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14 April 2009
What is Cal?
April 30th, 2007 was one of the most memorable days in my life. It was the day that I received a congratulated message from the Administration Office of U.C. Berkeley. Besides Berkeley, U.C. Davis was the only school I applied since I didn’t want to live far away from home. Choosing between Berkeley and Davis was not very easy for me at that time although I preferred Berkeley to Davis. Going to Davis meant that I can commute and save money from rent; however, I guess the love for Berkeley was much stronger so that I ended up a Cal student and I am glad that I have made a right decision.
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Posted by Chau Pham at 3:53 | Permalink
Deciding to go to Cal was not a difficult decision for me. The other schools I had on the table were UC Davis, UC Santa Cruz, and UC Santa Barbara. That’s it. At the time I was only familiar with UC Davis because my sister went there; and Berkeley because I heard it was the number one school in the world next to Harvard. I didn’t get into Harvard, nor did I apply there, but when I found out I got into Berkeley I was like, “Oh s%#!$!”…I was overjoyed.
The other schools didn’t matter to me anymore. In fact I didn’t even bother looking into these other schools. IN FACT I didn’t even do any research when it came down to applying to colleges. Cal was IT. To be honest, I did this choosing thing spontaneously, without much thought or expectation. I didn’t even visit Cal before I made my decision. I just FELT that Cal was the school I had to go to- like a calling, if you will.
I was in Hawaii for my beloved Grandpa’s funeral at the time I sent in my intent to register at Cal. It felt a little emotional for me. Being with my relatives and family at the time really helped influence my decision to choose Cal- to go to college for that matter. Being among the first in my family to go to college, let alone to go to a prestigious one like Cal, I felt truly privileged.
In the back of my mind, I expected Cal to be a whole new environment from my hometown Modesto, CA. That was kind of what I was looking for when making my decision. No offense to Davis and their cows.
If you’re a small-town kid like me looking for a new adventure, to break out of a shell, to experience new ideas and perspectives, to find your passion, Berkeley’s definitely a place to be. I will truly miss the experiences I made here come May when I finish my degree in Conservation and Resource Studies.
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Posted by Dale Dualan at 9:27 | Permalink
06 April 2009
My Story: Why I Choose Cal
I am a transfer student from Southern California. When I applied 2 years ago, I applied to one out of state university on the East coast and 5 UCs, including Berkeley.
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Posted by Selina Chou at 5:33 | Permalink
After leaving UC Riverside and going to a community college in Sacramento, I initially had my mind set on going to UC Davis for my last years of college. It was a good school that would allow me to commute from home and save money. Fortunately, my parents encouraged me to look towards applying to UC Berkeley. Truth be told, I was a bit hesitate to apply because I was rejected as a freshmen admit. I realized that there was no harm in applying and decided to find out more about Berkeley.
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Posted by Rebekah Kim at 1:51 | Permalink
06 April 2008
The Big "C": Choosing
My older sister, Isah, has been one of my biggest role models in life. I practically did almost everything she did in school. She graduated from UC Davis and now it was my turn to go to college and it came down to two choices: Cal or UC Davis. I had followed her footsteps since day 1 and when I asked her for advice on making a decision, she said to me, “You pick.” To me that was a scary thought, but it made me realize that I had to start making decisions on my own (and also to be a little more open-minded). I am also a first-generation college student, so when I asked my parents for advice they said, “Just go to Davis like your sister” …surprisingly enough.
I wanted to do something different this time. I wanted to be a little more adventurous and so I chose Cal simply for the opportunity to experience something new for myself and for my family, to experience a new environment at the same time, to be a part of Cal’s widely acclaimed reputation, history, culture, and academic excellence. “Bigger name, bigger reputation, and bigger prestige” was the impression I got from Cal so I had no doubt that I was going to get a top-notch education here. I came from Modesto, CA, an agricultural suburban city and so coming to Berkeley was all new and exciting for me- the campus, the food, the people, everything. And since I am a momma’s boy, staying close to my family was another reason I chose Cal. All in all, if I had the opportunity to change my decision to go to Cal, I wouldn’t.
So if you got into Cal, congratulations! Come to
Cal Day on Sunday, April 12th to find out more about campus life and the Cal community. Remember, you are choosing your home for the next four years. Making the decision may not be an easy one, but make it your own. This is your turn, this is your education, and this is your future.
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Posted by Dale Dualan at 5:25 | Permalink
04 April 2008
Why I came Cal
UC Berkeley was the last school to notify me of my acceptance or rejection. I remember nervously clicking on the website and seeing those words “congratulations on your admission to Cal.” I was quite surprised considering the several rejections I received from other colleges earlier in the month.
At this point, I was torn between attending UC Davis or UC Berkeley because they both had specialized programs in nutritional science that I was interested in. To learn more about both schools, I talked to several people who went to either Davis or Berkeley and listened to their experience at their respective schools. Quarter system vs. semester, cow town vs. city life, warm weather vs. cold weather by the bay- the list was long, and unfortunately, I couldn’t rely on anyone else to make the decision for me.
In the end, I chose Cal because it would be more challenging and it had the reputable name. Come on, I couldn’t deny attending the top public University! Honestly, I was a little intimidated of large lecture classes of 500 students and felt like I wouldn’t be able to succeed at a place where EVERYONE was smart and came to Cal with high school GPAs greater than a 4.0.
Despite my fears, I was comforted knowing that graduating from UC Berkeley would carry me far in my career and open up many opportunities for me. As I look back at the challenging classes and all the struggles I endured, I somehow managed to make it through. But I know it wasn’t without help that I pulled through those tough Chem midterms. With the help of the student friendly resources, such as the CNR Pals and the on campus SLC tutoring, I can look forward to graduating in 1.5 months with a degree from UC BERKELEY! Go BEARS!!
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Posted by Crystal Kwan at 6:56 | Permalink
