![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasn't been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but I've had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. There's so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesn't exist, you can build it yourself," Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and it's played such a major role in who I've become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something I'm [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala ('21) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-25-at-9.50.05-AM-900x594.png)
![“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-03-at-4.54.16-PM.png)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you aren't going to get those championships if you aren't fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSC5146-900x601.jpg)
![“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AnnaGert_JinTuan_HoHPhotoEdited-600x900.jpeg)
![“I'm not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AlyssaHuang_EmilyChen_HoHPhoto-900x749.jpeg)
Number of UC applications increase for 12th consecutive year
Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
The UC universities plan on admitting 5,000 more undergraduate students from California this year. Over the next three years 10,000 more undergraduate residents plan to be admitted.
January 21, 2016
Over 206,000 students applied for the nine schools of the University of California this year, setting a new record of the numbers of applications.
Applications included 32,905 transfers and 105,341 applications from California, an increase of 6.4 percent from fall 2015.
“I think that a big jump in the application count is coming not just from in-state applicants but also from international and out-of-state applicants,” college counselor Martin Walsh said. “I think there’s several reasons for the popularity of the UC system for international students. [The] UCs are located in urban centers that are seen as being very friendly for international students, particularly those coming from South Korea, China, Southeast Asia or South Asia, so that makes the UC system additionally quite popular.”
Last year, the university also announced its plan to enrol 5,000 more undergraduate residents of California this year.
“They’re going to admit more Californians,” Luke Wu (12) said. “I thought that was really great just because it gives me more of an advantage of getting in.”
Senior Kevina Xiao noted a downside of this news.
“That means that housing is going to get even worse,” Kevina Xiao (12) said. “I have some friends in Berkeley, and they have a lot of trouble with getting housing especially since Berkeley’s housing is really expensive, and it’s also really small.”
Though the UC’s budget will increase for each of the next four years, it does not distribute additional funds for the larger enrolment number. However, its tuition will remain at $11,220 for the next school year.
“I guess if there are more people applying, it’s not so surprising that they’re opening up more spots, but I know the stereotype is that a lot of UCs are underfunded so that’s going to be interesting to see what happens,” Karen Tu (12) said.
Starting from 2017-18, the UC system’s tuition will rise unless the state provides further funding.
“I think, in general, the competitiveness in education has just increased over the years, and, at the same time, it’s more difficult for us, but it’s encouraging to see more applicants as we’re more able to revolve ourselves around education and have that opportunity,” Sarah Tien (11) said.
The University of California will add 10,000 more undergraduate residents in the next three years.
