Mahalia Morgan – Stanford, Political Science
“Start sooner rather than later, because you can do something really awesome in a year.”
– Found extracurriculars that meant something to her
– “Give yourself space to reflect on who you are and what makes you special.”
– Persevered through the hard stuff that she didn’t want to do, knowing that it would have a greater impact
Ben DeDominic – UC Davis, Wildlife Biology
“If you don’t know what you want to do, try everything. Volunteering your time is one of the best things you can do to find your passion.”
– Found many opportunities to work around what he was passionate about
– “If you have an idea of what you want to major in, reach out to professionals in that industry and volunteer as much as you can.”
– Show that you are committed to something related to your major
Mandy Bell – NYU, Individualized Study
“This might be a hot take, but having a realistic and negative outlook on what might happen helped me survive the process.”
– Tried not to have achievable expectations during the application process
– “I spent most of my time doing things I really enjoyed rather than signing up for a bunch of things that just look good.”
– Pursued passions over perfect grades
