As the school year comes to an end, the graduating class of 2026 is continuing onto the next chapter of their lives. These seniors are now planning their next four years as many successful students begin sharing their college commitments. A couple of these seniors include Becky Liu (Princeton University), Ian Lin (Stanford University), Katelyn Chun (University of California, Berkeley) and Sharon Zhang (California Institute of Technology).
As described by Liu, the application process for college can feel like “a rollercoaster.” But it can also lead you to reflect on yourself. Additionally, Lin explained his experience as a process that allowed him to, “learn [about] parts of [his] personality and goals that [he hadn’t] thought about before.” Because of the extensive time commitment and management that applications require, students like Chun worked hard to keep everything organized. She recalls, “That was basically all I did on the weekends. I had to set deadlines so that I made sure that I completed certain applications on time.”
Although academics are important, many of us know that extracurriculars are crucial upon submission. These activities show the applicant’s passions and personality beyond their grades. Zhang shares how spending time doing what you’re passionate about “distinguishes yourself outside of academics.”
They’ve been a part of Boba Bots for four years, as well as attended robotics camps during the summer. Zhang is very passionate about robotics but also tries to focus on a lot of leadership roles.
“I volunteered at a hospital, which I think was good because it’s related to the field I want to pursue so I was able to show my passion.”
Katelyn Chun also participated in extracurriculars that related to her major — pre-med. She volunteered at hospitals, participated in summer research programs and is a part of the Mills tennis team.
As many know, an enormous part of the applications is the essay portion. The essay helps introduce who you are as a person to admissions officers. However, many seniors agreed that a big part that they left out was their personality. Even though talking about their extracurricular activities was important, they felt that they could have incorporated more of their own character into their writing. For those who did manage to add it, it was described as a major contributor to positive outcomes.
“While this may sound super cliché, I believe admissions officers truly just want to understand who you are as a person and why you walk the Earth the way that you do,” Liu shares. “In my opinion, this balance between seriousness and natural tone or voice makes you more human and actually makes you stand out.”
Lin thinks similarly as well. He says, “I think I have a lot of different interests and sides of myself that I highlight[ed]. Comparing my final essays to the original drafts, the [original ones] definitely fell flat in this way.”
He also shares a piece of advice he had received when writing essays. The metaphor “killing your babies” explains that when you stick to one draft and continue to revise minor mistakes, you could have written a new and improved draft using that time of revision.
“With this mindset, [I was] able to widen my perspective on my own writing and refine my actual portrayal of myself, rather than just a couple of words.”
As juniors begin thinking about the slowly nearing process of college applications, these successful Mills students share some advice for everyone.
Chun states, “Definitely start early. I started brainstorming as soon as summer started so I think that was enough time.”
Liu adds on, “Super corny, but don’t be afraid to be yourself and take risks! Not everyone is going to be a fan of your application and that’s fine! It only takes one so go big or go home!”
Lin continues, “Everyone’s journey is different, and as long as you stay happy and grateful for what you already have, you really can’t lose.”
Finally, Zhang shared, “Put more of [your] own voice into it. You really want to find a way to stand out.”
