summer internship with the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Alameda County. While attending Cornell I became familiar with programs like Microsoft Word, Powerpoint, and Excel. All those skills became vital to the success of my internship. For the chamber I was able to make flyers, presentations, and keep track of chamber members through the use of these programs. Had I not obtained the opportunity to attend Cornell I wouldn’t have those essential skills I needed for my internship. I will forever be grateful to the Ivy League Connection for allowing me that opportunity.
I’m currently in my third week of my second quarter at the University of California, Santa Barbara. My first quarter was a huge adjustment period. I feel as if everyone says almost the same thing, but it really is true. No matter how independent you are, no matter how prepared you feel, how ready you think you are to leave home, at the end of the day, once you get the distance you wanted from your parents, you will realize there is nothing like sleeping in your comfy bed at home. Don’t get me wrong, I love being at school, but I’ve also developed a new appreciation for being at home with my family. After about three weeks into the school year, you feel pretty settled in. I made new friends, was comfortable with my schedule, knew about on-campus tutoring and attended regularly, and I joined the Latino Business Association, an on campus organization meant to help develop your professional business skills and give you networking opportunities.
UCSB runs on the quarter system, and although I knew the time was going to go by quickly I had no idea just how fast everything would fly by! During my first quarter, by week three I was already sitting in a desk taking my first college midterm. Honestly I didn’t do well, at all. We won’t go into all the details, but it was a wake-up call. I was already aware the college system was different and much more difficult than high school, but I thought if I did my homework, went to lecture and paid attention, I would learn just like I did in high school. I was wrong. There’s a lot of individual effort that you must put into understanding all the material covered during lectures. Chances are, you’re not going to automatically understand everything your professor is talking about, and unlike high school you’re professor isn’t going to spend a week on a chapter. He might spend two lectures on it, at most. It is incredibly easy not to understand a lecture, then go to the next lecture and be completely lost. It takes a little bit of learning, but after you know what you have to do in order to succeed in your classes, all you have to do is stay motivated and continue working towards your goals.
You have all had a great opportunity already, just by being a part of the Ivy League Connection. Your experience with them will not go to waste. They’re a stepping stone, because you will notice, by the time you’re actually in front of professionals, you won’t be as nervous because you feel confident. That confidence comes from the practice that the Ivy League Connection gives you when they have you dress professionally and attend dinners, or meetings, or present yourself at hall council meetings, all of those experiences help to shape you and give you an upper hand over your peers.
At this point I already feel like I’ve been in college for years, even though it’s only my second quarter. I definitely feel like it’s much easier to come back your second quarter after you have the first one under your belt. College is a great experience. Not just within the classroom, but it really helps you grow and mature as a person. You have to worry about yourself because your parents aren’t around to do it for you. There is nobody there to hold your hand anymore. And, there is a sense of accomplishment that comes from it all, it’s a feeling that nothing else can give you, and nobody can take away from you. Your education is yours forever.
Sincerely,
Jacqueline Lares
jlares@umail.ucsb.edu
University of California, Santa Barbara 15'
Hercules High School, 11'
Cornell University, Hotel Operations & Management, 10'
~~~~~~~~~~
From Matt Arciniega
Columbia University
01/15/12
Last time I checked in I gave a quick
synopsis of the lessons I had learned in college. With another semester in the
books I have learned a whole new set of lessons that I would be more than happy
to talk about. However, for time’s sake, I would like to focus on the lesson I
found most influential this past fall.
That lesson is: Get the heck off campus.
Last year I chose to keep my
extra-curricular activities limited. By that I mean I didn’t do anything except
study. I don’t regret this decision. I resisted the urge to jump into every
club that caught my eye and I ended up doing pretty well.
Most students who enter selective
colleges did at least two large extra curricular activities in high school (in
my experience, many have done more), and this brings diversity to our campuses,
but it becomes a problem when students come to college and expect to work with
the same amount of clubs and organizations they did in high school. Clubs are
much more time consuming in college. You can’t just come in and become
president of 4 student organizations. It will consume you. I recommend you come
into college and take a semester to really work on academics and grades and
researching one or two groups that really interest you. This may be difficult
because extra curricular activities are more fun than school, but no one said
college was going to be easy. Put your head down and work for the first
semester.
However, once you have put in your
time and had a chance to ground yourself academically, you should get out there
and involve yourself in something. I know this is typical college advice but
choosing the activity you want to devote time to can be tricky and my
recommendation is to look away from campus for at least one of your activities.
Don’t get me wrong, student groups are
great and it is important to do something fun like sports, dance, journalism or
music. However, it is also important to begin gaining experience and cementing
relationships outside your campus. This past semester I worked for an
organization called 50CAN. It is a non-profit organization that focuses on
advocating education reform policies across the nation. I work 15 hours per
week as the research intern for the expansion team at 50CAN. The organization is
headquartered in downtown NYC and I have absolutely loved the opportunity to
leave campus three days a week. It gives you a much-needed change of scenery
and allows you to interact with people that are concerned with more than the
scores of the last biology quiz. Also, it gives you a great opportunity to
network with future employers and get a first-hand look at the careers you
might be interested in pursuing.
As far as my personal check-in, I have
been well. I really enjoyed the last semester despite the crazy schedule. I
have toned it down to four classes this semester, but I also picked up another
internship at different non-profit downtown. I’ll let you know how that goes in
the summer.
As always, I am available by email (mattarciniega@gmail.com)
or phone ((510) 334-6367) for anyone who would like to hear about Columbia or
college in general.
All my best,
Matt Arciniega
CC '14
~~~~~~~~~~
From Lucero Perez
Santa Clara University
01/10/12
First off, I would like to thank the
Ivy League Connection for expanding my horizons in high school. This program
greatly helped me make the best decision when it came down to choosing the
right college. I am currently attending Santa Clara University. SCU has proven
to be a great match for me. I really enjoy being in such an amiable community,
but even with all the positive atmosphere I still had some minor problems the
first quarter.
I started off the first quarter
excited and ready to learn. I did not know what exactly to expect from SCU, but
I knew that I would overcome anything that came my way. I still remember the
very first day of my fall quarter. I was assigned a great load of homework, but
I was not intimated by it. I walked into college knowing that I would have a
greater load of work than I had in high school, so I was not worried about
this. All I knew was that I had to make sure I got my homework assignments
completed. The first few weeks of college were my experimental weeks. I needed
to find out more about myself and learn what were the best learning techniques
for me.
