<p>Can anyone explain to me why I was pushed back to Spring 2012 acceptance? Does this mean I was a weaker candidate? I mean, I know a lot of qualified people were rejected/wait listed....but this is kind of disappointing to be accepted but pushed back until January.</p>
<p>Do FPF. It was the best experience of my life. Also, take Rhetoric R1A with Karen. She is amazing.</p>
<p>And as Acker says, Berkeley expects some Fall 2011 students to drop out and will need the best of the best - YOU, spring 2012 - to fill in the gap. Just like how some soldiers die in war, they need replacements.</p>
<p>Either way, those who go to FPF are truly some of the best students Berkeley has. They are driven to do better and have produced some quality work. I’m not saying this just as an FPF/spring admit. I was at a low when I found out too, but the professors at FPF make it worth it and tell you why you deserve to go to Cal.</p>
<p>GO BEARS!</p>
<p>I would think that they consider you qualified enough to get accepted to the school, but maybe a bit weaker of an applicant compared to the fall acceptees?</p>
<p>Don’t worry though. The only difference is that you enroll in spring.</p>
<p>I was accepted to Spring also. I think it’s kind of a mix between deferal and acceptance? Though I think it does mean that we were not qualified enough to merit regular old “Congrats! You’re in, Come on down!” Decision.</p>
<p>You wont find any difference at all at how you are treated or how your peers will think of you - it is a complete non-issue. Collegebound111 is not alone in his/her experience as a spring admit. Many CC members were, yet the only way another Cal student knows that is to read it here, as you can’t tell the difference in the classroom, social scene or elsewhere.</p>
<p>Since Cal admits holistically and is building a diversity of experience, backgrounds and talents, they have many fully qualified applicants who are rejected, others who may be offered spring admit in order to fill a more pressing need (perhaps to include someone with a special record of community service or to offer an opportunity to someone with slightly lesser achievements due to challenges of a disability) but if they were not prioritizing that factor, in that alternate reality the spring admit would be in the fall list, just as the high achiever who is rejected might have been accepted, but for the social engineering and other needs that the committee is trying to address.</p>
<p>Getting in for Spring 2012 is not as bad as it sounds.</p>
<p>If you’re willing to go with coming in during the Spring, make sure to enroll in FPF. It’s basically the same thing as coming in during the fall in Berkeley (Save for the smaller classes, different campus area [you don’t really have any classes on the main campus save for potentially Math 1B and the English classes], and science classes aren’t really available). It’s still a good experience though. </p>
<p>I got in through FPF and honestly speaking, it wasn’t bad at all. Also gives you a chance to adjust.</p>
<p>How quickly does FPF fill up? I want to wait and hear decisions from all my schools before I commit anywhere.</p>
<p>FPF fills up in about 1-2 days. SRS. I was one of the unfortunate few who decided to wait a couple days more and didn’t get a spot.</p>
<p>FPF fills up pretty quickly, so I’d probably apply for FPF soon. </p>
<p>For me, I got somewhat lucky because I delayed a bit but still got in (although I was on a waitlist). Wouldn’t want to take any chances though by stalling.</p>
<p>If you don’t get into FPF, then you don’t take the classes adjacent to the Cal campus and you don’t get a shot at the dorms, but you are still a spring admit. You have choices for that fall semester:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>take a break, indulge a hobby, travel, perfect your gaming skills, give service to your community</p></li>
<li><p>take classes at any school that will be accepted by Cal for transfer credit, getting a head start on your requirements. Look at [Welcome</a> to ASSIST](<a href=“http://assist.org%5DWelcome”>http://assist.org) for the officially recognized equivalent classes that can satisfy the L&S breadth, UC and other requirements. Look through the advising material online at Cal to figure out classes you would likely have taken for Fall if you were on campus, and take them elsewhere. For example, look at [Office</a> of Undergraduate Advising](<a href=“http://ls-advise.berkeley.edu%5DOffice”>http://ls-advise.berkeley.edu) for the College of Letters and Sciences if that is the admitting college.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>I sent an email asking for my $100 FPF fee to be deferred since I’m receiving financial aid, but apparently these spots fill up fast - is it better to just fork over the reservation fee, or wait for them to verify everything with the financial aid office?</p>
<p>the slots are snatched up fast. If there is any way to borrow the 100 to sign up, you can get it back if finaid eventually covers it or it is deferred, but this way you definitely have a spot in FPF classes for Fall.</p>
<p>I think you have to deposit $100 to reserve a spot. I would do it if you considering UCB regardless of where you will/might end up.</p>