Fatima Cortes from Credo Tememcula committed to UC Berkeley for its natural trails and team culture, choosing it over Stanford, USC, and TCU. She plans to study engineering and advises recruits to start early, communicate with schools, and stay open-minded about finding the right fit.
I'm here with Fatima Cortes from Credo Temecula. She committed to UC Berkeley. What made you decide to commit to UC Berkeley?
Um, well, when I visited there, I hadn't realized all the trails and like nature kind of area there was, because, um, I mean, when I think of Northern California, I didn't really think of it to be that foresty, but when I saw it, I just fell in love with the campus. And then the team also seemed to get along really well, and it just made me really excited to be a part of that.
Was Stanford one of the schools that you wanted to go for, or interested in?
It was, but unfortunately it just wasn't for me.
Okay, what are some of the other colleges that you guys got offers from?
Well, I didn't really look at that many colleges, but two of the schools I was looking at was USC and TCU.
Nice. What are you most looking forward to at UC Berkeley?
I'm looking forward to getting to run in like all those beautiful places that I saw up there, because in Temecula there aren't really any trails or forest areas to run in, and If we do, we have to go kind of far, and I'm really excited to be able to run there like all the time.
How do you think you can contribute to the team?
Well, I think here at Great Oak, I've developed like traits of a leader, just like as a senior on the team and as one of the top girls on the team. It's been a really formative forming of a character, and I think there I could help in terms of like, you know, help lead a team.
Do you know what you're going to major in?
Engineering.
Why engineering?
Well, I'm a math person, so it's just kind of my thing.
Okay. How was the visit? Like, what are some things that you did during your visit?
Well, we got a tour of campus, and then we got a tour of all the different places that they ran, which, like I said, was something that really captivated me. And we We got a tour of the campus, obviously, and I got to spend some time with the girls and hang out in their dorms and their apartment, and it was really nice to get to know them.
How was taking the visit with Claudia Lane? Did you know before that you're taking this visit on the same day?
Yeah, we actually kind of planned it because we went to the Nike camp together, and we were like, oh, we should go on a visit together because we were both looking at Berkeley, and it just worked out so that we got to go on the same day.
Nice. How was the college recruiting process like?
It's kind of stressful when it's really getting down to having to make a decision, and it's kind of sad when you have to like tell coaches no, or like you don't get to choose a school that you wanted to go to. But in the end, you should be satisfied with what you pick.
Let's see here. What are some tips for people going through the same like college recruiting process right now?
Start early, start emailing schools early, and don't completely eliminate a school just because you think like, oh, you're not— they're not good enough for you. I mean, every school is different, and the program itself, you could be a really good fit, so don't just limit yourself.
Thank you for your time, appreciate it.