I came to realize that I really enjoy
socializing with others, but this was taking up a great amount of my time.
There were times in where I would go to sleep really late because I was up with
friends. I managed to meet a lot of new people at SCU and I love it. I never
stayed in one place, so everywhere I went I made a friend. This made me feel
more comfortable with the school. I felt like I belonged here. I have not had
any problems with making friends because I have always been a very sociable
person. This made my transition from high school to college very smoothly. I
really liked it. However, when the first midterm season came along things
started to get a bit tougher for me.
I assumed that I knew most of the material,
so I did not spend too much time studying for my first midterms. I looked over
some of my notes and went to a couple study sessions with some friends, but now
that I look back I realize that I didn't do too much to prepare myself. Even
though I went to study sessions, I felt like they were somewhat useless. I
pretty much talked a lot with some of my friends there, so I realized that I am
not the type of studier that can study with other students. I am easily
distracted by conversations and it can be hard for me to get on track once I am
engaged in another topic. This was a great learning experience though. When the
first set of my midterms came along, I felt pretty confident...except for one:
my Business 70 class. I failed my first midterm miserably. I received one of
the lowest scores in the classroom (and we had a curve!). But this did not
discourage me. I knew that I just had to work better next time.
I did not score so well in my first
set of midterms. The only midterm I scored well on was my Math midterm. This
gave me confidence because I knew that if I could score well in one test, then
I can score well in the rest of the exams. When my second set of midterms came
along I knew exactly what areas to focus more on. Since I didn't have too much
of a problem in my Math and English class, I decided to focus my attention more
on the classes that I felt I needed additional help. I made sure that I
reviewed more for these exams than I did before. All of this proved to be very
helpful because I managed to get my grades up. Although I did not have the best
grades, I never stressed over any of my classes. I did not see the need to
panic over my work. I just made sure I got it done on time and I understood the
meaning behind the assignment.
Even though I had managed to get my
grades up in the middle of my first quarter, I realized that I was not
passionate about school at all. This was a time period in where I can honestly
say I didn't mind too much about my work. I still got it done on time, but I
was not stressing too much over it. I was just not passionate about school
period. Some of the classes were interesting, but I still did not really find
the purpose to certain lectures. When I realized my lack of interest, I decided
to change this mentality but I realized that I could not change what I felt. I
talked with some of my older friends at SCU and told them what I was feeling.
They all told me to just stick through it and get my grades up. What many
didn't understand was that my grades were good, but I just didn't find too much
of an interest in what I was doing. However, I still made sure all my tasks
were done.
In one of my assignments for my class
it asked me to reflect on my quarter so far. I was completely honest with
myself in that paper. I admitted that I was not giving my best in my
classrooms, but that was because I was not too interested in what I was doing.
After my teacher read it, she decided to talk to me after class. She asked me
if everything was okay and I said that everything was fine. I just didn't
really enjoy how my classes were at that moment. She did her best to try to
help me and that made me feel a bit better. I realized that the professors at
SCU truly do care for their students. This reminded me of why I chose SCU. I
decided to give my classes another shot. Even though I did that, I still wasn't
too interested in them as I hoped but I managed to finish my first quarter with
a 3.4 GPA. I did not stress for those grades, but I decided to do better my
second quarter.
It has always been my goal to finish
college, so I will do so but I also realized that I honestly have to do
something that I enjoy. I am currently an undeclared business student, but I
might change my intended major. I want to be able to get a degree in something
that actually captures my interest. I am very passionate person in the sense
that if something doesn't captivate my interest, then I will listen to my gut
feeling and do something I love. I am extremely passionate about Art and
Health, so I might change my major to one of those fields. Through my first
quarter I realized I just need to find something that makes me want to continue
learning that subject. I know that this quarter will be better.
My biggest advice would be to follow
your interest, but also make sure that you are responsible with your work. I
made sure all my assignments were completed and even though I wasn't too
interested in what I was reading I still made sure I learned something from it.
I strongly believe in keeping my options open, so I realized that I will
explore my freshman year and see what major/degree is the best for me. There
isn't a rush to find the right one yet, so I am still in the process. That is
what makes college life such a beauty. It is all about learning new things and
learning more about yourself. With that said, I can honestly say SCU is a great
fit for me. I know I will be able to find something that interests me.
Lucero Perez
Richmond High School '11
Santa Clara University '15
~~~~~~~~~~
From Yohanna Pepa
Yale University
12/30/11
Congratulations once again on winning
the Golden Bell Award. It’s really great to see that innovative and effective
programs such as the ILC are being recognized for the positive change they
bring to the community. The ILC opened my eyes to the wonderful academic
opportunities that lie not only in Northern California, but also further away
from home.
I just finished my fall semester of
sophomore year. Honestly at times I still pinch myself to double-check that I
am indeed a student at Yale University. For the past few months, however, I
have found this test to be unnecessary, because I have been subject to a much
more piercing one, the test of an unbearable amount of academic work. Just a
few disclaimers here for those not yet in college: yes, it was largely self-induced,
because I selected my classes and decided to have a full workload and yes, it
was not wholly unbearable because I did manage to stay highly involved in
extracurricular activities and not become a social hermit. However, this past
semester has been hard enough that I have sworn to myself to not take more than
4 credits next semester (which is the normal amount of credits Yale students
take each semester, but I have never taken less than 4.5 credits). The
five classes I took were Intro Microeconomics, Intro Statistics, An Issues
Approach to Biology, Contemporary Italian Culture, and Democracy &
Peacekeeping 1916-1919. With this intense schedule, I have learned many lessons
not only on topics from the syllabi but just as importantly on how to strategize
one’s collegiate workload.
You must remember that college is not
high school. You do not need to take an ungodly amount of classes to boost your
GPA with extra AP credits. Furthermore, you do not need to strive to have the
highest possible GPA in your college—it’s impossible. Well it’s possible for
some, but those are laudable outliers. What is crucial to remember not only
when picking classes but also when struggling with midterms, papers, and finals
is that your only competition in college is yourself. Are you achieving as much
as you personally could be achieving?
This does not mean that you should not
abandon your grandiose visions of the future because you’re not completely sure
that you will ever reach them. Rather, you should practice “realistic
idealism,” a concept I taught this past summer at the Yale Ivy Scholars Program
during my “Everyday Machiavellianism” seminar. This entails dreaming big, but
then reconciling these dreams with the present by understanding and undertaking
the gradual, specific steps that must be completed to achieve them.
