Every year, UPA students travel to different universities to explore and speak to alumni while evaluating whether they could envision themselves attending that school.

“I would have applied, but even if they rejected me or accepted me I’d not have shown as much interest; but now…I would hope to be accepted,” junior Samuel Indurkar said of UC Santa Cruz.

The feeling is mutual.

“The trip definitely put Stanford on my ‘colleges to attend list,’ something I wouldn’t even consider before the trip,” freshman Kathy Ngo said.

Some schools continued to impress UPA students with their expansive access to knowledge.

“I would [go to San Jose State] because it is financially efficient, the biggest source of information is right next door, and [it has] a small-sized campus,” 7th grade student Jasmine Bowles said.

While a majority mentioned liking the laid back nature of college campuses, a lack of structure bothered one student.

“This trip helped me realize that I do not want to go to UC Berkeley,” sophomore D’Angelo Castillo said. “I got the opportunity to speak to alumni, and I concluded that it’s way too big for my tastes, and it’s also way too liberal…”

Seeing the schools in person provided valuable insight into the atmosphere of the university, something unattainable through websites or class discussions.

“I could not have known that unless I actually went there,” said Indurkar.

Students can tell after the field trip whether the atmosphere of the university appeals to them.
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“When we asked questions to the alumni, I noticed they were very well spoken, but still friendly,” Bowles said. “It made me think of [SJSU] as a place where it’s almost like a community.”