College Road Trip
In the spring of sophomore year we went on a college road trip to experience college life and to start thinking about our futures. We started in Southern California and slowly moved North. In total we went to four different colleges, Chapman University, UC Santa Barbra, Cal Poly SLO, and UC Merced. We were introduced to Universities, UC colleges, and private colleges. This allowed us to experience the different types of colleges within a 8 - 9 hour distance from home.
Reflection:
Describe what your experience was like this week.
Going on this college road trip opened up options and opportunities I never knew about before. When you conduct research online you only get numbers and statistics, but when you go to the campus you get to experience the community. Not only the community, but you get to talk to students who are currently attending the school. I also learned more about my preferences. I would like to go to college that is a small but lively and that is close to the beach, but also close to the mountains (so basically nature). My current interest is food sciences, holistic medicine, and nutrition. By going to these schools I was able to ask questions specifically about these areas and get direct answers. Unlike looking online for hours on end and not finding any information. I enjoy going to look at colleges because you can see all aspects of the college environment (social and academic) in person and not through a screen.
What differences did you notice between the different schools you visited?
Every school that we visited was different in its own way. Just to name a few, the specialty/popular majors, environment, community, people, activities, clubs, and events. For example, Cal Poly SLO had an agricultural and food sciences college while UC Merced did not even have any of the major related to those areas. Another example would be, how Chapman was small and in the middle of a city while UC Santa Barbara was huge and right on the beach. Not only was the scenery and academics different, but each of the campuses had their own feel. Chapman was sort of hidden and happy while Cal Poly was lively and constantly moving. Overall each college was unique in its own way.
How has this experience changed/influenced your ideas around college?
This experience has made me more excited and scared for the future all at once. Some of the scary ideas and assumptions about college have completely disappeared, but whole new ones have emerged, but it is the same feeling for the excitement side of things. I am a little more worried about the distance of the college I attend from home but am more excited about the location of the college. Each con has a pro, but through this experience, I have found what I like and don’t like in colleges. I am not completely sure what career path I want to pursue, but I know that I will figure that out in time. Most importantly, I am now confident that I can attend college, grow, and succeed in life.
What are you looking forward to the most in college?
I think I look forward to focusing my studying in on my interest most in college. I love to learn so focusing in on a specific topic I feel will be extremely cool. I am also excited to be independent, but scared. I feel as teenagers we never consider all the things that must be done for us to live. I am also excited for the freedom to use my free time how I would like. Overall I am most excited about finding myself and growing and improving myself and my skills.
What are you most concerned about for college?
I am most concerned about moving away for college. I know I can stay close, but even the thought of staying in dorms is still scary. I am excited to be independent, but I know I will be extremely homesick. By the time I am going to be in college, my younger sister will be 14-15 and in 8th grade. I am concerned about losing connection with her the most.
Are you interested in Study Abroad?
I am extremely interested in studying abroad. Especially in Denmark, the other side of my family lives in Denmark. I think this would be a great experience to embrace myself in my culture and finally learn Danish. I am actually thinking about either taking a gap year and studying in Denmark or studying abroad threw college. I am a dual citizen so this would also be financially affordable and I will be able to complete all my citizenship requirements.
Did you hear about any clubs or organizations you would be interested in joining?
I am not exactly sure what clubs I would want to join, but I do know that I want to play sports in college. Specifically, beach volleyball. I learned that colleges have division teams, club teams, and drop in games. If I do not pursue beach volleyball at the college division level I would like to play at the club level for college.
What type of college (or trade school) are you interested in attending?
I am not sure whether I want to attend a four-year college or community college then transfer. I am considering attending a community college for my generals than transferring to another college for graduate school. I would like to attend a school that is small and lively. I would like the student-faculty ratio to be in between 15-35:1. I also want the environment to be surrounded by nature. For example, how Cal Poly SLO is in the mountains, but the beach is 10 minutes away. I am currently interested in food sciences and nutrition. So a college with these majors or a college that specializes in these aspects would be ideal. The learning style is also very important to me. I learn best through project-based learning. This is also another aspect I hope to see in the college I attend. I know that all my “wants” are impossible to have summed up into one college, but I think that acknowledging them will help me make the best choice for college in the end.
Do you think you will stay in-state, or go to another state/country?
I would either like to stay in the state of California or completely go out of the country to Denmark. I would like to stay in California because my family lives in California and I want to stay close. I would like to go to Denmark to study because I am a dual citizen and the college in Europe is more financially affordable, plus the other side of my family lives in Denmark. I am really open to colleges all over, but I do know that moving away from my family would be extremely hard. My family and I are extremely close so moving away would be a huge change. Other than California and Denmark, I have considered colleges in Hawaii, Washington, and Oregon.
