Del Mar seniors have done hard work to go through the college application process in the fall, and are now transitioning to make their final decision on where they want to be in the following years. In California, it is very common for students to apply to the Universities of California (UCs), a four-year university system with ten campuses that are highly selective and research-oriented.
There are a total of nine undergraduate UC campuses which include: UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UCLA, UC Merced, UC Santa Barbara, UC Santa Cruz, UC San Diego and UC Riverside.
Currently, seniors are receiving their acceptance letters from the various UC campuses:
Parker Hansen Pedford
Parker Hansen Pedford applied to eight of the ten UCs, not applying to UC Santa Cruz and UC Merced. Pedford has been accepted into every UC she applied to. Pedford has yet to make a decision, however, her top choices are UC Berkeley and UCLA due to their biology programs, as well as their financial aid and scholarship offers. Pedford intends to major in cellular biology at UC Berkeley or molecular and cellular biology at UCLA, aspiring to become a physician.
“I’m really looking forward to meeting new people and being able to focus more on the aspects of school I enjoy,” said Pedford, “I’m definitely nervous about being far away from my family.”
Emily Nguyen
Emily Nguyen has been accepted into UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara and waitlisted at UC Davis. Despite being accepted into these UCs, Nguyen has decided to attend Santa Clara University due to their good financial aid package, their abundance of resources and mechanical engineering program that provides hands-on learning. In the future she aspires to work in industrial designing. Nguyen has no concern for next year and is excited for this next chapter in her life.
“I’m looking forward to the clubs, specifically the Vietnamese students association and other clubs that are part of my interest,” said Nguyen.
Angel Mendoza Capistran
Angel Mendoza Capistran has been accepted into UC Davis, UC Merced, UC Riverside and UC Santa Cruz. Mendoza Capistran has made the decision to commit to UC Davis, following the pre-med track and studying the major of “Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior”. Long-term, his ultimate aspiration is to become a doctor. Looking ahead, Mendoza Capistran expresses that he is excited about gaining an independent lifestyle.
“I would say I’m mostly excited just to be away from home and manage my time … it’s a little bit nerve-racking but something I’m definitely excited for,” said Mendoza Capistran.
Paulina Escobar
Paulina Escobar has been accepted into UC Santa Cruz, UC Santa Barbara and UC Riverside, while being waitlisted from UC Irvine and UC Berkeley. Currently, Escobar is considering UC Santa Barbara or California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly SLO) as her top choices due to Santa Barbara’s prestige and Cal Poly’s STEM program. Her plan is to major in mechanical engineering and in the future become an independent contractor. Although she is looking forward to gaining independence, Escobar is worried about the culture and diversity at the two campuses.
“I’m kind of scared I’m not going to be able to find my own Hispanic community,” said Escobar.
Eamonn Baker
Eamonn Baker has been accepted into UC Davis, UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, UC Riverside, UCLA and waitlisted at UC Irvine. As of right now, he is undecided but is leaning towards attending UCLA mainly because of their prestige and strong history program. Baker has a strong passion for history and wishes to teach it at a high school or as a college professor. Despite being nervous about being on his own, he is ready to take on new experiences.
“I think it is going to be a time for new experiences … I am looking forward to trying new things and meeting new people,” said Baker.
