- Nora Sun
Tags: UC Berkeley
Institution: University of California Berkeley
Study: Major in economics and biology
High School Experience
My high school experience was unforgettable, to say the least. I cherished the classmates I met, the friends I made, and my teachers who all inspired and helped me grow. I didn’t like how my counselors didn’t help us with the application process or how my school lacked resources to help its students as a Title 9 school.
Course choices
In my freshman year, I was torn between wanting to be a lawyer or serve in the military. I enrolled in my school’s ROTC program, which had course requirements including intro to criminal law and intro to legal systems. However, in my junior year I realized that I wanted to go into STEM after taking AP environmental science. At the time, I was already taking AP Calc AB, so I chose to take AP Biology and AP Stats my senior year, which would help me with a STEM major.
AP/IBs
AP World History: 4
AP US History: 3
AP English Literature: 3
AP Environmental Science: 4
AP Calc AB: 2
AP Microeconomics: unknown
AP Macroeconomics: unknown
AP Biology: unknown
AP Statistics: unknown
AP English Language: unknown
GPA
Standardized Testing
Extracurriculars
I participated in San Diego Youth Symphony for 8 years in which I was selected to perform in a pre professional ensemble to accompany the winner of the Concerto Competition Finalist. I volunteered at the Red Cross and the San Diego Food Bank for 2 years. I volunteered at a grassroots climate activist group in San Diego called SD350, in which I spoke on panels about leading my school’s climate walkout for 1 year. I started an eco club at my school and held an officer position as secretary for 2 years. I played varsity lacrosse at my school for 3 years.
Recommendations
Essays
Strengths
I think being a well rounded person and an extremely passionate voice for change made me a strong applicant. With my vast background of experience, not only in academics, but in extracurriculars, and how much I showed my growth, I was able to make myself stand out.
Advice
I would tell others that it's okay to not know what you want to major in or your career choice. However, I advise them to take a wide range of AP courses because the wider the range of classes you take, the more diverse subjects they’ll be introduced to and the more likely they are to find their passion.
Circumstances
Why?
I chose UC Berkeley because it has a strong college of natural resources, which is good for my major. It has also been my dream school since I was in middle school, and I always doubted that I would get in because it was so selective, and getting in was a dream come true.