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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
