1. Describe what your experience was like this week
This college trip was definitely a new and fun experience. I learned lots of things along with my classmates and friends. I wasn’t only able to learn more about these colleges but I was able to bond with my classmates and learn more about them. I am really happy that our school provides these amazing opportunities because I know they don’t come often. I am glad that I chose to go and that I got to learn new things that I always wanted to know about these colleges. I got to see how our school system is really unique and that there’s some universities that have the same one, making the transition as smooth as possible.
2. What differences did you notice between the different schools you visited?
Well, there was definitely a difference in the class size or size of the school in general. For example, Chapman university had an average class size of twenty-three students. It really is similar to our school and I thought that was interesting. However, when we arrived to UC Santa Barbara the class size was definitely different, way bigger. Also, when we got to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo the system was really similar to us, project based learning, which was very different to UC Merced. The location also was very different. When we went to UCSB the beach was next to the school, while UC Merced felt like it was in the desert, but it was a nice school.\
3. How has this experience changed/influenced your ideas around college?
Visiting all these colleges has definitely changed and influenced my ideas around college. One of the things that really impacted me was the life away from parents. I noticed how many people were motivated everyday to work hard for their parents instead of thinking about not being close to them. I got to meet some students that were the first ones to go to college in their family and I thought that was relatable in some way and when they brought up how they kept going family was one of the most important things. Of course I want to be close to my family and being able to explore these colleges they have really changed my ideas of being around them. I will definitely try to stay close to them but if I have to go away they will be one of the main reasons of why I must work hard. That also definitely lead to discussing about driving long distances to get home. The schools want the best for you and want to make going to school the easiest thing possible, however some people don't live in campus. Some mentioned how it's cheaper to live off-campus and some said that it's better to live on campus. I feel like if I know it won't be hard to drive or get to school I'll definitely drive there, if it's more beneficial. Although, residents at the school highly encourage living on campus to get the full experience and get more involved. I really saw how living on campus really made the college experience better in terms of involvement in the school and to know more about the college. Being involved is also a very important thing, and I thought that college was more of an independent thing but you actually are immersed in a different culture and city, which makes you be more exposed to learn about others. I thought it was an independent thing but you actually get to form lasting and deep relationships with very diverse people which I found really interesting. You get to meet people that help you and are trying to achieve the same goal which is very refreshing. It's good to know that you have people that are working towards the same things and same goals and that they're willing to struggle together and work hard. I think that's a really important thing and these colleges showed a lot of support among the students. However, that doesn't mean you have to be dependent on them. We can't really rely on others because they will not get us a future. It's our independent motivation, hard work and responsibility which isn't someone else's job. You still have to be careful how you manage your time and that your main focus is to graduate and get your degree. I feel like the reason why someone goes to college is to achieve their goals and to get a better future and if you don't have those intentions then everything isn't going to go as you planned. It's very important that we take these things seriously because there's people that don't get the opportunity to go to college and we should treasure it. I really think that having an optimistic and growth mindset is the right way to start. I am really looking forward.
4. What are you looking forward to the most in college?
I am definitely looking forward to the new environment and atmosphere. It will be change and I really want to get to know new people as well as creating amazing relationships with others and my professors. I really want to know what waits for me in college because I really want to go. Coming from a family that hasn’t ever had the opportunity to go to college is hard but that doesn’t stop me from following my dreams and do everything in my power to achieve all my goals in life. I know that everything will change and I want to know how things like time management and priorities will change. How I will be definitely exposed to talk to others and be involved in the school and student community. All of these are super interesting but what I am looking forward to the most is learning. I can’t believe I will be learning about what I will be doing for the rest of my life, it might be frustrating but at the end I’ll know it was worth it.
5. What are you most concerned about for college?
What I am worried about the most is not being able to fit. That the school doesn’t fit me as a student. That throughout my attendance at that college I won’t be able to give my fullest potential and be able to show all the things I can and am willing to do. I am afraid that I won’t be able to find somewhere that I could enjoy myself and with others about what I hope to do in the future. That’s another reason why I have to take this opportunity seriously. I really need to find the school that’s going to fit me best as a student and as a person.
6. Are you interested in Study Abroad?
I have definitely thought about it and would love to do it if they opportunity shows up but I really want to stay in state and be close to my family. I love learning about different languages and cultures. I love people and learning new things. If I could do it that would be an amazing experience however, I plan to stay within the California or the United States in General. .
7. Did you hear about any clubs or organizations you would be interested in joining?
I heard many things about the clubs and how they really put in practice your learning. Not only do you get to practice what you learn but it gives you more experience on what you’re majoring in, if it’s related to it. There’s so many clubs in each college and it blows me away how the students are so involved in the school. I heard about the concrete boat. I thought that was super interesting and sounds like a fun club specially because it involves engineering. I think that’s a great way to meet other students that have similar interests and work together in contests and competitions.
8. What type of college (or trade school) are you interested in attending?
I am looking for a college that is focused on STEM. I love math, science and engineering and hope to pursue a career in the STEM field. I think from the ones that we visited Cal Poly really caught my attention in general from the “reverse” curriculum and the project based learning environment. The classes are also small and I think it’s very similar to our school, so the transition would be really smooth. I really admired the way that they show you what your major is about since the beginning is like in case you end up not liking it. I really like that idea and how they get to do hands on projects. It’s very important for the students to get to practice what they’re learning because that’s how they’ll know how to use their knowledge and have more experience on the field. I’ve also heard that some of their hands on projects have been selected to actually be used.
9. Do you think you will stay in-state, or go to another state/country?
My main priority is to stay in-state. I want to stay close to my family and I know there’s schools that I am really interested in here in California. There’s good opportunities here and I want to stay where I am close to everything I know.
