How this student got into UC Davis

Known as a premier “public ivy,” UC Davis, and the rest of the Mustang community, will be pleasantly surprised at the advent of one of KSJC’s most trailblazing seniors: Krystal Duong. Interestingly, she did spend her 4 years at KSJC; she actually transferred from KIPP Navigate in her sophomore year. Krystal has had a unique high school experience. To document her 4 year journey, we interviewed her.

What’s your background (race, income, first-generation)?

Krystal is Vietnamese who comes from a middle class, first-generation background. 

What college are you committed to?

UC Davis

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

Krystal is majoring in molecular biology, but plans to transfer to medicinal chemistry and drug design. She aspires to be a pharmacist. 

How did you form your college list?

When Krystal was forming her list, she heavily considered location, cost, and academics. She wanted to fit in into a strong community as well as save as much money.

Do you have any advice on forming a college list?

Krystal advised to “trust your heart and gut” when forming a college list. She also recommended prioritizing factors that interest you over acceptance rate.

What other colleges did you get accepted at?

• CSU Fullerton

• CSU Long Beach

• Sacramento State

• San Jose State

• Cal Poly Pomona

• Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Science

• Creighton University

• Santa Clara University

• University of the Pacific

• Saint Mary’s College of California

• UC Merced

• UC Riverside

• UC Santa Cruz

• UC Davis

• UC Irvine

• UC Santa Barbara

• George Washington University

What do you look for in a college? 

Krystal heavily prioritizes diversity, environment, and the size of the campus. She enjoys a school with high diversity because it encourages an open mindset. For the campus environment, she likes a place where nature is dominant. She also prioritizes a big campus because it allows her to explore more and do more side quests.

What made UC Davis stand out from the rest?

She has relatives that went to UC Davis that became pharmacists at UC San Francisco. She believes that by attending, she will follow in their footsteps.

What extracurriculars do you plan to do at UC Davis?

Krystal plans to join clubs such as APIA. She also wants to work while at school.

What was your weighted and unweighted GPA?

Weighted: 4.14

Unweighted: 3.93

UC GPA: 4.25

How many AP Classes did you take, and what were your scores?

AP World History (4), AP Chemistry (4), AP English Language and Composition (4), AP Computer Science Principles (4).

Any advice on AP Classes?

Krystal emphasized the importance of finding a study method that works for you as well as using outside resources such as Khan Academy, Fivable, College Board, and Heimler’s History.

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

Krystal had 3 main extracurricular activities:

Video editing (6 years, 10 hours/ week): what began as a hobby in 6th grade turned into one of Krystal’s most important extracurricular activities. She primarily created promotional videos for TV shows, movies, and KPop. It helped her with her creativity and mindset.

Most Holy Trinity Vietnamese Faith Formation Program (8 years): Krystal was in a religious school, where she learned about Catholicism and how to speak Vietnamese. 

Most Holy Trinity Youth Leadership (1 year, 6 hours/ week): in her religious study program, she became a youth-leader volunteer where she became teacher’s assistant in her classes. She developed the religious and Vietnamese knowledge of her students. She also helped facilitate charity events.

How did you rank your extracurriculars?

She ranked them by length of time and time commitment to them.

Do you have any advice on your extracurriculars?

She suggested focusing on stuff you like to do. She also said to do internships that interest you.

What did you write your PIQ’s about and why?

Krystal chose PIQ 1 (Leadership), 3 (Greatest Skill), 5 (Significant Challenge), and 6 (Academic Subject).

PIQ 1 (Leadership):

Krystal wrote about her time stepping up to be a student volunteer and teacher in her religious study program. She wanted to make the youth-leading program better than it was before; she writes:

 “Acknowledging how this is my first and final year of being a youth leader, I was determined to make it as memorable as possible. Not only for myself, but for my students. Working with children can be tedious, but I strive to appeal to their senses thoroughly in order to give them the best experiences”

PIQ 3 (Greatest Skil):

Krystal wrote about her video editing skills and how that exemplified her ability to be extremely social. Here’s a powerful quote from her essay:

“If I didn’t build the courage to ask my mutual [friend] for a tutorial, my edits wouldn’t be what they are now.”

PIQ 5 (Significant Challenge):

Krystal talked about the challenges she faced about having a fixed mindset, striving for perfection, and living up to the model minority myth, using AP Chemistry as her writing topic.

“even though i initially desired an A in the class, i learnt to accept reality and live in a growth mindset of how my efforts paid off”

PIQ 6 (Academic Subject):

Krystal talked about how in 5th grade, she was fascinated by the formation of crystals. Specifically, the chemistry behind it all. As a result, this kickstarted her passion for chemistry, talking about numerous chemistry projects and science fairs she had.

“Chemistry has built a bridge leading me to discover the wonders and knowledge of the world that I never knew existed. With open arms, I hope I can further expand my knowledge by exploring different chemistry paths at a university level.”

How much time did you spend on your essays?

She worked on her essays during junior seminar. However, in the span of a day, she changed the writing of her PIQs.

Do you have any advice for writing your essays?

She said to pick great PIQ’s and create a strong draft of what you want to write about.

Who were your letter of recommenders and why?

She asked Mr. A and Mr. Cecil, a chemistry teacher from KIPP Navigate. She chose them because both showed her academic side.

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

Krystal suggested choosing teachers that you are close with and that are related to your career.

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

Krystal put her AP scholar with honors and Summa Cum Laude award in her application.

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

She believed her essays were the strongest aspect of her application. Specifically, her PIQ’s about chemistry and leadership stood her out because it displayed her deep commitment to them.

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

Krystal constantly compared herself to applications on TikTok, which made her anxious about being rejected at every school. She addressed this by saying she is good enough and that different people have different standards.

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

She said to leave KIPP Navigate sooner because it lacked resources.

Any final thoughts?

Krystal said to not be a perfectionist; grades and an acceptance rate does not define you. Go wherever your heart wants you to. “Rejection is redirection”