By Jennifer Yu
Educators 4 Impact, a non-profit organization committed to promoting equal access to educational opportunities and sharing experiences in various majors, universities, industries, and companies, was joined by Kristin Zhao at UCLA, who is majoring in political science and is currently pre-law. She graduated from a competitive high school in the Bay Area in California and made it into one of the top colleges in the nation. We discuss her experiences, goals, and insight in part 2 of our college student Q&A series.
Below is a summarized transcript of Kristin Zhao’s interview:
What allowed you to explore your interests and passion for political science and pre-law in high school?
Kristin, compared to her peers, didn’t participate in as many pre-law-related activities throughout high school. She participated in small curricular activities, such as mock trials. She enjoyed her humanities, government, and literature classes the most in high school, which ultimately led to her decision in pre-law.
With all the extracurriculars you participated in, how did you manage your time and what are some ways you would advise us to do it?
Kristin recommends choosing a small handful of things that are solely for fun, such as a hobby, and things that one finds beneficial to one’s career and long-term goals. She found it difficult to find the balance between the things she was required to do and the things she wanted to do due to how many activities she took part in. She chose to do everything she possibly could and discovered it to be very detrimental for her health - especially not getting enough sleep.
What was your transition from high school to college like in general?
For Kristin, university was a big step due to the amount of things she didn’t take into consideration; she discovered that she had to do everything for herself in university, which was slightly troublesome for her. According to Kristin, college demands individuals to take care of themselves - eating, sleeping, exercising, spending time with friends, etc.
Was it difficult or easy to adapt to university culture?
Kristin enjoyed the sociable atmosphere of university much more than those you would find in her high school, located in the Bay Area. In high school/other universities, it gets pretty competitive since everyone usually aims for the same goals, and students tend to compare themselves to their peers. In Kristin’s experience at UCLA, students aim toward a diverse selection of objectives, diverting their attention away from their academics.
If you got any other college decisions, what were the main factors that influenced your decision to choose UCLA?
Kristin wasn’t 100% sure what career she wanted. She was happy with a well-rounded choice and wanted to explore her options. The prices, location, food, and overall environment attracted Kristin to UCLA the most.
What are some of the greatest challenges you faced during this whole year?
The Bay Area, where Kristin originally came from, is known to be an academically challenging place. In Kristin’s view, she had an easier time adjusting than her peers. However, Kristin’s biggest challenge was adjusting to the daunting, unfamiliar environment since many of her high school classmates were people she grew up with. Kristin felt that she needed to rediscover herself and start over with a clean slate.
What does your day-to-day life look like on both weekends and weekdays? How is your balance currently between academics and social life?
Kristin feels that she has a pretty solid grip between her social and academic lives. On weekdays, her day usually flows with her morning classes, lunch with a friend, a study session, dinner with a friend, and ends with a post-dinner study session. It’s important to remember that UCLA calls for a lot of walking due to the vast size and hilliness of the campus, so it isn’t uncommon for Kristin to show up to class out of breath.
What specifically do you see in UCLA? What are your favorites?
Kristin enjoys the food. At UCLA, she is able to use her school-provided card to get food from 3 different dining halls along with a wide range of takeout places, such as Panda Express, Taco Bell, etc.; not to mention, UCLA also has food trucks!
Are you currently a part of any clubs or organizations? If you are, why did you join?
Kristin is currently in Pre-Law and Li-Gal society in order to prepare her for her pre-law career. She is also part of a music club called Slam. Slam allows students to both teach and learn about music. Kristin is currently a beginner piano teacher and she is learning guitar. She is also a member of the climbing team. Lastly, Kristin is a part of AATP, or Asian American Tutorial Project. Every Friday, AATP volunteers at one of Chinatown’s after-school programs, where they spend time with kids - another one of Kristin’s passions.
Are there any opportunities to get work experiences/internships at UCLA? If so, what are they and how hard is it to get them?
Many of Kristin’s peers are already working/interning, especially those in Pre-Med. At UCLA, there are many opportunities for students to obtain work experience, and even if you aren’t able to acquire an internship, there’s many other alternatives. For instance, some of Kristin’s friends who are currently in Business are also in many consulting clubs, where they work with actual clients.
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