How this student got into USC

Fight on! Fight on! Fight on! In the coming months, this famous chant will be echoed by one of our most empathetic seniors: Christine Phan. Coming from a Vietnamese, low-income, and first generation background, Christine has worked hard and played hard her whole life. The University of Southern California (USC) is excited to have Christine join their class, and we wanted to interview her unique college application experience.

What college are you committed to?

USC

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

Christine will major in Psychology. She hopes to be a pediatrician in the future.

How did you form your college list?

Christine formed her list by primarily looking at a college’s location, campus, career support, and school spirit. She especially emphasized the importance of school spirit because, as she put it, “makes the college experience.”

Do you have any advice on forming a college list?

Christine advised to consider out of state schools. She also said that there is a college for everyone.

What other colleges did you get accepted at?

“UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara, UC Santa Cruz, UC Riverside, University of Michigan, Lehigh University, San Diego State University, Cal poly San Luis Obispo, San Jose State University, and the University of the Pacific”

What made USC stand out from the rest?

Christine loves how USC has a “work hard, play hard” culture. She also revelled at USC’s emphasis on career.

What extracurriculars do you plan to do at USC?

She plans to volunteer at hospitals and clinics, especially at USC’s Keck school medicine.

What was your weighted and unweighted?

Unweighted: 4.0

Weighted: 4.33

What AP Classes did you take?

AP Computer Science Principles, AP World History, AP US History, AP English Language, and AP Human Geography.

Any advice on AP Classes?

Christine suggested to develop your test taking skills, such as managing time, not panicking, and practicing the process of elimination.

Did you take any dual enrollment classes at KSJC or at a community college?

Christine took a dual enrollment course at KSJC, which was offered by Arizona State University (ASU) and Brown University. She studied “Poetry in America; the City from Whitman to Hiphop” in her ASU course and ‘Fantastic Places in Unhuman Humans” in Brown University.

What were your main extracurriculars, and how much time did you spend on them?

Christine participated in many extracurricular activities, being involved in KSJC’s High School Democrats, Health Science Medicine club, Bridge all Minds, political campaign canvassing, the Wolfprints newspaper, girls volleyball, and numerous different volunteer opportunities.

Christine emphasized 4 major extracurricular activities that she believed is most important:

Varsity Girls Volleyball:

Christine was a helpful teammate that frequently collaborated with her teammates. It taught her to value teamwork and communication.

Bridge All Minds:

Bridge all minds is a student-led nonprofit organization that aims to “empower impoverished youth with equal access to quality education.” She was the head of research and impact, where she compiled data and information surrounding the issues plaguing third-world countries. She conducted online research, talked with professors, and organized meetings with international organizations.

Tara Sreekrishnan Intern:

Christine canvassed Tara Sreekrishnan in a political election. As an intern, she created posters, called voters, and went door-to-door knocking to mobilize voters for Ms. Sreekishnan. She planned numerous canvassing and campaigning events.

High School Democrats:

Christine participated in 5 advocacy speeches that called attention to KSJC's problems with funding and space. In her most notable achievement, Christine passed a bill that relocated the homeless away from our school.

How have those extracurriculars influenced your future aspirations?

By talking and interacting with numerous people, Chritsine developed her passion for helping others and medicine.

How did you rank your extracurriculars?

She ranked her extracurriculars by impact:

1. Volleyball

2. High School Democrats

3. Bridge all minds

4. Health Science Medicine Club

5. Wolfprints

6. Canvassing

7. Saratoga Public Library Volunteering

8. Walden West Volunteering

9. Live oak Volunteering

Do you have any advice on your extracurriculars?

Try to pick extracurriculars that align most with your future career and major.

What did you write your essay about and why?

Christine wrote her common app essay about her mom being a role model for her. It developed her values of empathy and kindness. Here is a quote from her essay:

“I hope to contribute meaningfully to the communities I am a part of, carrying forward the legacy of care and compassion embodied by the woman I owe my life’s blood to.”

How much time did you spend on your essays?

She spent 3 and a half weeks of dedicated essay writing

Do you have any advice for writing your essays?

Christine suggested starting early and brainstorming topics before writing.

Who were your letter of recommenders and why?

Christine chose Ms. Vo and Mr. Winters. Ms. Vo because she loved her AP Human Geography class and Mr. Winters because he is her coach in girls volleyball.

Do you have any advice for choosing your letter of recommenders?

Christine said to choose teachers that you’re close with and have connected in a level beyond academics.

What awards (if any) did you put down in your application?

Christine indicated that she won PSAL in girls volleyball, Summa Cum Laude awards, and AP scholarships. She also received the National Education Equity Lab Honor Society, which was awarded for placing top 5% in the “Poetry in America; the City from Whitman to Hiphop” course.

What do you think was your strongest part of your application?

She believed that her grades and writing were the strongest part. For USC specifically, she wrote a fantastic story about going to Vietnam and distributing porridge to impoverished citizens.

What was a barrier you faced during the application process, and how did you address it?

She procrastinated heavily and had to balance a difficult course load with many challenging AP courses. Still, she pushed through because of the tight deadlines.

If you were to restart your high school career, what would you change?

Christine aimed to do better in her AP classes and tests. She also wanted to study for the SAT and ACT earlier to achieve better scores. 

Any advice to people in the college admissions process?

Christine emphasized how important it is to not stress about it too much. As she put it: “whatever happens, happens.”

Any final thoughts?

Christine wanted to wish everyone good luck with their high school journey and to not be afraid to be ambitious. She also said that “it’s okay to fail, sometimes.”