With this in mind, construct your
schedule so that it is challenging, yet something that you personally can
achieve. If you know that the classes you are taking will cause you to become
to even copious amounts of Starbucks double-shot mochas (I’m speaking from
subjective experience), rethink them before it’s too late. It’s college, not
high school, so there’s no stigma from dropping a class before the final drop
date and it won’t go on your permanent record. However, if you don’t drop a
class you can’t handle, you may find your sleeping schedule permanently
damaged.
This underestimation of workload
derives from many causes. One, for me, was that when you’re picking your
classes, you falsely think that your first two weeks are reflective of the rest
of the semester to follow. This. Is. Not. True. The rest of your semester will
have papers and tests from different classes, sometimes at the same time, and
you will face hurdles not only in the classroom, but perhaps in groups you are
involved in or maybe even from an illness (I was sick all semester—it was far
from pleasant). Another thing to remember is that the rigor of your workload
comes also from the type of classes you are taking and not simply the number of
credits. My schedule initially seemed more-than-manageable for me, since I had
Fridays off and two of my classes began with the word “Intro.” Friday actually
turned out to be a much-needed day for work instead of sleep and those two
classes actually turned out to be my most difficult classes. This was so mainly
because both Microeconomics and Statistics were quantitative reasoning courses,
and I had not formally done anything quantitative for over a year. It was
humbling to realize that even basic algebra was not intuitive for me anymore.
Additionally, these math-based courses had problem sets. Most students had at
least one class with problem sets each semester, but this was the first time I
had them since last year I had had a disproportionately large amount of papers.
It was a tough adjustment for me to tackle two problem sets each week.
Moreover, they were due back-to-back, on Monday and Tuesday, which is why it
soon seemed that I did not actually have Fridays off since I would spend them
all working in coffee shops and libraries.
You might be wondering why I took
those classes if I did not really enjoy them. I’ll spare the euphemisms: I
hated Statistics. Don’t get me wrong, I understand how statistics are necessary
for all fields of study that deal with concrete information. However, I am not
exaggerating when I say that every lecture was painfully dry and
incomprehensible and those times I spent doing statistics problem sets were
some of the lowest points of my college experience so far. I didn’t hate
Microeconomics. I really do love the concepts of economics, I just had a
professor who lectured very poorly yet assigned tough homework assignments that
required students to use concepts he often didn’t teach us and were not
elucidated in the textbook, thus Intro Micro was not the most joyful experience
for me. Issues Approach to Biology was not that hard, but for a class marketed
as a science class for students into the humanities, it had tedious lectures
and tests that were oppressively technical and thus contrary to the title of
the course itself.
So why did I take these classes? I did
have a fundamental interest in each of them, but honestly the main reasons are
distributional requirements and intended major required courses. At Yale, we
have to take a certain number of classes listed as humanities/arts, social
sciences, sciences, quantitative reasoning, foreign language, and writing to
fulfill the distributional requirements. This requirement is lenient when
compared to the general ed requirements of UCs, but it still is a burden for
many students. Needless to say, I took An Issues Approach to Biology to fulfill
half of the science requirement. Intro Microeconomics and Intro Statistics
fulfill quantitative reasoning for me, but I took these specific quantitative
classes because they are required courses for the major that I intended to
declare (I will address this later). The overarching lesson I have learned from
all of this is: take classes that you intrinsically enjoy. I took 5.5 credits
spring semester of freshman year, so I objectively had more work and
obligations then, but it felt like less because I was so intrigued by all the
material I learned in all of those classes. The classes you take primarily and
inevitably shape your semester. Your eight semesters in college are your
college life. After undergraduate education, it’s the “real world,” whether it
be a full-time job or graduate school. As Mark Twain once said, “Twenty years
from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by
the ones you did.” Moreover, your semester will just be intolerable if you take
courses in which you are not actually interested. I can’t wait for next
semester because the syllabi of each class I plan to take make me want to
already start ordering my books from Amazon so I can begin reading them—I can
assure you that that was not the case with Statistics or Biology.
I’ve been talking mostly about how
hard of a semester this was for me, and while it was the hardest, it did have
its incredible, rewarding moments. The highlight of this fall was definitely
being accepted into the major that I have been lusting over for a year, Ethics,
Politics, & Economics. It’s an interdisciplinary major centered around
applying classical and modern knowledge to present problems in public policy.
The reason that I was not able declare EP&E as my major until two weeks ago
is that it’s a selective (perhaps one of the most selective Yale majors) major
due to its format in which all of its courses are taught as seminars (small
classes with one professor and around 15 students). To declare as an EP&E
major, one must apply as a sophomore in December and must subsequently be
accepted. The application consists of a printed transcript, a sample work of
writing from a previous relevant class, and a one thousand word statement of
purpose. My transcript was not flawless, but it showed a great deal of interest
in the major through the classes I had taken and improved progress in terms of
grades. I submitted a paper I had written for my Directed Studies
History/Politics class last spring entitled “An Assessment of Smith’s and
Marx’s Assessments of Capitalism.” I spent many hours transposing my personal
love for EP&E into words in the form of my statement of purpose (I’ve attached
that in case anyone is interested in learning more specifically about the
EP&E major). These three elements are a great example of how I apply that
concept of “realistic idealism” to reach my often ambitious goals. I had no
idea if I’d ultimately be accepted, but I had consistently and determinedly
worked towards small steps (i.e. taken classes in philosophy, history/politics,
and economics) that made my acceptance a possibility. I still believe that I am
more than fortunate to have been accepted into the major I was interested in,
but I firmly believe that the luck I had in getting in would not have even
existed if I did not, through much perseverance, create the conditions for it
to exist.
On that note, if anyone wants to ask
me any questions about my college experience at Yale, feel free to (and please
do) give me a call—I’d love to talk.
Best wishes to everyone in the ILC for
the upcoming year—students, remember whatever happens, it’s up to you to make
the most of it.
Sincerely,
Yohanna D. Pepa
Yale University, BK’14
Major in Ethics, Politics, &
Economics
(510) 965-7088
~~~~~~~~~~
From Selene Calderon
UC Berkeley
12/30/11
Congratulations on earning the Golden
Bell Award. It definitely could not have been awarded to a better program.
