By Elise Tran, Designer-In-Chief
What’s your dream college? UCLA, or UCI? Did you ever think about opening up your options to schools outside of the UC system?
Many students dream of going to a UC, but why? Yes, I know, some of you truly want to go to UCLA, UCI, UC Berkeley and other UC campuses. However, some students choose those universities to fulfill the dreams of their parents or consider the name of the school the reason why. Don’t attend a UC, or any college, because of what other people think is best for you.
Find your fit, not your parents’, your teachers’ or your friends’ dream schools. Take into account what you like to do, what major you’re planning to go in, the community, even the weather. Don’t go for the name, go for the school.
Don’t vie to just get into any UC. Applying to all nine or the majority of UC schools for the sake of the name won’t help you. It’s not like the UC schools are all the same. Attending Riverside is a completely different experience than Santa Barbara. The weather, the community, the food and other aspects vary from school to school.
The first two years of a 4-year college journey consists of general education. This will give you time to discover subjects, careers and other interests that will help you decide what kind of path you want to follow in the future. There’s little value in attending a prestigious university for studying the same subjects you did in high school, so there’s no shame in not going to a UC right out of high school.
Broaden your horizons and consider more options. Research a few out-of-state colleges, look into trade schools, think about a gap year or enter the world of work.
Ultimately, it doesn’t matter where you go to college but what you do at college and the skills you gain. Employers care more about what you can add to their workforce than which college you attended. Just make sure you’re working towards your own goal.