Going on this college road trip opened up options and opportunities I never knew about before. When you conduct research online you only get numbers and statistics, but when you go to the campus you get to experience the community. Not only the community, but you get to talk to students who are currently attending the school. I also learned more about my preferences. I would like to go to college that is a small but lively and that is close to the beach, but also close to the mountains (so basically nature). My current interest is food sciences, holistic medicine, and nutrition. By going to these schools I was able to ask questions specifically about these areas and get direct answers. Unlike looking online for hours on end and not finding any information. I enjoy going to look at colleges because you can see all aspects of the college environment (social and academic) in person and not through a screen.
What differences did you notice between the different schools you visited?
Every school that we visited was different in its own way. Just to name a few, the specialty/popular majors, environment, community, people, activities, clubs, and events. For example, Cal Poly SLO had an agricultural and food sciences college while UC Merced did not even have any of the major related to those areas. Another example would be, how Chapman was small and in the middle of a city while UC Santa Barbara was huge and right on the beach. Not only was the scenery and academics different, but each of the campuses had their own feel. Chapman was sort of hidden and happy while Cal Poly was lively and constantly moving. Overall each college was unique in its own way.
How has this experience changed/influenced your ideas around college?
This experience has made me more excited and scared for the future all at once. Some of the scary ideas and assumptions about college have completely disappeared, but whole new ones have emerged, but it is the same feeling for the excitement side of things. I am a little more worried about the distance of the college I attend from home but am more excited about the location of the college. Each con has a pro, but through this experience, I have found what I like and don’t like in colleges. I am not completely sure what career path I want to pursue, but I know that I will figure that out in time. Most importantly, I am now confident that I can attend college, grow, and succeed in life.
What are you looking forward to the most in college?
I think I look forward to focusing my studying in on my interest most in college. I love to learn so focusing in on a specific topic I feel will be extremely cool. I am also excited to be independent, but scared. I feel as teenagers we never consider all the things that must be done for us to live. I am also excited for the freedom to use my free time how I would like. Overall I am most excited about finding myself and growing and improving myself and my skills.
What are you most concerned about for college?
I am most concerned about moving away for college. I know I can stay close, but even the thought of staying in dorms is still scary. I am excited to be independent, but I know I will be extremely homesick. By the time I am going to be in college, my younger sister will be 14-15 and in 8th grade. I am concerned about losing connection with her the most.
Are you interested in Study Abroad?
I am extremely interested in studying abroad. Especially in Denmark, the other side of my family lives in Denmark. I think this would be a great experience to embrace myself in my culture and finally learn Danish. I am actually thinking about either taking a gap year and studying in Denmark or studying abroad threw college. I am a dual citizen so this would also be financially affordable and I will be able to complete all my citizenship requirements.
Did you hear about any clubs or organizations you would be interested in joining?
I am not exactly sure what clubs I would want to join, but I do know that I want to play sports in college. Specifically, beach volleyball. I learned that colleges have division teams, club teams, and drop in games. If I do not pursue beach volleyball at the college division level I would like to play at the club level for college.
What type of college (or trade school) are you interested in attending?
I am not sure whether I want to attend a four-year college or community college then transfer. I am considering attending a community college for my generals than transferring to another college for graduate school. I would like to attend a school that is small and lively. I would like the student-faculty ratio to be in between 15-35:1. I also want the environment to be surrounded by nature. For example, how Cal Poly SLO is in the mountains, but the beach is 10 minutes away. I am currently interested in food sciences and nutrition. So a college with these majors or a college that specializes in these aspects would be ideal. The learning style is also very important to me. I learn best through project-based learning. This is also another aspect I hope to see in the college I attend. I know that all my “wants” are impossible to have summed up into one college, but I think that acknowledging them will help me make the best choice for college in the end.
Do you think you will stay in-state, or go to another state/country?
I would either like to stay in the state of California or completely go out of the country to Denmark. I would like to stay in California because my family lives in California and I want to stay close. I would like to go to Denmark to study because I am a dual citizen and the college in Europe is more financially affordable, plus the other side of my family lives in Denmark. I am really open to colleges all over, but I do know that moving away from my family would be extremely hard. My family and I are extremely close so moving away would be a huge change. Other than California and Denmark, I have considered colleges in Hawaii, Washington, and Oregon.