As the eldest child of immigrants, I was the first person in my family to navigate the college admission process. From understanding which classes I should enroll in, to registering for the SAT, to filling out the FAFSA student aid form, there were many firsts on my way to graduating debt-free from UC Berkeley.
The Great Equalizer
The journey to where I am today has been anything but easy. And that sounds cliché, until you ask anyone who comes from a low-income family, is a woman of color or an immigrant, or from any other underrepresented group. Attaining a college education has evolved into an incredibly competitive pursuit; the average GPA of applicants accepted to the University of California network of schools is usually over 4.0.
Students are competing against peers that have the financial resources to enroll in expensive SAT prep courses that can cost upwards of $3,000.
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