‘Why I chose Berkeley’
A Berkeley News team asked students at convocation Monday what the biggest, single factor was in their decision to come here. Here's what they had to say.
August 24, 2016
“What’s the biggest, single deciding factor in your choosing of Berkeley over other colleges?” That’s the question a Berkeley News team — Hanna Juehan Ye, a senior in media studies, who talked to dozens of students, and Ryan Hoang, a senior studying sociology, who shot their photos — asked dozens of students at new student convocation Monday. Here’s what the students had to say:
“It was full of people that were determined and motivated to do great things in the world.” — Seth Hammond, Class of 2020, psychology (All UC Berkeley photos by Ryan Hoang)
“I love how it’s a liberal school. I feel like people here can be themselves and not be judged by others.” — Evelyn Barragan, Class of 2020, public health and pre-med
“I think it’s so amazing to see so many different cultures, people from all over the world. I knew this was the place when I first got to visit here.” — Ulisses Vasquez, Class of 2018, history and interdisciplinary studies
“It’s accepting, it’s adventurous, it fits me and my personality. I don’t want to be pushed into a mold. I want to discover myself.” — Bean Mitchell, Class of 2020, pre-Haas
“I live an hour from home so it’s really convenient. I can just go home and do laundry, get food, yea.” — Paco Covarrubias, Class of 2018, political science
“I am undocumented so it [UC Berkeley] was very welcoming to me and my situation. They really help me financially and it was something very different from other colleges.” —Lizbeth Nunez, Class of 2020, molecular and cell biology
“Chemistry being the top school here definitely won me over.” — Alex Dudschus, Class of 2020, biochemistry
“My biggest deciding factor is definitely the academics and the gymnastics programs they have here, and the beautiful campus and scenery.” — Rachael Mastrangelo, Class of 2020, undecided
The convocation crowd.
“When I was a child I’ve always wanted to be an engineer. I love designing buildings, building buildings, seeing people building buildings. And Berkeley’s civil engineering program is obviously the best program in the US.” —Bill Zhai, Class of 2020, civil engineering.
“I chose Berkeley because of the strong research program it has. Also the strong start-up culture in Berkeley.” — Dhruv Sirohi, Class of 2020, mechanical engineering
“My dad went to Stanford and he’s really proud of Stanford blah blah blah. So there has been an ongoing bet since I was young that if I can get into Cal, he will go to the Big Game with all his Stanford buddies, sit in the Stanford section, decked out in whatever Cal gear I give him. So I tell people that in order to make a joke out of my dad, I gotta go to Cal. But realistically, what kept me at Berkeley is the school is a reflection of the town. They are very connected in a sense, and it’s inevitable that the school, the people and the community are going to combine and unite as one.” — Gabrieo Bertero, Class of 2020, applied math.
Watching from a high perch.
“My great uncle used to go to UC Berkeley and when I was small my parents would always tell me that Berkeley is the greatest school in the world. If you want to do something great with your life, then you should try your best to go there.”
— Dhruv Seth, Class of 2020, mechanical engineering
“I chose Cal over other colleges because there’s a lot of open-minded people, and I know I will not only learn about myself, I will learn about other people as well.” — Luis Acosta, Class of 2020, public health
Ready to help out.
“I think that Berkeley is a really exciting place to be intellectually, because you are around so many people that has such drive. Everyone wants to make a difference in the world.“ — Jaylyn Andrus, Class of 2018, rhetoric
“Very, very, very, very honestly, because my dad told me I have to go to Cal. He has come here many times to deliver lectures. He loves the place. And I’m quite happy that I listened to him. It’s a lovely place, lovely community, lovely environment.” — Arani Acharya, Class of 2020, physics
“My biggest reason for coming here was the work environment in California. There are many great industries here and that’s particularly what I wanted. I’m so happy that I came.” — Anoushka Giri, Class of 2020, mechanical engineering
“It’s just incredible that there are so many intelligent people here, so many great ideas just floating around everywhere and so many great opportunities that I’m excited about.” — Rita Wainess, Class of 2018, interdisciplinary studies
Hanna Juehan Ye, Class of 2017, media studies