I graduated from Richmond High School
(RHS) this past June and started school at the University of California in
Berkeley the following week through Cal’s Summer Bridge program. I was allowed
to take two courses plus a seminar class that were meant to introduce me to
academics at Cal as well as live in the dorms. It was a terrific experience
that helped me get more accustomed to the campus, learn about the available
resources, and meet new people. Summer Bridge really helped make me feel less
lost in the first days of the Fall Semester and helped me meet people with
similar backgrounds from all over the nation and worldwide as well.
Even with my experiences during summer
fall semester was unlike anything I had experienced. Academically, I felt a
great freedom being able to pick my own classes, but at the same time a bit
worried about whether I was making the right choices. As the 2011 Incentives
Awards Program (IAP) Scholarship recipient from RHS I got help from academic
counselors concerning what classes I should take and what combinations would be
okay. Even though I got this help I still felt the responsibility was
completely on me. I chose to take Psychology 1, Molecular and Cell Biology:
Drugs and the Brain, Ethnic Studies, Chicano Studies Seminar, Chemistry P,
Decal course on Sexual Health, and Education Seminar, which is required by the
IAP for the first semester. I thought I would be okay seeing my unit load was
only 15.5 but I learned that the number of units does not really matter what
really mattered was the amount of time each of the classes was going to take.
So my advice for any incoming college student is to really consider your course
load not based on the number of units or classes but on the amount of time you
know you will have to dedicate to it. Having seven classes first semester was
okay but during midterm season and finals it got very hectic. I did more
studying for tests then I ever had. I think another very important thing
especially when you are living in the dorms is to find places other than your
own room where you can study because not everyone has the same study schedule
as you and things can get disruptive. My main suggestions are the libraries
where you not only have resources like books and internet but also quiet spaces
to really concentrate.
Many times I have gotten asked whether
RHS prepared me for college and I can say that it greatly did. Even though
college courses are much more difficult all the lessons that my teachers from
the WCCUSD taught me have come in handy. Not only academic lessons but the life
lessons that each of them taught me greatly shaped my performance my first
semester in college and I know they will continue to do so. Something that my
teachers at RHS taught me was the diverse forms of teaching that you can
encounter and how to better adapt yourself to each. College professors just
like high school teachers are all different from their grading to their
teaching styles, so it is handy to learn which teach in ways that coincide with
your own learning styles or ways to adapt yourself to their style to help
increase your academic success.
Socially, I began the semester with
the intention of becoming a member of several clubs but because of the time I
had to spend in class and out of class doing work I was unable to. I hope to
however join a Latina organization called, Hermanas Unidas (HAU), in hopes of
getting more in touch with the Latino/a community at Cal and also learning more
about my own heritage. Coming from Richmond I hadn’t ever really experienced
being a minority and it is so sad that the only times I have been able to take
classes with a great amount of Latinos at Cal are those corresponding to the
Chicano Studies department. I hope that through HAU I am able to network more and
also help out in bringing awareness to the issues affecting minority groups.
Cal has a wide variety of organizations that you can easily find one or more
that interest you. In the case you can’t find one, all you need are five other
people and you can start your own organization.
Homesickness wasn’t really a problem
for me seeing I am only fifteen minutes from home. Nevertheless, it was a
change to be on my own for the most part and have to be away. I think it is
important to maintain contact with your family even if you do not go too far
from home. College is stressful and especially in the first semester when you
are still getting to know people it might be hard to open up and talk about
what’s going on. I found that my relationship with my parents has become much
better now. I feel that our communication has increased and it has helped me
deal with my own personal struggles. The counselors from the IAP have greatly
helped by supporting along the way and I know I can count on them for the rest
of my academic career at Cal.
Well, if anyone has any questions
about Cal, Summer Bridge, or the IAP feel free to contact me at scalderon93@gmail.com
Hope everyone has a good holiday break
and GO BEARS!
~~~~~~~~~~
From Jennifer Kuang
Stanford University
12/29/11
First off, I want to say
congratulations to the ILC on the Golden Bell Award. As an alum of the program,
I can say that it is certainly well deserved. This quarter, I participated in
Stanford's overseas studies program in Beijing, and it has unexpectedly been
one of the best experiences of my college career so far. I know that many of
those students who have written are a bit younger than me, so I want to take
this time to talk up studying abroad in college.
I was not at all excited to go to
Beijing - I am Chinese, I have been to China multiple times, what can I
possibly learn there? A LOT, it turns out. Living in a foreign country for an
extended period of time is so completely different than anything else you
experience in college. Although there is a lot of English around in China, you
really do need to start speaking and listening to the native language to
understand what is going on. There were 20 of us in the program, so it was a
small, intimate group, and all of us became good friends very quickly. We
studied at the prestigious Peking University (or Beida in Chinese), taking
courses related to U.S.-China relations, Chinese Criminal Law, Chinese culture,
the Chinese media system, and film, as well as the language itself.
Over the course of this quarter, I
became more aware of myself as a Chinese person and what it means to be Chinese
American. The change in myself is hard to describe so I will not try it for you
here. I was lucky in that I can speak Chinese fairly well, but some of my
friends can't at all, yet they had a great time. We ate the local street food,
visited all of Beijing's cultural and historical attractions, and experienced
local Chinese pastimes with our Beida language partners. We had cooking classes
in the homes of Beijing families, learning how to make traditional dishes like
changshoumian - long life noodles, which are meant to be eaten during one's
birthday.
The shopping in particular is amazing,
due to the 6 yuan to 1 U.S. dollar exchange rate. During the weekends, we would
go travel around China on our own, to Shanghai, Xi'an, Guilin and Hong Kong,
etc. There is something very satisfying in knowing that you can get around in a
foreign country on your own successfully, navigating transportation, hostel and
living arrangements, sightseeing, and much more. You gain a new self
confidence, and because it's in a foreign country, you gain a new perspective
on culture and community.
I am writing this now from an Apple
store in the Sanlitun district (one of the few real stores among many many fake
ones), famous for its robust bar scene in the midst of the foreign embassy
buildings. I don't know if I was able to articulate fully how great this study
abroad trip was for me. I thought that because I had traveled to China before,
I knew everything. But studying here for 3 months, though not long, was enough
for me to understand how wrong I was. I am not saying that everything was
perfect; I will be going back to the U.S. tomorrow with still many confused
questions about why China is the way it is right now, in terms of governmental
control and human justice issues, but that is another conversation altogether.
All I know is that studying abroad IS
the great, wonderful experience that almost all college students claim it to
be. I encourage everyone to try it if you have the time in your busy schedules.
