Kamilla Rosales, a Senior at Monache High School, plans on applying to CSU Fresno, CSU Long Beach, UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, and UCLA.

Rosales's dream school is UCLA and wants to study culture and linguistics.

"They're the only school on the UC system that has a large range of languages to study and have a studying abroad program because most of those programs are really limited to Ivy League schools," Rosales said.

Rosales said having good grades isn't enough to get into the top colleges in the country anymore.

"You have to be like a well-rounded student that has very aspects to them and a lot of personality traits and characteristics," Rosales said. "I took a lot of AP classes, and I also was in a lot of organizations. I'm the president of my pathway program, the Environmental Science Academy. I'm ASB vice president; I'm the president of Z Club, which is like a women empowerment club."

Kate Lizardo, a senior a Monache High School, is taking a different path and plans on leaving the States to attend a private college in the Philippines.

Lizardo said that the college she plans on attending, Central Luzon Doctors Hospital Educational Institution, only requires you to take a placement test to be accepted.

"By what my dad says, he makes it seem like they don't really look at all that stuff. I think that as long as you've graduated student, then you're good," Lizardo said.

Lizardo is still actively involved at her high school, and has joined many clubs and extracurricular activities.

"I'm in choir, band, ASB, CSF, PIVOT, Hip Hop Club. I'm president of CSF, choir, and hip hop club," Lizardo said.

If Lizardo had it her way, she would stay in the US and would have applied to UCLA and CSU Long Beach.

"Since my dad told me about going to college in the Philippines, I haven't really wrapped my head around like that idea. I really didn't like it, but over like the past two years a lot of stuff with family has been happening," said Lizardo. "I had to tell myself to accept it because it was just easier that way. Especially for my dad since during that time he told one of my aunts that I was his only hope. So that made me feel bad, but in a way that made me accept going over there. And if I didn't go over there, like I would rebel against my dad, I'd have to pay for college myself. Like I'd have to be alone. Like no hope."

Sara Pineda, a senior at Summit Collegiate Charter Acadmey, wasn't as involved in high school as Rosales and Lizardo. Now that the time to fill out applications has come, Pineda said she regrets not being more involved.

"I'm like filling out scholarships and they're always like 'Oh, did you do?' And I know if say like 'nothing!' they're not going to pick me because they're like 'Oh, you never did anything with her life, so she's just going to not do anything in college," Pineda said.

Pineda wanted to attend UC Marcos but ended up only applying to CSU Fresno because of financial problems.

"I get a lot of pressure from both of my parents that like they came here because of me and like I can't disappoint them because I'm the reason they had to suffer," Pineda said. "They're always like 'Oh, back there I wish I would have been like you. You don't understand the opportunities that you have and how lucky you are."

With their high school journeys coming to and end, these 3 girls can now reflect on whether or not the American education system has allowed them to succeed.

"I feels like everything I did, it's never going to be enough," Rosales said. "The whole application itself, like no matter how many questions they ask, no matter how many prompts they make you answer, like they're never going to be able to get a real whole picture of who you are as a person and as a student."

Rosales, Lizardo, and Pineda have overcome many obstacles to get to where they are today, but this is only the beginning. The transition from high school student to college freshman isn't easy for many. In an article written in the Wall Street Journal, "You Got into College. Here's What you Should Know", university students offer helpful tips to incoming freshman to ensure success.