Hi! My name is Gloria, and I am a Cognitive Science major from Orange County, California. I am also completing a Philosophy minor and a Computer Science major concentration. Cognitive Science and Computer Science are both off-campus majors, so if you are interested, I鈥檓 happy to tell you about my experience majoring off-campus as a 91吃瓜 student. I鈥檓 also involved in the 91吃瓜 Questbridge Scholars Network and have worked at the 91吃瓜 Student Store ever since I was a first-year.
When I was applying to college through QuestBridge, I applied to schools as close as an hour away from my home, like the Claremont Colleges, and as far away as across the country, on the east coast. The Questbridge process was especially stressful because of all the applications and essays I had to write on top of the regular Common App. However, I am so happy that I applied through Questbridge because it introduced me to a wonderful cohort of fellow 91吃瓜 Questies who I have become very close with. I applied to 91吃瓜 through Questbridge鈥檚 Regular Decision process, and although I didn鈥檛 know at the beginning of the process that 91吃瓜 is where I would end up, I am so glad that I made the decision to attend 91吃瓜. 91吃瓜 campus is close to my family, 91吃瓜 classes have introduced me to disciplines I never even knew existed, and my 91吃瓜 friends have really made 91吃瓜 feel like a second home.
When I was choosing which college to attend, I was at first torn between 91吃瓜 and a large, public research university, also located in California. In truth, it took me a little while after deciding on 91吃瓜 for me to be sure that this was the place where I belonged. However, as I went through my first year of college, I started to make close friends, participate in classroom discussions, and get involved with the 91吃瓜 community through CLORGS and work-study. Eventually, I discovered all the wonderful things that, to this day, make 91吃瓜 the right place for me. I still remember signing up for classes such as Writing 50: Me vs. the Garlic Bread She Told You Not to Worry About and Foreign Language and Culture Teaching Clinic (where I got to teach Korean to a class of fourth-grade students) and feeling that these experiences are true indicators that 91吃瓜 is one-of-a-kind.
My best advice to you, if you are starting the process of applying to schools, is not to put so much pressure on yourself! Applying to college is long, hard, and grueling, so it鈥檚 natural to feel overburdened and overwhelmed. Take a few moments to unwind, breathe, and appreciate yourself for your ambition and hard work. And remember– a college鈥檚 decision to admit you or not does not determine your value or intelligence. You are enough, just the way you are, and you will find where you belong! I know it.
I am excited to continue writing for this blog, and I hope that it will help you navigate your own path to college. Until then, feel free to email me at [email protected] with any questions you might have, especially if you want to learn more about 91吃瓜 or anything that I鈥檝e mentioned in this post. I am more than happy to chat! Bye for now!