Our second student spotlight is Kiran C. (‘26), who got into the University of California, Berkeley. The University of Berkeley was Kiran’s first choice, and his process was different than most. Kiran got recruited for gymnastics and got an NCAA offer from Berkeley. Although he still has to get accepted into the school and maintain his grades, all the long hours in the gym have paid off.

I had several questions about this process for Kiran because it was so different, and he provided great advice, offering transparency about his experience. Note: Answers were edited for clarity.

1. The Process
At the beginning, I was going to apply to 10 colleges and three gymnastics schools, but after I got my offer from Cal, it
went down to three colleges: Chapman, Berkeley, and Cal Poly SLO.

2. Regrets
Not at all. Berkley has been my number one school for the last four years, and I’m excited for the future.

3. Finished
It’s technically still not done since I only have an NCAA offer and not the actual school acceptance, so I still have to get good grades. However, the gymnastics portion definitely feels great.

4. How He Made the Decision
It’s closest to home, my super-close cousin went there, amazing gymnastics team, the number one public university in the nation, and I believe I can thrive there. Also, the athletes get the super nice dorm suites freshman year, and then I can move into the team house. Also, I love Asian food, and Berkeley has such good Asian food.

5. Advice
Definitely go to the college boot camp before classes start. I had almost finished my personal statement, and got my applications done in 2 days. All of the teachers were super helpful, and it was great seeing the staff and my friends again. Definitely don’t procrastinate with college apps. Please get them done as soon as possible, since senior year can be very, very busy.