Tyler
College Tours 2021

Tyler applied to a number of colleges in the hopes he would get into one of their accounting programs. Ultimately, he was accepted to four universities and was wait-listed at another. The first university to accept him was Cal Poly Pomona. We were really happy he got into what will soon become Jordyn's alma mater. Jordyn can give him insight to campus life and where everything is located. He was also accepted to both San Jose State and Cal State Fullerton. SJSU has the benefit of being really close to home while CSU Fullerton is still pretty close to Grandma and Grandpa in Hacienda Heights. Next, he was wait-listed at UC Riverside. While Tyler's grades have always been very good (especially for someone who despises school), he only took one AP course in high school and did not take the ACT nor the SAT. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic he was unable to take these tests because of constant postponements or cancellations. In the end, both the University of California and the Cal State University system decided to forgo standardized testing requirements for the foreseeable future. So, with only his GPA and extra curricular activities as his only criteria for evaluation we are overjoyed he is even being considered for UC. Having said that, the last university he was accepted to was UC Merced. Since his high school accomplishments merit admission to the highly competitive UC system, and he was not outright accepted to the campus he applied to, he can attend UC Merced in the fall. UC Merced (2005) is the newest up and coming campus in the UC system and, as such, has not gained the reputation as the other older campuses. While all the other UC campuses have to wait-list or deny admissions, Merced has struggled to recruit new students by comparison. The UC system has therefore instituted a referral pool whereby qualified freshman applicants can be admitted to UC Merced if they do not gain admission to another UC campus.

During his Spring Break in April 2021, Tyler and the rest of the family headed south to visit Cal Poly Pomona, Cal State Fullerton, and UC Riverside. Jordyn made it down as well despite having classes and work. Since everything is being done remotely, it didn't matter if she was at home or at Grandpa's and Grandma's in L.A.. All she needed was internet connectivity and a workspace. So, with Jordyn in tow, Tyler was able to get a very detailed tour of the CPP campus on Monday morning (4/12). Following the CPP tour we headed straight to CSU Fullerton where Jordyn also had a little knowledge of that school as she had been there on a number of occasions to play basketball with the NSU. Granted, she couldn't give us too much info, but she did know where the Rec Center was. Lastly, on Tuesday we drove down the freeway and hit UC Riverside. Of the three campus visits, Riverside was by far the biggest. There were rolling hills, a lot of buildings, and seemingly a lot more students on campus despite the restrictions due to the pandemic. While all three colleges have a great deal to offer it's pretty evident there are differences between a UC campus vs. a Cal State campus.

Cal Poly Pomona
April 12, 2021

We hit the road bright and early Monday morning. We probably got to CPP around 8:30am. We drove around campus first before parking by the new dorms. From there we walked around and let Jordyn lead the way. We figured the dorms was a good place to start so Tyler could get an idea how far everything was. Jordyn was a good guide. She explained where his classes would most likely be held. She also gave insight into the idiosyncrasies to some of the buildings (room numbers don't necessarily follow normal order, lots of stairs, hot in the afternoon, lots of cars in parking lots, etc.). Of course, she made sure he knew where to eat on campus, where to find the ATM, where the student union was located, and potential off-campus eating establishments. This was probably the best tour anyone could have hoped for.

Cal State Fullerton
April 12, 2021

Right after CPP, we drove down the 57 and stopped at Cal State Fullerton. Again, we drove around the entire campus first before finding public parking. We immediately headed toward the center of campus and then toward on-campus housing. We tried to determine where Tyler might have most of his classes since he declared himself an Accounting Major. Eventually, we found the Business Administration building on the edge of campus. Fullerton is a typical urban university within the confines of a city. It's limited in size but makes efficient use of space. Perhaps the only downside to the school was student housing was located right next to the freeway. On the plus side, however, was student apartments were really near by.

Sup Noodle Bar
Buena Park

After touring Fullerton, Jordyn set up a lunch date with good friend Pia. Pia recommended a Vietnamese Pho restaurant called, Sup in Buena Park. Since the rest of us didn't have any idea where to eat, we decided to eat there as well. Good thing because the Pho was delicious. We all had the brisket and couldn't have been happier. If you're ever in Buena Park, stop by Sup Noodle Bar. You won't regret it.

University of California Riverside
April 13, 2021

On Tuesday we took our time waking up, and headed out to UC Riverside a little after 9am. Riverside was easy to get to from Grandpa's and Grandma's too. It's just straight down the 60. Just like the other two schools we visited, we drove around campus first and then parked the car so we could walk around. Riverside is a larger campus and buildings and facilities were a little more spread out. Luckily, while looking for a restroom, we bumped into a student whose job was to give campus tours. We could tell right away because she could walk backwards while talking. She graciously gave us a private tour and answered questions as she guided us to the nearest restroom. It appeared as if many of the facilities and buildings were either renovated or relatively new. One of the nice things was each of the dorms had their own music/dance room, exercise room, and game room. This way students didn't have to travel very far to relax and unwind.