I guarantee that you will learn more than you would in your home campus. I know
I did.
~~~~~~~~~~
From Dennis Shem
UC Berkeley
12/29/11
As I look back on my experience in the
ILC, I realize that I am starting to recognize fewer and fewer names of
individuals as they go through the program. Even then, it's good to hear and
share in the successes of the program.
With that, though many of you
receiving this email may not have a clue who I am, I hope that I can share some
knowledge that might be useful further along in your college career.
My name is Dennis Shem, a Sophomore at
UC Berkeley majoring in Psychology intending to go to medical school; I might
minor in Toxicology, but that's still up in the air. I say
"intending" because well, medical school is a little bit up in the
air as well. It is one of those already defined paths that I see myself going
down until I'm able to fully process what it is I want to do personally.
This article itself has challenged me
to really think about the choices I am making in college. My big takeaway from
the article and this past semester that I also want to pass on, is to make
**intentional** decisions. Take time to set goals and to reevaluate them every
now and then. Activities you choose to be involved in, whether school related,
career related, or for pleasure, be sure to have clear picture in your head of
why you're a part of it.
I hope that you all have an
opportunity to read it at some point during the process of continuing your
education. Good luck!
Dennis Shem
~~~~~~~~~~
From Gabriel Sanchez
UCLA
12/29/11
Congratulations on the award, I'm glad
to see that your hard work and dedication into the Ivy League Connection has
received the attention it deserves.
This Fall at UCLA has been my most
difficult quarter yet, but the most rewarding as well. As each quarter
progresses, my involvement and responsibility on campus continues to grow, and
will only continue to do so until I graduate. Reflecting on the past ten weeks,
everything that I am doing on campus is helping me develop into a person
critical of the society we live in today, as well as providing me the skills I
need to be successful in the future.
As I stated in my post last year, I
accepted the position to be an administrator for Samahang Pilipino Advancing
Community Empowerment (SPACE), the Pilipino Organization's access project.
Little did I know that this position would UCLA, known for its philanthropic
efforts in LA, provides a unique opportunity for students to engage in
community. The Community Programs Office (CPO) is dedicated towards the
retention of college students of color as well as access of students living in
underserved parts of Los Angeles. As the oldest of its kind in the UC system,
the CPO is not only the strongest within the Universities of California, but
has also gained national recognition for being one of the best
student-initiated and student-run office. The CPO is composed of several
organizations that have demonstrated specific needs for these services to exist
for their communities. These organizations are the Movimiento Estudiantil
Chicano/Chicana de Aztlán (MEChA). Afrikan Student Union (ASU), Pacific
Islanders Student Association (PISA), American Indian Student Association
(AISA), Vietnamese Student Union (VSU), Muslim Students Association (MSA), and
my organization, Samahang Pilipino. Each organization, funded under the CPO
which its receives its funding from student fees, hosts a retention project,
access project or both.
To provide a little background
information, the Student-Initiated Access Center (SIAC), the access portion of
the CPO, was founded as a direct result of California's Proposition 209 enacted
in 1996. Proposition 209 prohibits public institutions to consider race,
gender, and ethnicity in the admissions process. Since then there has been a
dramatic decrease of students of color in the UC system. The projects these
organizations host are intended to combat Proposition 209's devastating effects
on our communities and provide the support these students need. As a member of
SPACE, I go to Belmont High School located in the heart of Historic
Filipinotown every Thursday to provide academic counseling to students. Belmont
High School is a small secondary school, under LA standards, with 1300 students
that is home to many immigrant, working class families. Statistics show that a
majority of the student body learned English as a second language. These
numbers are evident in my caseload, as I have had several sessions in Tagalog
(the Philippines' main dialect) and have had to talk to student's parents in
Spanish. My time thus far at the high school has been nothing short of
extraordinary. I have learned a lot from my students in the ten weeks of having
sessions with them and have developed genuine relationships with them.
Holding the administrator title of
Parent Investment Coordinator, however, I also have the responsibility dealing
with the project's administrative tasks. My job began over the summer, where I
had to draft the parent portion of our project's Academic Year Budget Proposal
and list out the component's mission statement, along with its set objectives
for the year and the methodologies I will use. Doing this was difficult,
because over the summer I was in the Bay Area and had to attend meetings via
webcam and make deadlines while balancing an internship and summer class. The
work only became harder when the school year began, as I had the bigger
responsibility of investing my staff in the importance of parents and having
them do the necessary work to fulfill my objectives. I had to facilitate
portions of our staff meetings and workgroup meetings, research relevant
readings for my workgroup's development, and keep them accountable of their
tasks and reprimand them when necessary. My duties will only become harder next
year as our project underwent hiring this past quarter and is now strong with
30 members.
As stressful as things can be, looking
back at everything I've done, I can honestly say that I love the work I do.
SPACE has provided me an opportunity to no only develop my professional skills,
but also continue my understanding of what it means to be a Pilipino-American
and a person of color in the U.S. Expanding on what I learned as an intern in
this project, I continue to become more conscious of all societal injustices,
of the people's struggle, and most importantly, of my own personal endeavors
and history. The work I do in SPACE is in sync with what I want to do in the
future, that is work in the educational field helping students from
underprivileged backgrounds. Although I still am uncertain as to what
profession I specifically want to hold, I know for a fact that it will be in
education and it will be in the form of service for the community - my
community.
In addition to SPACE, I have also
become involved in other spaces that provide me with relevant development
towards my future aspirations. This quarter, I was a staff member for the
External Vice President's office, part of the thirteen-member Undergraduate
Students Association Council (USAC). I specifically worked in the State-Affairs
component, where we strived to raise issues regarding the state of the UC. I
know Mr. Ramsey that you've asked us how we feel about the tuition hikes, and
in my opinion, I am in disgust that the UC Regents have continued to make cuts
to higher education. But my emotions are useless if I keep them to myself.
Therefore, by being part of the State-Affairs committee, I am taking an active
role in representing the student voice. As a student of UCLA, I have so much
pride and respect for the vision UC system, which is to provide all California
residents a free education (which was written in the original Master Plan).
However, as tuition continues to increase, and our system continues to accept
more students out of state, we are going farther away from this environment
which once existed decades ago. Although our occupy rally was short in numbers
compared to Berkeley or Davis, and we did not have a UC Regent commending the
sale of cupcakes as a response to repealing Proposition 209, the State-Affairs committee
has done well foster activism to the greater student body. One of the things we
supported was the Repeal Proposition 209 Rally, an issue in UCLA history that
has had significant student reactions dating back to Kandea Mosley's "Days
of Defiance."
