The May 1st deadline for college decisions has come and gone, leaving time alone to reflect on the lengthy college application and decision process. MC seniors have their own reasons for landing their choice college, with recurring emphasis on academics, location, cost of attendance, and population.
Annette Phan
UC Riverside, California
Chemical Engineering
“I first compared how expensive it was and how much they were offering me, but the biggest aspect was the community. I was really driven by the Vietnamese Student Alliance (VSA) that they have, as well as some of their extracurriculars and programs, especially for engineering.”
Vassar College, New York
Undeclared
“I went to an open house and the people I met there were really friendly. It seemed like a good place, it was a small school so I thought I’d get more attention and better instruction. I didn’t want to go somewhere that would be too big where I would be just a number.”
UC Davis, California
Biology
“It really came down to a decision between UC San Diego and UC Davis and I decided both schools are really good and I’d be lucky to go to either. I want to spread my wings and learn to be independent from my parents so I wanted the opportunity to live in a place that is far away. I don’t really like the city and I like the small town aspect. I also don’t mind the smell of cow [feces]. [UC Davis] has a good internship program and a good biology program. It just fit.”
UC Riverside, California
Chemical Engineering
“My junior year I was looking up colleges and I was looking for a good chemical engineering program and I saw Riverside was pretty good so I decided to apply there and I got in.”
UC Santa Cruz, California
Political Science
“[I chose UC Santa Cruz] because of the accelerated program they have for law and I wanted to finish school as fast as possible.”
Texas Christian University, Texas
Business
“I didn’t really know what I was looking for at first so I visited around and compared [the colleges I visited] and I realized after visiting a few that I wanted one that wasn’t very big. That narrowed down my options to just a few and I decided on TCU. I’m excited for the on campus events because they have a bunch of crazy stuff.”
CSU Long Beach, California
Mechanical Engineering
“I’m doing mechanical engineering and my cousin goes there for engineering and I heard the program is really good. It’s far from home but it’s not too far. I can come back home whenever.”
UC Berkeley, California
Chemical Engineering
“They have a very good chemical engineering program [at Berkeley], so that is where I’ll be headed.”
San Diego Miramar College
“I am planning on going to community college for one year and transferring to Boston University (BU) after. It’s a lot cheaper than going to BU right away, it’s $70 thousand a year so this was the best option for me.”
Cal Poly Slo, California
Business
“Cal Poly is a very good school for my major. I have family ties there as my sister currently attends Cal Poly and she is a big fan. I like the college town, it has a lot of scenery. [Cal Poly has] good weather as well, that’s important to me.”
While this sample of students demonstrates a variety of opinions, there are few singular reasons why a college may stand out to an individual. Deal-breaking incentives may sweeten up the choice, but in the end, MC seniors have worked hard to put themselves in the college or position they deemed fit for themselves. The next step is the actual fitting in part, emerging in the college atmosphere for the up and coming stage of life.