How this student got into UC Berkeley

UC Berkeley, home of elite scientists, dedicated engineers, ambitious entrepreneurs, and more, will be home to one of KSJC’s top seniors; Kevin Huynh. As one of the most active students in KSJC, Kevin is no stranger in displaying leadership, creativity, curiosity, and resilience. This fall, he is excited to join the golden bears community, and we wanted to interview him about his college application experience.

What’s your background?

“I am a Vietnamese American student that attends Kipp San Jose Collegiate, and I am the Co-President of Wolfprints.” 

What’s your major and your interests/ future career aspirations?

“Civil Engineering. I’m trying to start a civil engineering design and contracting firm. My ultimate goal is to go build myself a house that is self-sufficient.”

How did you form your college list?

“I researched and found colleges based on the quality of the program given, reputation, and proximity in California. I wanted to stay in-state” 

Do you have any advice on forming a college list?

“Do your research to make sure your college actually has the major you want.”

What other colleges did you get accepted at?

“UC Santa Barbara, UC Davis, Santa Clara, San Jose State University.”

What do you look for in a college? 

“Proximity, financial aid given, and the prestige of the program. I also look for quality of life, internships, and research opportunities.”

What made UC Berkeley stand out from the rest?

“Well going into my college application season, I expected to either narrow down between Cal Poly SLO or UC Davis. I never expected to get into Berkeley. What ended up happening was that I was waitlisted from Cal Poly SLO and accepted to Berkeley, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Davis. Berkeley offers one of the best civil engineering programs globally, and they also gave me pretty good financial aid; surprisingly, it was better aid than my safety schools. It is also the perfect distance because I can travel back and forth between San Jose and Berkeley easily.”

What extracurriculars do you plan to do at UC Berkeley?

“Researching, internships, and clubs such as ASCE or VSA.”

Do you have any advice on your extracurriculars?

“My extracurriculars were all over the place, and privates did not like that. However, Berkeley really liked seeing community involvement, so definitely make sure one of your extracurriculars involves community involvement!”

Any final thoughts?

“Your college application season will be very random and there will be many ups and downs involved in it. From the beginning, my dream school was UC Berkeley and I never expected to get in, but now I am committing to it. I also applied for Questbridge and became a finalist, but at the final match phase, I did not get matched, which was demoralizing, but I still kept moving along with my life. I then settled for either attending UC Davis or Cal Poly SLO, but I was devastated again when I got waitlisted to Cal poly SLO. At the very end of college application season, I was accepted to Berkeley and I am very happy to be given the opportunity to attend. My main piece of advice is that you will never know where you end up, so be happy with where you go. If you get into a good school, be humble about it. Good luck!”