I have come up with a list of my top 10 colleges that I will send my application to. After my trip to the East Coast for Ivy League Connection's
Summer@Brown, I've become exposed to colleges outside the UC system, and essentially, outside California. While California has some of the best colleges around, including UC Berkeley, one of the finest among the UCs' and is highly recognized, I have done continuous research on different institutions across the nation. After hours of searching the web and flipping through college manuals, I've come to this list:
Boston University
Occidental College
Roger Williams University
Santa Clara University
UC Berkeley
UC Davis
UC Irvine
UC Los Angeles
UC San Diego
UC Santa Barbara
Clearly, you can tell that I enjoy the warm climate and a vibrant atmosphere. BU and RW are the only two that are on the complete opposite side of the coast. I knew about BU previously however, I didn't get a chance to visit, but instead visited Boston College. On the other hand, I found RW through Brown's college fair. Why was it so interesting? I spotted Majors: Construction Management on their cardboard display and immediately walked over to their booth to learn more. The gentlemen there was very friendly and told me how this program combines Architecture with Business - perfect! These two fields interest me the most, and because RW offered a "two birds with one stone" package, it lured me into applying.
Looking at my UC choices, four out of six are located in Southern California, which offers sunshine throughout the year (for the most part), beaches, and allows a far enough yet traveable distance to home. Although SoCal seems like it is just a few hours away, it still makes me a little nervous because if I am sick, I can't drive six hours to drink some homemade chicken noodle soup. On the bright side, it also gives me a sense of independence which every college student needs to grow, mature, and flourish. Hopefully, I can achieve more than just a degree wherever I may be, east or west, north or south.
Last summer, I had the opportunity to travel across the coast with my fellow classmate, Andrew, and other students from my district. The ILC selected six of us, two from Hercules, two from De Anza, and two from Pinole, to Brown University in Rhode Island. Brown is one of the most pretigious schools nationwide and is highly respected by all. Like most, I like Brown's curriculum the most-- directing one's own education. Because they allow students to "shop" for classes, and choose their own 
classes to satisfy their major, students are more engaged in what they learn because they are interested in their subject, not required. Here is a view of Rhode Island where the entire town was gathered to enjoy the annual WaterFire Show. This show presents 100 bonfires on top of the three rivers that join together. Young and old, everyone comes out to enjoy a night of warmth, music, and a unique experience.
The Summer@Brown program was more of a life experience than a learning experience. I was able to learn about economics taught by Professor Li, but also gained an insight on college struggles, how to manage my time wisely, and how to approach obstacles. On the left are four Brown students and each one of them talked about how they came about Brown and what they are currently doing. This seminar was really welcoming and I felt as if they were my age. I connected to them and they weren't embarrassed to tell us about their background, ups, and downs about college. 
Pictured here on the right is my TA, Josie Chen, my professor, Professor Li, and Andrew who is my classmate from Hercules High. I studied International Financial Marketing and Investments for three weeks where we created portfolios and powerpoints to display a company's profile. We were asked to incorporate standard deviation, risks, bonds, stocks, mutual funds, etc. to our presentations. I chose Fiat as my company. Now, I understand how difficult and challenging it can be to be working in finances. It can get really tough and the numbers can get really big. After taking this course, I discovered that finances isn't my interest nor strong point. I'm glad to know this about myself because I would hate to major in this and change my major midway through the year. 
Without the ILC, I would have never thought of visiting Rhode Island or applying to Brown. Everyone knows about Harvard and Stanford, but what people miss out on is how Brown encourages students to pave their own educational path themselves. Counselors, professors, and TA's are available to aid them whenever they get stuck, but the ultimate decision comes down to themselves. Only Brown carries this mission. My three weeks of travelling, visiting other campuses, dining, dorming, learning, and meeting new faces became the best summer of my life. I can truly say that Brown gave me an experience that I would of never imagined. Not only did I learn inside the classroom, but also outside the classroom. I'm proud to say that I travelled to the other side of the coast by myself for the first time without my parents. This trip also tested my maturity level and confidence level, both of which I passed.