While only a couple of days of my
break remain, I await the beginning of the new quarter with absolute
excitement. The biggest reason is because this Fall I was selected as a cohort
for the Junior Scholars Program. Under the Academic Achievement Program (AAP),
I applied to be in this program as a means to prepare myself for graduate
school, specifically a PhD. This Winter, as a cohort, I, along with nineteen
other second-years, will take a weekly class that will educate us on the
fundamentals of writing a research proposal. We will have weekly readings as
well as assignments that will prepare us for writing a proposal of our own by
the end of the quarter. In the Spring, a professor will either adopt our
proposal or have us work on the research that he or she is already doing. This
experience is the preparation I need if I choose to pursue a profession in the
field of research.
Though this might sound like a lot,
being SPACE has definitely taught me the essentials of time management and
prioritizing. Although I am balancing all of this, I am proud to say that I
still have a GPA over a 3.5. As stressful as all of this sounds, I would not
have it any other way. I do everything in college with conviction, passion, and
love and it is these three things that will guide for the rest of my
undergraduate career and after college.
Happy New Years!
Yours truly,
Gabriel Augusto Jomdos Sanchez
UCLA Undergraduate | Class of 2014
Political Science Major, Education
Minor
Samahang Pilipino Advancing Community
Empowerment (SPACE)
Parent Investment Coordinator, Peer
Advisor
~~~~~~~~~~
From Jessica Tran
UC Berkeley
12/29/11
Congratulations on receiving the
Golden Bell Award! I am really glad to hear that the ILC is growing and staying
strong.
As a sophomore this year at Cal, I
thought that I would be prepared for the coming fall semester, but I must say
that it has been a great challenge for me. I originally jumped into
architecture as my major, and I had planned all four years revolving around it.
When I decided to take a computer science course this past semester, I realized
how much more passionate I was to the introduction course. I became really
conflicted in changing majors because I had already taken quite a few classes
for architecture, and if I were to switch then many of them would be considered
"useless." I am now realizing that there is no such thing as a
pointless class because there is always some new experience whether it be
knowledge, friends, or a change of perspective. I encourage all incoming first
year students to try out the classes they are curious about because you never
know if something will strike your interest. Also, do not be discouraged if you
cannot find the right major in your first year. There are many students in the
same position and I would recommend to talk with advisors, family, and friends
for advice. Just know that in the end, everything will work out for the better.
In addition to academics, I have
become more involved in clubs and sports. I am currently applying for a
director position for BCEC (Berkeley Careers in the Entertainment Club) as well
as planning to help facilitate a decal and a past class. Do not be afraid to
take leadership roles; I believe that you can learn so much more about your
college as well as the students that build the campus atmosphere. College
offers so many different activities and managing your time among everything is
essential. Be aware of how much commitment is needed in the activities you sign
up for so that you can get the full experience. As a commuter, staying on campus
from 9am to 11pm can be tiring; however if you are passionate about whatever
you do, then it will be worthwhile. Overall, the college experience is shaped
by your decisions. Be proud of the choices you make and push forward with
confidence.
Jessica Tran
~~~~~~~~~~
From
Justine Betschart
UCLA
‘14
12/27/11
Hello ILC!
For those of you who do not know me,
my name is Justine Betschart, and I am a Hercules High School alumna and
current sophomore at UCLA. As most have stated in previous testimonials, my
second year of college has not changed much compared to my first year. As I
stated in a missive last spring, I switched majors (and schools within UCLA) to
Chemical Engineering within the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied
Sciences.
Now that I no longer have to stress
about what I want to pursue during my 4 years at UCLA, I am now diving into
engineering coursework, which is no cakewalk whatsoever. I took on a rigorous
course load this past quarter, which in hindsight, may have not been a great
judgment call. However, college is no time to laze around and take the lightest
course load possible. Having a Friday off may seem nice throughout the quarter,
but finishing school in 4 years with a professional degree is much sweeter.
In addition to truly being introduced
to chemical engineering with my first upper division course, I focused on
achieving more of an academic and extracurricular balance than I had last year.
This quarter I joined the American Institute of Chemical Engineering, as well
as the Society of Women Engineers. These professional clubs have provided me
with a lot of exposure into the world of engineering that I am very new to.
Additionally, I made it a point to make sure I joined a group that wasn't so
professionally based.
To my own disbelief, I rushed a
sorority. Most students focused on their academics have the negative stereotype
of Greek life that I also had when I entered UCLA. However, doing a little
research and stepping outside of my comfort zone were the best things I did
this past quarter. I joined Phi Sigma Rho, an engineering and engineering
technologies based sorority that provided me with the academic and social
balance I needed so badly. I got the best of both worlds with my sorority, so
don't discount this aspect of college life. College is a time to try out new
things, so make sure to step out of your bubble and meet new people, whether it
be by going Greek or joining the Scrabble Club!
If anyone has absolutely any questions
for me regarding UCLA or anything college related, feel free to shoot me an
email! [ jmbetschart@gmail.com ]
~~~~~~~~~~
From
Cristina Pelayo
University
of Pennsylvania
12/27/11
Congratulations on winning the Golden
Bell Award.
My third semester at Penn was about
trying to decide what I would major in. I decided to take a bunch of
introductory classes in different areas of the humanities to see what area I
would ultimately major in. I'm glad that Penn allows you the option of
declaring your major later on down the road, although I'm advised to do it by
February. At the beginning of the semester, my pre-major advisor left, but I
was immediately assigned to a new one who answered all my questions and was
equally helpful.
My old advisor even keeps in touch
with me still by asking about what classes I'm taking next semester. I was
really surprised that she did, because she really didn't need to, but it’s
Penn, I really should not have been surprised. I met with undergraduate
advisors for the major and minor I am planning on declaring, and they were
extremely helpful with their advice on what classes to take next semester. I
love how they have walk-in hours almost every day to answer any questions you
may have, and that I don't need to schedule an appointment.
Overall, Penn is great for someone who
is as undecided as I was because there are so many people willing to help you
and talk to you about your future. I haven't declared my major yet, but I'm
planning on doing it sometime when I get back for the upcoming semester. This
semester I've decided to join the West Philadelphia Tutoring Project and be a
Big Sister in order to learn more about public schools, in the case that I
stick with my idea of doing something with education at some point. Visiting
different public schools just gets me out of the college bubble for a while and
has allowed me to learn more about Philadelphia as a city.
