How this student got into Santa Clara University

Being smack dab in the heart of Silicon Valley, Santa Clara University (SCU) is a rising college that will make waves in the future. Being a part of this rise will be one of KSJC most dedicated seniors: Jesus Espinoza. Transferring to KSJC from KIPP Navigate in his junior year, Jesus has had an interesting college application journey:

What college are you committed to?

Santa Clara University

What’s your background?

Jesus is a first generation college student with immigrant parents. At the time of applying, a family emergency has led to a particularly financially tough year for Jesus. As a result, he had to apply to a narrow list of colleges.

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

Jesus’ major is sociology. While he doesn’t have a specific career in mind, iIn the future, he wants to have a career in law or justice.

How did you form your college list?

Jesus picked some safety schools, but the majority of his list contained a lot of the big leagues schools. He also wanted to pick colleges that were close to home, given the urgency of his emergency.

Do you have any advice on forming a college list?

Jesus states to not be afraid to apply to a lot of the big league schools, but ensure that the list is balanced with safety schools.

What other colleges did you get accepted at?

• Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

• San Francisco State University

• UC Riverside

• San Jose State University

What do you look for in a college? 

Jesus was primarily interested in receiving the most financial aid. In addition, he looks for colleges that have his major and is close to home.

What made SCU stand out from the rest?

SCU gave Jesus the most financial aid out of all of his colleges. It was also close to home.

What extracurriculars do you plan to do at SCU?

After seeing the numerous unhoused people at the BART station, Jesus plans to concern himself with unhoused initiatives at SCU to remedy the situation. He also plans to volunteer and advocate for pressing social issues.

What was your weighted, unweighted, and UC/CSU GPA?

Weighted: 4.17

Unweighted: 3.87

How many AP Classes did you take?

• AP World History 

• AP US History

• AP English Language

• AP Spanish Literature

Any advice on AP Classes?

Jesus emphasized to “lock in. Do not procrastinate.” Spending 1 hour of your time to review material is much better than procrastinating.

What were your ACT and/or SAT scores, and how much time did you spend on studying?

Jesus only took the ACT, and he received a superscore of 24. He also spend 0 hours of studying

Any study tips for the ACT?

Jesus stated to study hard

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

Jesus was an active member of the school community. He was a Cross Country and Track and Field runner (5 hours/ week). He was also in the Bring Change to Mind club, where he advocated for better mental health (1 hour/ week). He was a member in the Wolfpack Scholars club and was part of the Student Honor Council at KSJC.

How have those extracurriculars influenced your future aspirations?

A lot of his extracurriculars and clubs were predominantly humanities-related, which fed into his interest in sociology.

Do you have any advice on your extracurriculars?

Jesus said that “If you like doing it, keep doing it.” 

What did you write your essay about and why?

Jesus wrote about transferring schools and navigating KSJC as a transfer student. In his essay, he reflected on how KSJC taught him how to be hardworking, disciplined, and make a safe environment.

How much time did you spend on your essays?

He spent at least an hour a day.

Do you have any advice for writing your essays?

Jesus said to spend good time writing your essays. He also said to ask for feedback to see if the essay you wrote aligns with your vision of it.

Who were your letter of recommenders and why?

Jesus asked Mr. Chelin and Ms. Vo. When Jesus transferred to KSJC, Mr. Chelin was the first person to welcome him, marking the start of a strong relationship. He also asked Ms. Vo, because he found her to be charming and funny in AP Human Geography.

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

Jesus said to build at least one strong relationships with your teachers.

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

Jesus was a science fair runner up and received the runner of the year award for his athletics.

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

He liked how his essays turned out. In particular, he loved how his supplementals for Santa Clara turned out given how he researched the college the most.

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

He faced strict deadlines set by KSJC, which made him sacrifice a lot of time. To address it, Jesus spent time making sure his essays were good and asked for plenty of feedback.

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

Jesus wanted to gain exposure to extracurriculars sooner. He especially wanted to create more initiatives.

Any advice to people in the college admissions process?

Jesus said to research schools in your college list really well; make sure the schools you go to align with what you want to have in your college experience. 

Any final thoughts?

“Good luck homie”