This college trip was definitely a new and fun experience. I learned lots of things along with my classmates and friends. I wasn’t only able to learn more about these colleges but I was able to bond with my classmates and learn more about them. I am really happy that our school provides these amazing opportunities because I know they don’t come often. I am glad that I chose to go and that I got to learn new things that I always wanted to know about these colleges. I got to see how our school system is really unique and that there’s some universities that have the same one, making the transition as smooth as possible.
2. What differences did you notice between the different schools you visited?
Well, there was definitely a difference in the class size or size of the school in general. For example, Chapman university had an average class size of twenty-three students. It really is similar to our school and I thought that was interesting. However, when we arrived to UC Santa Barbara the class size was definitely different, way bigger. Also, when we got to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo the system was really similar to us, project based learning, which was very different to UC Merced. The location also was very different. When we went to UCSB the beach was next to the school, while UC Merced felt like it was in the desert, but it was a nice school.\
3. How has this experience changed/influenced your ideas around college?
Visiting all these colleges has definitely changed and influenced my ideas around college. One of the things that really impacted me was the life away from parents. I noticed how many people were motivated everyday to work hard for their parents instead of thinking about not being close to them. I got to meet some students that were the first ones to go to college in their family and I thought that was relatable in some way and when they brought up how they kept going family was one of the most important things. Of course I want to be close to my family and being able to explore these colleges they have really changed my ideas of being around them. I will definitely try to stay close to them but if I have to go away they will be one of the main reasons of why I must work hard. That also definitely lead to discussing about driving long distances to get home. The schools want the best for you and want to make going to school the easiest thing possible, however some people don't live in campus. Some mentioned how it's cheaper to live off-campus and some said that it's better to live on campus. I feel like if I know it won't be hard to drive or get to school I'll definitely drive there, if it's more beneficial. Although, residents at the school highly encourage living on campus to get the full experience and get more involved. I really saw how living on campus really made the college experience better in terms of involvement in the school and to know more about the college. Being involved is also a very important thing, and I thought that college was more of an independent thing but you actually are immersed in a different culture and city, which makes you be more exposed to learn about others. I thought it was an independent thing but you actually get to form lasting and deep relationships with very diverse people which I found really interesting. You get to meet people that help you and are trying to achieve the same goal which is very refreshing. It's good to know that you have people that are working towards the same things and same goals and that they're willing to struggle together and work hard. I think that's a really important thing and these colleges showed a lot of support among the students. However, that doesn't mean you have to be dependent on them. We can't really rely on others because they will not get us a future. It's our independent motivation, hard work and responsibility which isn't someone else's job. You still have to be careful how you manage your time and that your main focus is to graduate and get your degree. I feel like the reason why someone goes to college is to achieve their goals and to get a better future and if you don't have those intentions then everything isn't going to go as you planned. It's very important that we take these things seriously because there's people that don't get the opportunity to go to college and we should treasure it. I really think that having an optimistic and growth mindset is the right way to start. I am really looking forward.
4. What are you looking forward to the most in college?
I am definitely looking forward to the new environment and atmosphere. It will be change and I really want to get to know new people as well as creating amazing relationships with others and my professors. I really want to know what waits for me in college because I really want to go. Coming from a family that hasn’t ever had the opportunity to go to college is hard but that doesn’t stop me from following my dreams and do everything in my power to achieve all my goals in life. I know that everything will change and I want to know how things like time management and priorities will change. How I will be definitely exposed to talk to others and be involved in the school and student community. All of these are super interesting but what I am looking forward to the most is learning. I can’t believe I will be learning about what I will be doing for the rest of my life, it might be frustrating but at the end I’ll know it was worth it.
5. What are you most concerned about for college?
What I am worried about the most is not being able to fit. That the school doesn’t fit me as a student. That throughout my attendance at that college I won’t be able to give my fullest potential and be able to show all the things I can and am willing to do. I am afraid that I won’t be able to find somewhere that I could enjoy myself and with others about what I hope to do in the future. That’s another reason why I have to take this opportunity seriously. I really need to find the school that’s going to fit me best as a student and as a person.
6. Are you interested in Study Abroad?
I have definitely thought about it and would love to do it if they opportunity shows up but I really want to stay in state and be close to my family. I love learning about different languages and cultures. I love people and learning new things. If I could do it that would be an amazing experience however, I plan to stay within the California or the United States in General. .
7. Did you hear about any clubs or organizations you would be interested in joining?
I heard many things about the clubs and how they really put in practice your learning. Not only do you get to practice what you learn but it gives you more experience on what you’re majoring in, if it’s related to it. There’s so many clubs in each college and it blows me away how the students are so involved in the school. I heard about the concrete boat. I thought that was super interesting and sounds like a fun club specially because it involves engineering. I think that’s a great way to meet other students that have similar interests and work together in contests and competitions.
8. What type of college (or trade school) are you interested in attending?
I am looking for a college that is focused on STEM. I love math, science and engineering and hope to pursue a career in the STEM field. I think from the ones that we visited Cal Poly really caught my attention in general from the “reverse” curriculum and the project based learning environment. The classes are also small and I think it’s very similar to our school, so the transition would be really smooth. I really admired the way that they show you what your major is about since the beginning is like in case you end up not liking it. I really like that idea and how they get to do hands on projects. It’s very important for the students to get to practice what they’re learning because that’s how they’ll know how to use their knowledge and have more experience on the field. I’ve also heard that some of their hands on projects have been selected to actually be used.
9. Do you think you will stay in-state, or go to another state/country?
My main priority is to stay in-state. I want to stay close to my family and I know there’s schools that I am really interested in here in California. There’s good opportunities here and I want to stay where I am close to everything I know.