A lot of UCs have declared their decisions. While there are certainly jubilations and a sense of relief, I also see a lot of frustration, bewilderment and agony with the decisions in the various UC threads. This thread is a space to just vent about it and find support from each other.
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I truly find it astonishing that 5% of UCSD applicants got in. Wild. Im sure waitlist will make that skyrocket, but still. Absolutely ridiculous
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its not 5% ā¦the acceptance rate is HIGHERā¦the target class size is 6900 vs 140,000+ applications. They would need to accept 15k-20k? to get to 6900!
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Frustrated with that fact that the UCs generally have a higher acceptance rate for OOS than in-state. California seems to be using the high-ranking UCās as cash cows for OOS/International students and sending some very high-stats/qualified California kids (whose parents have been paying taxes for years) to lessor-ranked Cal State schools. Iām a fan of the Cal State schools, but why do California-tax-paying parentsā kids get their highest acceptance to 150th-ranked school in the country, while OOS/International kids with the same or lessor stats get into UC schools in the top 50%?
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What a great idea! I love that there is a separate place to vent that stops from taking away from those kids accepted. They have the right to celebrate their success!
My daughter was rejected from UCI but what I think many people donāt consider is the intended major. My daughter was accepted to UCSC who actually have a higher ranked, well known and more acknowledged major in her area of interest. Iām not interested in the perceived āprestigeā of a particular college. I want to know that if, once the college is broken down into itās individual parts, whether or not they have a program thatās suits my child.
A lot of people put a lot of emphasis on the college as a whole when they should be breaking it down into itās various parts and what works for that particular individual.
Aside from that note, who cares where you go to get your education? Once you are out there in the workforce no-one cares where you got your degree. All they care about is whether or not you can do the job.
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Good points, but many people do care where you went for undergrad and judge you on that. Iām not saying it is right, but it is true. If you graduated from an Ivy or another highly ranked school, it will always be a āwowā factor on your resume, especially in your early career.
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I really feel for these kids. There arenāt enough spots at all the UCs to accommodate every student who applies. DD has been denied at 4, waitlisted at 1. Still waiting on UCSB and UCR. I donāt have an answer, but something needs to be done to make higher education more accessible and affordable for everyone who wants it. So many kids with outstanding stats, at some point there wonāt be any CSUs that are considered safeties. Wishing everyone the best.
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I totally agree. Crossing my fingers for your daughter and UCSB!!
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As Iāve seen some other people describe it, at times this āholisticā review seems to just frankly be a āvibe checkā where one certain tonal word in a PIQ can make or break an application.
Although my tonal word remark is (hopefully) hyperbole, I understand how it can be beyond frustrating when an objectively strong application gets pushed aside for no explicit reason while seemingly less qualified, or at least similar, applications easily get in. Ultimately, it seems that both talent and hard work are neither explicitly nor consistently rewarded.
UCs need to tone down with the holistic review, especially for in-state applicants. Personally, I feel that a step in the right direction is a less holistic view on UCGPA, especially when CCC courses for dual enrollment are already very accessible anyways, and a return to at least a test-optional policy for SAT/ACT. All public CA students are mandated to take the CAASPP for free within schools too, so they might as well should at least consider that, regardless of politicized standardized testing debates.
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I think UCSD just worded their letter badly and too many people are forgetting about yield and misinterpreting it.
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I think I have seen both sides of the story. Less stats Instate kids getting accepted as well as high stats in state kids getting rejected. Only a holistic process can explain that.
That apart I am still disappointed to be on the waitlist for UCI and UCD and rejected by UCSD and UCLA. The chances are miniscule for CS anyway, almost a lottery.
Yes, but the point Iām making is that why on earth would you want to work for a company that would judge you on that?
My husband went to a āred brickā in the UK. (A so called āprestigousā college in England). No-one in the US even knows what or where it is. All they care about is whether or not he can do the job.
Far too much emphasis is put on the perceived prestige of a college. Sure, in some shallow places it can get you in the door. It canāt keep you in the door if you canāt get through an interview or do the job.
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The yield rate is lower for OOS which is why the accept rate is higher for OOS. UC knows this and UC offers little to no merit aid or need based aid to OOS and so they OOS generally donāt SIR. Hence the higher accept rate.
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I agree it matters for the very first job but not so much (if anything at all) after that. I do hiring for college interns and recent grads at my company and I do look at college but I look more closely at major, or a combo of both. And work experience/volunteer work too.
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My DDās UC results so far:
Admitted: UCD, UCSC.
Waitlisted: UCSD, UCLA.
Rejected: UCI.
Waiting: UCSB, Cal.
Iām grateful for the results for my DD so far and my heart hurts for those with similar stats whoāve received nothing but a combo of waitlists and rejections and no UC acceptances yet. I have no idea how to help my DD navigate the waitlist experience as none of her 3 older CA brothers were waitlisted but I get why the UCs (and other colleges) need to do this these days with over-applying, test optional/blind, and not enough housing. Yield perhaps is becoming too unpredictable for the UCs to manage well and so waitlisting it is.
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My kidās UC experience so far:
Major: CS
Accepted: UCSC, UCR
Waitlisted: UCD, UCI
Rejected: UCLA, UCSD
Really hoping UCD comes through for her.
Itās about time universities use the holistic approach! Offers more students the opportunity to have access to best universities who may have been overlooked in high school. Itās about time we have diversity within our universities and not the same typical looking student with the same achievements being fed by overzealous parents. This is the new world and I am for it.
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i get that, but the amount applied vs accepted (obviously it has to be huge because there were 150k applicants) is crazy. Itās just so competitive
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Iām fairly happy with my admissions:
Accepted UCI, UCSC
Waitlisted at UCD and UCSD
Only thing i would change was getting into ucsd so i dont have to wonder
UCLA decline which i dont really care about because its too close to home.
I feel bad for my friends though, so many extremely qualified students getting rejected because of the amount of people applying. My smartest and hardest-working friends getting rejected. Itās sad.
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To add to the very valid point on yield rate, I feel it is a bit of a misconception that UCs generally have a higher acceptance rate for OOS/Intl. Based on published 2022 data, it seems all UCs combined had instate admit 64%, OOOS/Intl 51%. Similarly, Cal had 14% instate vs 7% OOS/I, UCLA had 9% instate vs 8%, UCSD had 24% instate vs 23%, UCSB had 27% instate vs 24%. UCI and UCD did have relatively lower acceptance rates for instate, but very low yields.
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