- Nora Sun
Tags: UC Berkeley
Institution: University of California Berkeley
Study: Major in computer science or business
High School Experience
I think I had a pretty standard high school experience. social life and academics were balanced. The one thing I didn't like though, was that I went to a small school so there’s barely any options for classes and things to do and fewer resources than at bigger schools. What I liked was how supportive the teachers and staff were.
Course choices
Throughout high school I had various academic interests. I was interested in government/politics, math, and technology. They didn’t really guide my course choices since it’s a small school with no options, except for math. I took AP stats and pre calculus senior year.
AP/IBs
I took 5 AP’s. They were APUSH, AP English Lang, AP Statistics, AP English Lit, and AP Spanish Lang. I got a 3 in both APUSH and AP English Lang and am awaiting results for the other 3
GPA
4.25 weighted
Standardized Testing
SAT 1: 1220
SAT 2: 1210
SAT 3: 1350
ACT 1: 25
ACT 2: 28
Extracurriculars
Student Gov (3 years, treasurer), Academic Decathlon (3 years, president senior year), Art Club (4 years, president 2 years), Band (since 5th grade, lead percussionist & flautist), Friday Night Live (2 years, mentor for only one year since the program got cut), Students Working Against Tobacco (2 years, secretary senior year), Upward Bound (4 years, summer program ambassador in 2019), Yearbook (1 year, section editor).
Recommendations
I had good relationships with my teachers but they were all strictly professional.
Essays
I had no theme. I generally wrote about leadership experiences, academic interests (mainly politics/gov and music), personal life, and future plans.
Strengths
I think I made the best of my circumstances and did what I could and colleges/scholarship people saw potential in me for the future.
Advice
Try hard but be genuine. Do things and strive for your goals because you want to, not to fit into a mold or because it’ll “look good.”
Circumstances
I am a first generation Latinx student from a small town (2000 population), low-income.
Why?
Various factors. The first one being location. Cal is in an urban area. I live in a rural area and absolutely hate it. It has no opportunities, I’m stuck with the same people, and there’s nowhere to go. Berkeley is the exact opposite of that. Another thing to note that’s related to location is its proximity to silicon valley. As an intended CS major, this is perfect for internships and opportunities in the tech industry. Also the fact that it’s not too far from home. I live about 3 hours away from Berkeley. Some other important factors are cost and extracurricular activities. Cal is affordable for me and they have everything I want to do. They have a marching band, student government, business clubs, latinx clubs, and many support services. And lastly, the prestige is kinda cool.