Berkeley and Stanford Visit, Fri. 10/3- Sun. 10/5

Hi all!
Last weekend, I had the chance to go visit two dream schools in the state of California with my dad. I left Denver on Friday and returned on Sunday around midnight. This trip marked the first time that I flew alone, and honestly- it wasn't too bad! I somehow navigated my way through DIA, finding security, navigating a gate change, and dealing with a 90 minute delay. It was a great moment when I finally found my seat and was able to relax.

The night we got there, my dad and I explored San Francisco a little. We even ran into a famous part of the city without realizing it (Lombard Street = The Crookedest Street). What a cool experience it was to see San Francisco.

The next morning, we took a campus tour at the University of California Berkeley. One of the first things I learned was why it is called Cal usually- it was the first of the UCs to be established. As we walked through the campus, I learned a lot of Berkeley's history. The campus is filled with testimonies to the Free Speech Movement, which we later learned has become a huge theme of the campus itself. My dad and I happened to pick the weekend that was the 50th anniversary of the movement, so we experienced a free speech "Call" at Cal.

Welcome to UC! 

Quidditch Club at UC Berkeley. There was actually a competition versus Stanford and Santa Cruz on this date.

The campus tour began at the Campanile (Bell tower). Kristin was the name of our tour guide, and she was a sophomore at Berkeley. Please see the pictures below from our tour.

Berkeley's T-Rex: Actually a cast. Was sent to Berkeley in a box of mismatched pieces and they assembled him like a puzzle!

"Faculty Glade" at Berkeley- there is a hill nearby. Legend has it that if you roll down it, you'll get a 4.0!
(I rolled down the hill- because why not?!?)

Lunch with my favorite dad at Blondie's Pizza

We went to lunch but then went back to UC Berkeley to go see the view from the Campanile. It was definitely worth it! We got a panoramic view of the campus and got to see the Golden Gate and Bay bridges from the top.

And... Reflection Time!

Berkeley was a beautiful campus. The culture was exciting and different. I think that the history offered by Berkeley's Free Speech Movement is great because it offers the ability to speak your mind if you want. The liberality of Berkeley's campus is way more than what I am used to, so it would definitely take some adjusting. CU Boulder's campus is also very liberal, but it's much cheaper and closer to home. The business school at Berkeley is worth the travel and I can honestly see myself attending Berkeley in the future. The flight there wasn't too bad and being two hours away from home but near two major airports (Oakland and SFO) makes me feel like it could be doable. In order to get into Berkeley, I will need somewhere between a 29-34 ACT and a 4.0+ GPA along with all of my extracurricular activities.

 After that, we had a whole lot of time. So, we did some sightseeing. We checked the amount of time it would take to get from our hotel (Hilton Garden Inn) to San Francisco and discovered that it would take (approximately) an hour to get to the city from 6 miles away. Therefore, we decided to make an adventure out of it. We hopped in the car and took the "long way" to San Francisco. This gave us a great opportunity to see the Golden Gate Bridge and actually drive across it. See pictures below from this part of our adventure:

 Once we got across the bay, we went to Pier 39. Famous for its "sealebrities," Pier 39 was a cool experience because we got to listen to the barking sea lions and witness the beauty of San Francisco (plus, see Alcatraz) all at the same time.

 We ate dinner at Fog Harbor Fish House. Dad and I split the specials: 

Special: Was delicious!

House Salad 

Crab Cakes. Yummo!

We did some walking sightseeing post-dinner. Although we didn't stop at the famous restaurant in the picture, we did see it. Also, we enjoyed the sculptures along the way. Some interesting sights included the cable car, the San Francisco Bay, Ghiradelli (shop) and Ghiradelli Square, and Lombard Street. 

The next morning, we got up and went for a run on the bay. It was really neat and a good way to start off the day. Then, we went to Hobee's near Stanford. Dad had said that this place was amazing and knew because of his previous experience in the area. And, it didn't disappoint!

Blueberry Coffee Cake, Omlette stuffed with eggs, potatoes and cheese. My butter fell off.

Dad's breakfast. 

 Then, we got to Stanford for our tour. Our guide was named Ryan and he did a great job leading us around the campus and explaining the history of the school. I didn't know, for example, that it was nicknamed "The Farm" (because it was originally the Stanford family farm) or that it was named after a teenager named Leland Stanford Junior. 

Beautiful church with mosaics from ITALY. Wow! It was gorgeous!

Stanford Memorial Auditorium, AKA "Mem Aud" 

"The Oval"

The red roofs are a distinguishing feature of the Stanford campus. 

Only a photogenic spot of many on the Stanford campus. This is in the main quad.

Sporting campus gear sure makes you feel like a member of the campus!

Reflection:

The Stanford campus is absolutely gorgeous. There's no denying that- it's a fact. We had beautiful weather in the 80s (which honestly was a little hot coming from CO) and experienced a great Sunday on campus. As much as it's every kid's dream to go to Stanford, it's probably not reachable for me. After discussing with the parents, we decided that it's probably not worth it to apply unless I get a 34, 35, or 36 on the ACT when I take it this April. I'm not a minority and I don't have a story about how I really and truly overcame diversity in my life. With that being said, the campus was worth a visit but may not be worth the application fee (and requests).

We finished our trip by going to the Stanford mall and walking down University. We found a great cookie place and I thought I might share this picture with you:

The store was called "CREAM" or Cookies Rule Everything Around Me. Pick a cookie, and pick an ice cream and they'll make it for you!

I had an amazing trip and I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to go visit two dream schools. Stanford and Berkeley are both amazing and if I can somehow pull off the grades and ACT scores to get into either (or one) of them, that would be fantastic. I simply need to work hard for the next year and a half to get in (but then continue working hard after that!). I'm really excited!

QOTD: Read the 5 founding principles of Stanford on this page.

Thanks again mom and dad,

Amy