I want to attend UCLA, but I am unsure that it would be a good fit for me. I was rejected from Berkeley, so I am among the lesser of my competitors, and I am somewhat timid. I attended Bruin Day (the reception day for UCLA admits) and fell in love with the school, but I am afraid I will drown in the competition, especially since I will be pursuing a STEM major. I earned a 1400 on the new SAT and my extracurricular activities consist of on-campus club leadership and community service via Key Club. Any advice?
What are your other options? And what does Berkeley have to do with it? Wouldn’t you have been just as timid there?
Congratulations! UCLA is a wonderful school.
You mention “competitors” and “competition.” I think reframing how you think about college might help. How about instead of competitors, you think of them as fellow students, friends, and collaborators? That’s what they’ll be. How about instead of competition, you think of it as learning. How will your fellow students, friends, and collaborators help you learn? How will you help them learn? After all, that is the primary reason you will be at UCLA.
Certainly some classes may present challenging material. Work with your fellow students in a collaborative way. Actively engage with your professors. And, this is important, don’t wait until you are struggling to get help. I recently attended a pre-med program and heard some great advice. Pre-med advisor said the top students arrange tutors from the beginning. That way they get the pick of tutors, and they can get ahead of the game.
Take advantage of professors’ office hours. When I taught, I implored students to come by for office hours and before tests. I knew very well where they stood, but often they worried about me learning what they had not done. Anyway, I always felt like it was better us discuss it in a learning environment rather than have to mark the student down on an exam. The student pays for teaching, and the professor gets paid. So take advantage of office hours when you get to school. It’s paid for.
And have some fun. You’ll only be young once. Good luck!
@Emsmom1 Hi, sorry for the lack of clarity. I meant that most of my fellow students have been accepted to other top tier universities such as UC Berkeley, Stanford, Harvard, MIT, etc. I, on the other hand, was rejected from Berkeley–UCLA is the most competitive school I was admitted to. If I was considered substandard by UC Berkeley, I fear I do not have the chops to attend UCLA and thrive there. If I was accepted to Berkeley, I do not think I would have this insecurity.
My other options are UC Irvine, UC San Diego, and UC Riverside.
@TTG Thank you for the words of encouragement!! I will definitely take your perspective into account as I make my decision.
It is very common for applicants to those two schools (which happens to be many) to get admitted to one but not to the other and you are no exception!
DC admitted to UCB but wait listed at UCLA. Much higher stats than yours.
@grtd2010 cool beans
Am I correct in assuming that 1400 on the SAT was for the two-score SAT (ie, approximately 700 on each section)? If so, 1400 on the two-part SAT (new or old) is quite good. You didn’t mention your grades but I am thinking they must be pretty good for you to get into UCLA. Being rejected by Berkeley only meant that they had more good applicants than they had room for. This is a very common theme this year (for all of the top universities).
For STEM classes (and probably any class) you will want to keep up with the work. What you learn next week will depend upon what you just took today, so you want to keep up and do homework at early as you can. With this, I think that the two questions are: Can you and your family afford it without much debt, and Do you want to do it?
If yes to both questions then I think that you have a decision. If no to either question, you do have other very good choices also. Best wishes with your decision!
Not gonna lie, STEM at UCLA is very competitive, so you are right. My cousin LOVED stem, but when she entered UCLA, she changed her major because UCLA was very big and the competition was gruesome (FOR HER). I think if you are passionate abut STEM, UCLA will be awesome for you.
Also, I don’t think many UCLA incoming frosh got into MIT and Stanford… maybe a few, but definitely not the majority based on my knowledge? Of course, I may be wrong, but I think many had UCLA as their “hardest” or one of the “reachier” schools. I think you’ll be fine! Don’t worry about the competition until you get a feel for the environment. My cousin was horrible at chem and therefore realized stem really wasn’t for her if she couldn’t even PASS UCLA chem
@DadTwoGirls @cookieloverboy thank you for your insight! <3
I have a friend who was waitlisted at Berkeley and UCLA. In the end only Berkeley accepted him off the waitlist and he didn’t get into UCLA. As far as selectivity and prestige go both are pretty comparable, so you shouldn’t feel less about only getting into UCLA it’s a really good school. Worse case scenario if the kids in stem are too savage at UCLA you can switch majors or transfer. Most people switch majors 3-4 times. My dad transferred from Purdue to UCLA for his undergrad and got a masters degree in education and a law degree because he didn’t know what he wanted to do. Going to college is a journey, I wouldn’t worry too much right now about what you want/can study and where you go to do it. You’ll probably be really happy at UCLA
For the most part UCLA and UCB are peers - congrats on getting into UCLA! Getting into UCLA is very competitive which clearly proves you have what it takes to excel. You will do great - good luck.
Did you visit your other choices? Were you more comfortable at any of them? They are all good schools. I think you should attend the school you feel most comfortable at, and don’t fall into the prestige trap. If you feel that UCLA will be a GOOD challenge, as opposed to a stressful one, and you think you will be happy there, choose it. And I agree that it’s not healthy to view fellow stduents as competition. You are all accepted, and it doesn’t matter if your SAT score is les than someone else’s.
Plenty of people get accepted to UCB but rejected by UCLA and vice versa. Cal to me to me feels like it has a more focused, competitive, serious student body so I think UCLA might be a better environment for the OP.
Anyway don’t sell yourself short. UCLA would not have admitted you if it didn’t think you were capable of succeeding.
y didnt u apply to merced
Hey, I was in the same boat as you.
I got a 1400 on my SAT’s, not even top 20 of my class, and overall felt inadequate especially after meeting all the talented people in the overnight program… but I decided to SIR anyways. (Also, I am a stem major, Biology to be exact – which is very competitive & difficult)
Anyways, I was extremely hesitant based on the competition but I figured the experiences I will make it worth it.
No, I’m not accepting defeat so easily. Trust me, UCLA has so many resources to help you succeed. From peer mentors to past test you can borrow and take, you will find a way to cope with your studies. It’ll probably be hard, but at least you’ll have fun.
Wherever you go, you’ll suffer, so might as well have fun while doing so?
(PM me for more specifics; I went to an overnight weekend and fell in love, when I was ready to settle to a lower, albeit still good, school!)
Starting out as a Freshman science major at a UC school is a little bit like starting a crowded 5K running race. You stand at the starting line looking at all the other runners–you think they look faster or fitter, or more intense. Then the gun sounds and it’s all elbows and heels, people passing you right and left. It can be intimidating, but don’t let it psyche you out. Some people are just plain faster and will finish ahead of you, but others will start too fast and then fade badly. You have to find your own pace, and make sure you just pay attention to doing what got you to the starting line. You probably won’t win the race–most people don’t, of course-- but there’s a good chance you’ll run well enough to meet your goals.
So jumping out of the analogy, I’ll say (from my personal experience in life, as well as having been a graduate student and teaching assistant in a technical field), that the abilities that got you accepted at UCLA will allow you to succeed there. Have good study habits and focus on learning the material. Go to office hours and get your questions answered. Try to enjoy yourself. And also take stock of your motivations as you get near the end of your first year. When you’re in high school (and even when you’re in college) it’s hard to see the wealth of career paths that are available to you. If it turns out that you’re really struggling or unhappy in your field, then maybe it truly isn’t right for you–and that’s OK! So with this in mind, you shouldn’t feel incredible pressure, and you shouldn’t feel that you don’t belong at UCLA–or wherever you choose to go.