This year, I'm doing community living
on campus. It's basically like a suite, with three bedrooms, a kitchen, and a
bathroom. I prefer living this way because I can eat when I want (no starving
late at night when the dining halls are closed) and I can shower without
waiting for the housekeepers to finish cleaning the bathroom. This has
definitely made me feel even more independent because I have to plan my own
meals and clean, and overall I really like it. Even though I consider myself
more independent, living like this has also made me dependent on my other three
roommates to do their share of the work. Luckily, they're fabulous and very
considerate, and sometimes we cook together and even argue over who doesn't
have to do the dishes.
Homesickness is still something I
struggle with, especially since I go home only twice a year. I'm not going to
lie, but moving in and moving out by yourself is terrible (as is lugging your
baggage to train stations and airports). Being about a six hour plane ride away
with your family and friends in a different time zone is hard, especially if
you love home as much as I do. It's especially hard when you have a final on
the very last day and all your friends are home weeks earlier than you and
you're locked up in the library getting distracted while trying to study for it
(yup, it happened to me this semester).
Being on the East Coast does make you
experience a somewhat different culture, but I think it's important to remember
that the country is a lot bigger, and it's not all going to be like the Bay
Area. It's made me aware of how different the world is, and it's made me
grateful to have been born and raised in the Bay Area. It's also fun spreading
some of that culture to my friends at Penn. I think it is necessary at some
point to be far from home in order to appreciate what you really have.
If anyone has questions about Penn or
college in general, feel free to email me!
Cristina Pelayo
~~~~~~~~~~
From
Winston Long
UC
Berkeley ‘15
12/27/11
Hello to Mr. Ramsey and the rest of
the ILC organization and students! I'd like to add my congratulations to ILC
for being awarded the Golden Bell Award. I know that for me and many other
students, the ILC programs have not only been a highlight of our high school
careers, but also have significantly influenced us to realize all that we were
capable of, and I'm glad to see the ILC receive it's well-deserved recognition
for it's effects on our scholastic lives.
As a freshman at UC Berkeley majoring
in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research (IEOR), my first semester has
been a completely new experience for me. Even though my time at Columbia
University as an ILC student made me feel more confidant moving into the
college environment, the transition is definitely something that is very hard
to prepare for. As you've probably heard from reading many of the other
reflections, one of the biggest changes is the independence that you get when
you move out into college. (That's the reason why everyone writes about it.)
It's easy to quickly forget that you're at a university with the purpose of
studying, especially since many students around you probably will forget why they
are there as well. For me, I found that if I needed to rigorously plan out what
I needed to do every day and schedule out all of my work in order to remain on
top of all of the assignments. It was a real eye-opener when I realized that I
couldn't glide my way to the finish as I did so often in high school, but that
I actually needed to consistently study and force myself to put forth effort
just to be on par with everyone else.
That being said, UCB has really been a
fantastic place to live and study at. Even though it is true that class sizes
are hideously large, and tuition is being raised to astronomical heights, don't
let that stop you from considering UCB as a college. (I was kidding about the
class sizes and tuition, it's not that bad. Really!)
The community at Berkeley is probably
the most diverse you'll ever find at a college, and the large student
population almost guarantees that you'll be able to find other people that you
share interests with.
Additionally, the opportunities at Cal
to reach out and develop professionally are limitless. For example, in the last
semester, I was able to contact City CarShare, a non-profit organization based
in San Francisco, and help them develop a case competition to solve their
expansion issues. (Another former ILC student at Cal, Jeannie Wu, was part of
the winning team.) It was a great experience for me to be able to work with
real-world organizations and know that the work that I do actually has an
impact on their organization.
Also, Cal offers experiences that
would be hard to find at any other school. For example, in my IEOR freshman
seminar, we had the opportunity to visit a nearby sandwich shop owned by an
IEOR graduate which was reputed to have "extremely efficient
sandwiches." (No word on how they taste, though.) We also visited Meyer
Sound, a local company that produces the best high-end sound systems
commercially available, and went on a factory tour (unavailable to the public)
to see how they optimized their production processes.
Next semester, I'm joining the
Pioneers in Engineering club as a mentor for high school students in a robotics
competition sponsored and co-ordinated by the PiE staff. I had the good fortune
to be involved in the competition as a high school student last year (3rd place,
PV!), and it was such a phenomenal experience that I wanted to be able to part
of the experience again, even if as a college mentor this time.
In short, this semester has passed by
amazingly fast. As cliche as it sounds, college really is a whirlwind ride, and
even now I'm trying to figure out how to cram the most I can into the four
short years I have at Cal. Don't be afraid, high school seniors! College
is spectacularly exciting, and you're going to have a great time! (But for now,
enjoy your last high school semester!)
Go Blue and Gold!
Winston Long
Industrial Engineering and Operations
Research | 2015
University of California, Berkeley
(510) 508 1050
~~~~~~~~~~
From
Austin Long
Yale
University ‘15
12/27/11
Hello
to all of you prospective college students!
My name is Austin Long, and I am a
freshman at Yale University. I am a proud graduate of Pinole Valley High
School, and I took the Techniques in DNA Biotechnology class at Brown
University during the summer of 2010.
I know that for a lot of you, the
college application season is almost over, but I'm here to tell you that there
is still so much more to do! College is difficult, much more so than high
school, but it's not impossible. Although a lot of other people have said this
already, college is an amazing experience. You'll be surrounded by the most
talented and the most incredible people from all across the world. Your
teachers and faculty will be fantastic. Don't waste this opportunity.
When I first started this semester, I
was lonely and homesick a lot. I felt for a long time that I didn't belong at
Yale, and that I was only admitted through a series of terrible mistakes at the
Admissions Office. I wasn't very confident in myself or my abilities. I didn't
try very hard, because I felt so out of my league, and I felt too socially
awkward and shy to really commit myself to extracurricular activities. I was
very much not at all the person I was in high school.
Don't
do that.
College is indeed about self
discovery, but you can't let yourself be crippled by self doubt or fears. You
have to be who you are. Don't be afraid to show it. It was only at the end of
this semester, when I started studying and working harder, that I realized
this.
Another big problem for me: Procrastination. Don't do that either.
