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Hi, Y'all I’m a college freshman at UCLA! Some of you guys have been asking about what colleges I had the option of going to and what I put on my application so let's get started!

Colleges I got into:

- UCLA

- University of California, Santa Barbara

- UC Berkeley

- Northwestern

- University of Minnesota

- University of Washington, Seattle

- NYU

- University of Southern California

I also applied but did not get into Columbia, Dartmouth, or Stanford. 

My Application

Stats

GPA: 3.982

ACT: 33

AP tests passed: 9

Tips: Classes

1. My school didn’t offer as many AP tests as public schools. However, it’s not about the number of AP tests it’s about how challenging you make your schedule with the options you are given and if you succeed in those classes. When I was touring I talked to an advisor at UCLA and she said that they don’t look at just numbers they look at context. So don’t worry if you aren’t taking 15 APs throughout your four years. You’ll be okay.

- Also, the same thing applies to IB. (And just because it’s not offered at your school doesn’t mean you won’t get in!)

Tips: Activities

1. My biggest tip to make your application competitive for more elite and competitive schools is to find really unique activities that a reader will remember. For example, on almost every single application I wrote about how I volunteer on a website called 7 Cups of Tea. A lot of people haven’t heard of that site or anything like it so it’s something they remember. Even my Stanford interviewer was really fascinated by it and wrote a portion of my recommendation on it.

2. Again quality over quantity. Make the clubs you put down clubs that you are passionate about and have been involved in for several years. There are only so many activities they will let you put down on your application so make those few count! 

3. In at least a few of your activities try to show leadership. For example, I was JV captain of the soccer team and president of Spanish Club for a year. Let it shine that you are both involved and capable of taking charge and leading groups. 

4. VOLUNTEER. Universities love to see that you make an effort to reach out to the community and help others. If it’s in between adding more clubs or taking more time to volunteer I would definitely choose volunteering. It doesn’t have to be at too many places, but just something consistent that you are passionate about.  

5. Working is another great way to show that you take responsibility and leadership, but if you don’t have time to work I don’t think it’s the end of the world. Personally, I started working sophomore year, but I think I only put one of my jobs under my activities. Again, you only have so many spaces to put down what you want to showcase. Focus on a few solid things rather than too many things. 

Tips: Essays

This is the hardest section of the application. You will spend hours revising and the application reader will spend about 3 minutes max looking at it. Be prepared to be stressed, but know that it will be okay.

1. Unique topics! Everyone and their mom can write about how they think its great that a university has research opportunities. Make it personal! Especially for schools like Northwestern where one of their only essays was “Why Northwestern”. Don’t leave out that you think research opportunities are important, but expand off of that and tell them why you want that and how it will affect your undergraduate experience. 

2. Grammar and spelling. The readers are only going to be looking at these essays for a few minutes. Don’t risk not being accepted by making it hard for the reader to understand what’s happening. Utilize tools like Grammarly and have a few others proofread to make sure everything is understandable and flows.

3. Don’t have too many proofreaders. A lot of college counselors will suggest you have your essays read by your parents, your neighbor, your teacher, the weird old man down the street, etc. In my opinion, having too many proofreaders leads to a loss of personality. It’s okay to take criticism and change things, but don’t let people take out your passion and the things you want to showcase.

For this project, we also include creative contents that extend and reinforce our argument about conformity and individuality in Woolf’s “Solid Objects” (1920) and “The Unknown Citizen” (1940). 

To start, here’s a curated Spotify playlist that speaks of the same theme, ideally to have playing in the background as you browse through the blog. 

The short film above reflects the expectations and realities of being a university student. We might all be familiar with the pressures to stay on top of our work and deadlines amidst the simultaneous desire to balance our social life and  well-being. The video expresses how these demands could make students feel tied to their productivity and academic performance, mirroring how John was perceived by his peers primarily through his professional success rather than his personal fulfillment. At the same time, we also draw a parallel between the unknown citizen, who is recognized only for meeting institutional standards. This is much like students who can feel reduced to their academics rather than recognized as individuals who also need time to address their fatigue and immerse themselves in their interests. 

Note: This film was inspired by https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSPUsffHT/ https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSPUpQCXh/