jstressjam (2022-2023)

First in my family to go to high school (much less graduate from college and go to graduate school)

3 majors (done in 4 years) in undergrad/BA at USC: Political Science, Biological Sciences, Asian American Studies

Undergraduate student affairs experience in ethnic student services, orientation, residential and academic life

Currently at UCLA for grad school: MA Asian American Studies, MPH Community Health Sciences. Working on MA thesis on 1.5 generation Cambodian American autobiographical narratives

Large amount of volunteer work in Los Angeles Chinatown.

Graduate Student Association representative work on university hiring committees, educational issues committees, oversight committees, orientation committee, etc...

Teaching Assistant in Asian American Studies, Writing Programs, Life Sciences and Molecular Biology

Letters from Professor for whom I TA'ed, Thesis committee member/professor, supervisor of my volunteer work.

Thought I'd try that chiashu thing that everyone else has...

2005
Arizona State - 75.8614%
DePaul - 89.2391 %
Gonzaga - 99.8271 %
Lewis & Clark - 81.0724 %
Santa Clara - 97.1514 %
Seton Hall - 97.3966 %
Michigan - 13.0585
Arizona - 57.4896 %
UCLA - 14.4166 %
UC Berkeley (2004) - 12.1186 %
UC Davis (2004) - 53.986 %
UC Hastings (2004) - 57.2592 %
Minnesota - 36.6465
Oregon - 90.8648 %
San Francisco - 95.3081 %
Southern California - 21.7498 %
Pacific - 98.492 %

Application season sucked. Worked on PhD apps (but stopped) and MD apps...probably shouldn't have taken the MCAT and LSAT within a month of each other.

1/23 - Accepted at DePaul...so shocked to have heard back so soon. Money and a t-shirt. It's good to have a good option.

2/06 - In at Pacific. Thank goodness McGeorge is in Sac and not in Stockton. Free books for the first year! Pretty tempting.

2/08 - Scholarship for Pacific. DePaul's is better, and has a great health law program.

2/23 - In at Santa Clara. It was my first choice school at the beginning of the process. It'll be like being back home in the Bay.

3/01 - Rejected from Michigan. No surprise there.

3/02 - In at Seton Hall! Scholarship information came the next day! And an invitation to compete for a full-tuition public interest scholarship! Looks like it'll be a tough decision.

I'm wondering what's taking so long for so many of my applications to become complete.

3/15 - Dad called to tell me that Berkeley sent my rejection letter there. Not surprised, but why send it to my permanent address?

3/16 - Last day of classes and exams for the quarter, and ASU acceptance was waiting for me. Dated 2/15? What's up with that?

3/20 - Letter from Oregon. 2 and 1 at Pac-10 schools. Getting nervous about the impending deadlines for Santa Clara and Pacific (4/01), DePaul, Seton Hall and ASU (4/16)

3/23 - Email from USF; Status checker from UC Davis. One less place to obsessively check every hour...

3/27 - Status Checker from UC Hastings

4/01 - Got back to my apartment for the crush of mail. Included acceptance letters from UC Davis, USF, UC Hastings and Lewis and Clark. Also a deferral letter from Minnesota. Really don't care that much at this point.

4/02 - Put down a deposit at Santa Clara and gave UC Davis a provisional yes. Just have to play the financial aid waiting game to see how much debt I may have to incur. But not wedded to either place at this point, since I'm still excited about Hastings, ASU, DePaul and Seton Hall. Should be withdrawing from the other places to open up spots for people.

4/18 - withdrew from all schools except Davis, Santa Clara, Seton Hall and DePaul. Will contact SCU, SHU, DePaul and ask for more time.

4/23 - looks more and more likely that I'll be an Aggie soon. Rejected by USC.

4/24 - Letter from Seton Hall awarding me a Distinguished Public Interest Scholarship for three-years of full tuition. whoa...what am I going to do...

5/03 - Letter from Arizona. It's about time. Got a phone call from Gonzaga last week that I've tried to return to no avail. I wonder what that's about...

5/04 - At this point, it's between UC Davis and Seton Hall (although I never sent in a deposit at SHU, in which case the choice is a moot point). The draw of being closer to home is major enough to turn down three years of full tuition...I hope I don't regret it...