Get rid of bad habits, fast. Otherwise, you'll spend all semester trying to
catch up. There is no greater feeling in the world than being on top of all of
your work. You can't get by in college with the same study habits as in high
school. You actually have to study, as opposed to cramming at the last minute.
Surprisingly, there is a difference between the two.
If that was too long and you didn't
read it, just be confident and work
hard. I was stupid my first semester for being lazy and scared. Hopefully, it
won't happen to you.
Aside from that, college is great! Especially at Yale.
This semester, I took five classes:
Writing the Modern Non-Fiction Essay, Chinese Level 1, Freshman Organic
Chemistry and the corresponding Lab, and a freshman seminar on Social Control
and Criminal Justice. All of these classes were fantastic. I thoroughly enjoyed
each one, not just because of the material we were learning, but also because
of how the class dynamics were different from that of high school. There's a
lot less raising hands, and a lot more conversation and discussion.
Aside from classes, I also was a part
of the Yale Concert Band, the Yale Precision Marching Band, Yale Progressive
Principles, Yale Undergraduate Aerospace Association, DEMOS, as well as STARS.
Yale Progressive Principles is a new organization aiming towards organizing a
conference for students to learn more about Progressivism, and to get to know
other progressive leaders. For the Yale Undergraduate Aerospace Association, we
are currently working on a weather balloon, which we will be launching early
next semester. In DEMOS, every week we go to a classroom and do science
projects with elementary school students, which is very similar to something
which I started at Pinole Valley High School. And STARS is an organization
dedicated to helping minority students at Yale do better in STEM fields.
Socially, I'm only semi-social at
Yale. I don't go to parties or to dances very often. During my free time, I
hang out with my friends or study. But if you're into partying or dancing,
you're in luck, because Yale has a lot of those. Yale University focuses a lot
on giving underclassmen the freedom to explore and to experiment with their
lifestyles, and that's something that a lot of people chose to take advantage
of. I spend a lot of time with my suitemates, as I was lucky enough to be put
in a suite (of 7) where my suitemates weren't like me, but rather, were similar
enough that we complemented each other but yet still different enough where we
all learn from each other and are able to bond over our experiences. However, I
do know that not all students were as lucky as I was, so it's really a matter
of luck. And of how you fill out your rooming request form. Spend extra time on
that. You don't want to live with someone you can't stand.
I strongly encourage everyone to apply
to Yale University, because more so than any other university, we focus a lot
on the undergraduate experience. We have freshmen counselors, classes only for
freshmen, residential college siblings, peer counselors, faculty advisers,
housing for freshmen only, study breaks for freshmen, and so much more. The
food here is good, our rooms are spacious, the campus is beautiful, and New
Haven (as long as you stay in the downtown area) is fantastic.
If you have any questions at all about
college or Yale, feel free to contact me! I'm always eager to hear from others,
and I'd love to answer any questions you may have. You can email me at austin.long@yale.edu,
or call me at 510-260-7730.
Good luck to all of you in your future
endeavors, and I wish you all the best.
Boola Boola!
~~~~~~~~~~
From
Courtney Mariano
UCLA
12/27/11
I have just finished my fall quarter
as a second year at UCLA. Last year, I wrote a couple reflections regarding my
experiences in college as a first year. I feel that those reflections still
apply to my current experience at school. College is a completely different
atmosphere compared to high school. The classes are much harder and the
material is more difficult. In college, you are more independent in making
educational choices, so it is up to you to seek more help if needed and you
must find your balance between work and leisure. And with the quarter system,
finding this balance of time is even more important because you must stay on
top of your work and never be behind on your studies. Because once you are, it
is difficult to catch up because those 10 weeks will fly by.
But one difference between this
quarter and last year is my level of involvement in school. Last year, I
focused more on making a smooth transition from high school to college school
wise, so I did not focus much on extra curricular activities. Thus, I was only
involved in a summer camp which took up time in my spring quarter. But this
quarter, I have become increasingly more involved in the clubs at school. I
joined a Filipino a cappella group with practices twice a week, which was a
significant change in my schedule because I had to fit in two hour practices in
the evening. But I felt that it was fairly easy for me to integrate this
singing group into my school schedule. And I recently decided to participate in
my school's Pilipino Culture Night, which will be a huge time commitment in the
following quarters of the year, so I must be sure stay on top of my studies.
Although at times I do wonder what it would have been like if I started these
extra curricular activities sooner in my college career, ultimately I do not
regret my decision to wait until my second year to really get involved. I would
recommend that the first years think carefully about what they want to be
involved in and do not try to take on too much along with school. The
transition to college will not be a piece of cake, so just be careful that you
will have a good balance. I am not discouraging first years from joining clubs,
but just think about what you want to join and do not take on too much in the
beginning.
I also started a two-quarter
internship last quarter. It is with a nonprofit organization called Sydney Cooper
Senior Smiles. This is the first internship I have ever had, and it has been a
great experience so far. I am given a lot of independence with this internship,
which can be a bit scary. But at the same time, I have learned so much more
because of how independent I must be; I've learned that if I want to get a lot
out of this internship I must put an equal effort into my work. Last quarter
was mainly about visiting the seniors at the senior home and planning events
for them. But next quarter will be more about the marketing side of nonprofits,
which is what I am more interested in and applies more to what I want to do in
the future. Initially I didn't think this internship would be of much help to
my career, but I now think differently of it. So I encourage all students to
apply for internships at some point in college, whether it be during school if
you think you can handle it along with classes or during summer. But make sure
that some aspect of this internship will apply to what you are interested in and
what career you want in the future.
Lastly, I just want to encourage all
future college students to explore what truly interests you in college. You may
go in to your university thinking you have a certain plan that you must follow,
but don't fear a change in that plan. I came in and thought I would be a math
major, but I recently realized that the subject no longer interests me as it
used to, and I would rather take up a major that I have a genuine interest in
learning about. After I took a communications course last quarter, I am now
planning to apply to the communications major at UCLA. So don't be scared to
take classes completely outside your major and take time to explore different
interests. However, I would recommend that you figure out which direction you
want to head in by the end of your second year.
I am thoroughly enjoying my time at
UCLA, difficulties and all. College is definitely a time of exploration and
growth, and I wish you all the best in your college careers. Cherish
these next few years of schooling, and seriously make the most of them.
And if anyone has specific questions for me, like about UCLA, don't hesitate to
email me.
~~~~~~~~~~
From Guadalupe Morales
