Homecoming Happenings and Alumni Antics

Go Stanford!

Hey everyone! Last weekend was homecoming at Stanford University. Homecoming in college is different than homecoming in high school, because the main aspect of college homecoming is the alumni reunions! Every 5 years after you graduate, your class has a reunion back on campus. There were 14 different classes back on campus this year, with the even the class of 1943 back for their 65th reunion. Although there are a ton of events for alumni on campus, like tailgates, dinners, and class talks, there are events for current students as well!

We had the homecoming American football game on Saturday against UCLA, one of our main rivals! Not only did all the alumni and students go to the game to cheer on the football team, but all the alumni from the band and cheerleading squad got to go preform during halftime with the current students. This was such a good experience to witness, as hundreds of people preformed on the field, quite a difference from the normal halftime show. And to top it all off, we won the football game! It was an extremely tight game, but I like to think all the spirit from the student section helped pump up the players to score those extra points to bring us to victory. Check out my video below to follow me around campus during homecoming alumni weekend and see all the events going on!

It was so fun seeing all the alumni back on campus, and I cannot wait for my first reunion after I graduate!
What does your school for alumni/homecoming? Let me know in the comments!

xoxo

Countdown to Choosing a College

My mom and I at UC Los Angeles

Hey everyone! Now that April 1st is approaching fast, seniors are starting to hear back from potential colleges. All colleges must inform their applicants by April 1st and all students must commit to a college by May 1st. Fortunately for me, I have already heard back from all the University of California schools I applied to. To learn more about these schools check out my old post about public Californian colleges by clicking here. I have gotten accepted to every UC school I applied to: UC Berkeley, UC Los Angeles, UC Santa Barbara, and UC San Diego! I am extremely excited because all of these schools are great in their own ways and I am looking forward to touring them and learning more about each campus. Most of the schools I have already seen, but it is always more fun to observe as an potential student!

My friend touring UC Berkeley

I am also very happy about my acceptance to the UC schools because they have everything I am looking for in an university. I want a school with warm weather, good social student body, rigorous academics, and exciting sports. Everyone is looking for different things in their university, so make sure you research all the different schools before you apply! I guarantee you will find the right school for you.
As I start to hear back from more and more schools, I will post after April 1st and let you all know which university I will be attending. It is such an exciting time! I will tell you all what colleges I am deciding between and during the month of April I will be posting about the visits I make to different colleges when trying to decide the one that is right for me.

What do you look for in your school/future university? Let me know in the comments!


xoxo

Purposeful Public Schools

Hey everyone! In my blog I have been talking about some of the private schools around the US, but each state also has a system of public colleges and universities. The main difference between public and private schools is that the public ones are funded, in part, by tax dollars and subsidies from the state government.  This means that the tuition and fees charged to students that attend these schools is much less than the private schools. Most public universities also tend to be larger and have more students than the private ones.

In California we have two very good systems, known as the University of California (UC) and the California State University (CSU) systems.  UC has 10 campuses in California and all are very popular and well respected.  Each school varies in size and location and “feel” of the campus.  UC Berkeley is ranked as the #1 public university in the United States and UC Los Angeles is ranked #2.  These universities require very good grades and test scores for admittance just like the best private schools, and normally accept the top 12% of students that apply.  They are well respected for academics and research as well as their strong sports teams. There are 23 universities in the CSU system, and these are also very good schools and admit the top 30-50% of students that apply.  Two of the most popular ones in my area are San Diego State and Cal Poly San Louis Obispo.  The CSU schools are known for their practical training and don’t do as much research as the UCs.

Applications for the UC and CSU schools are accepted from October 1-November 30^th, so many seniors at my school are busy completing these applications right now.   I have visited the UCLA and UC Berkeley campuses this year and liked both of them.

There are many great choices of colleges and universities in the US.  When selecting which ones to apply to its important to identify your goals and interests, and consider costs, class size, culture and environment of each school before choosing between a public university and private school.

What type of public school would you prefer to go to? Let me know in the comments!

xoxo

Fight on!

Hey everyone! This weekend was very exciting for me, I attended a college American football game! This was unlike any high school football game I have been to, it was way more intense, upbeat, and exciting! My college weekend started on Friday when I drove up to the University of Southern California, USC, a great school in california with a killer American football team. My friend and I spent the night in her sister's dorm! It was a fun way to get a quick glance at college life before I go in two years. Pretty exciting! American colleges are super fun, as they are a great way to meet new people while learning new things. On Saturday, we went to the football game! The USC trojans were playing the University of Southern California (UCLA) Bruins. These two schools are huge rivals, so this was one of the biggest games of the whole year. The schools play pranks on each other the week before the big game, like painting the school mascot statue the color of the other school, dyeing the fountains, or even painting the grass! Anything they can do secretly to spread spirit for the other team. Since the USC mascot is the trojans, we always chant fight on as a battle cry when going to any sport event.

Before the game, families and students host a big tailgate. This is an event that covers the entire campus, as groups sent up easy-ups with tables and chairs and their own little before-game party! By the afternoon, the whole school streets are filled with these parties as people are getting all psyched up for the big game. My friend's family were at the tailgate, so we cooked lots of food and had a get together right outside of the stadium! Once the game started, we were totally excited, never leaving our seats! USC had to win, we had even painted our faces in support! Luckily, USC was playing amazing and ended up beating their rival UCLA 50-0! One of the best scores ever against this team! Everyone in the stadium who were supporting USC was cheering, especially the student section. Each game, all the students from the school fill one huge section of the stadium, and cheer together. It was such a fun and great experience!

Have you ever been to a college sports game? What is your favorite college sport? Let me know in the comments!

xoxo

Model UN - Peace in the Making

The group touring the city at night

Me and my friends all ready for committee!

Hey everyone! One club I am involved in at school is Model United Nations (MUN). MUN is representation of the real United Nations, where about once a month we go to different schools and represent a country in a UN group, and debate current international issues. Its a great way to get involved in your school while learning about world issues. I am very interested in international relations, and this club is a great way for me to learn more about it. Its a great way to learn about international events and problems plaguing our world today while improving your research and speaking skills. We write speeches and resolutions, while debating with other delegates about the best way to solve each issue. I recommend this club for anyone who is interested in the international field, or just wants to improve their public speaking ability. You can even win awards for your works.

Our school MUNers with our awards after the conference

MUN is also a great excuse to travel. Last weekend I went to UCLA for a MUN conference. This conference was huge, with over 25 schools attending. Since this conference was at such a prestigious university, the stakes were high to preform well. But I ended up wining the highest award for my committee, African Union. This award is called Best Delegate, and you get your very own engraved gavel when you win. The school was beautiful, and made the MUN experience more fun. We got to debate in the university by day, and tour the streets of the city by night! We even stayed overnight in a hotel. And don't forget to wear your business attire while debating! Everyone even dresses the part of a UN official.

Are you involved in an MUN club or something like it? If not, would you be interested in a club like this? Let me know in the comments below!

xoxo