<p>I recently got rejected from my top choice UC (UCSC) which really stung. Now I'm looking into appealing. </p>
<p>Any experiences with this? I've never heard of appealing until I read it on the UCSC website and it seems like college apps all over again but somehow less stressful. </p>
<p>Thanks for any comments and advice!</p>
<p>I don't have any direct experience but I've heard that some have appealed and then been accepted. It's always possible they rejected based on a mistake - i.e. they didn't receive some paperwork in time or something.</p>
<p>Sorry you didn't get the news you hoped for. At the UC counselor conference last year, a question about appeals was asked and the UC admissions people made it very clear that appeals almost never make a difference unless, as UCSD<em>UCLA</em>Dad suggests a key piece of information/data was missing or inaccurately reported. If it will make you feel better, give it a try...but my advice would be to move on to considering your other options as quickly as possible in the meantime and to not dwell too much on UCSC.</p>
<p>....but this was 4 years ago. (She is graduating in June.) I am sure it gets tougher and tougher every year to successfully appeal. I saw the letter she wrote to UCSB, basically she said: I really really really really really really really really want to go to USCB. LOL. She cited an unusual major
UCSB offers (Law and Society) but this had the chance of backfiring because UCR offered that major, too. She had very little to add to her application except for a successful stint on a debate team after her initial application was sent. I think she was very lucky to get her denial reversed.
Because of her late acceptance she was too late to get on campus housing as a freshman.</p>
<p>I've heard the same thing from others about UCSB. Basically, they wrote a letter explaining why they wanted to get into UCSB and got in.</p>
<p>I'm sure that it's nowhere near as simple as that. After reviewing my application, though, I think I might've chosen the wrong major, which may have attributed to my denial. If I wrote them a letter explaining and correcting my error, would that make much of a difference?</p>
<p>I had a few students appeal to UCSC last year; all got in. It definitely cannot hurt. Just make sure you have more info to add. You may also submit a letter of rec.</p>
<p>if you know someone who appealed to UCSB within the past few years and got in, they were lucky! According to a UC website
[quote]
UC Santa Barbara received 1,056 freshman appeals for fall 2003 and granted 72 (some of these resulted from a late decision that we could accommodate 50 more students in the fall class).</p>
[/quote]
The</a> numbers were similar for all the other UC campuses in the report except for Irvine (see page 8 of above document). Riverside and UCSC were not listed.</p>
<p>No UCSC.. That puts me in a bit of a pickle.</p>
<p>The instructions on the UCSC page were pretty vague. Just a list of stuff they needed from me for my appeal, and that's about it. =/</p>
<p>Kemi- it cannot hurt to appeal, so do it, but make serious other plans based on not getting in, you can decide how to change your plans when & if you get in on appeal.</p>
<p>If you do appeal, you at least have a chance, albeit a small one. What is the worst that can happen if you appeal and are still rejected - you are in the same situation. Better go for the chance, or you will always wonder "what if..." But ditto the advice to plan on something else, just in case. And whether you believe it or not, things do happen for a reason. There ar emany stories here about kids who were rejected from their dream schools, went somewhere else, and can't imagine why they ever wanted to go to the other school. No matter what, you will wind up where you belong, even if it means a transfer someday, or another school, or your dream school. Don't give up. Hedge your bets, and "bloom where you are planted."</p>
<p>I, too, have heard stories about successful appeals and agree that you should go ahead and do it; otherwise, you'll always be wondering. But, before you file, make sure you research and include some solid reasons about why you want to attend UCSC--programs of study it offers that no other school does, faculty members with specific expertise, etc. Meanwhile, do more research on your back-up schools so you can make your decision easily should the appeal fail.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Thanks for all the advice and encouragement. =D</p>
<p>Should I include a change in major in my appeal as well?</p>
<p>I can't hurt, can it? But give good reasons. You don't want them thinking you are just saying this in order to get in. You have to show you really want that change.</p>