Appealing to UCD

<p>I just found out I got rejected from UC Davis and I just feel so disappointed and upset at myself that the tears won't stop. I got accepted into Riverside and Merced, which were my backups and Irvine, my second choice college, decision is still pending. Of course, since UCD rejected me, that gives me paranoia about UCI rejecting me as well. So I figure I should start on my appeals letter as soon as possible.</p>

<p>I know how slim the chances are of acceptances through appeals, but I feel I cannot let go of my first choice college without a fight. Can anyone give me pointers on the appeal process and generally what kind of appeals make the best impression? Also, if the information is available, what were the statistics of accepted appeals in the past few years?</p>

<p>I am 110% unfamiliar with the UC appeals process, but my sister went through a waitlist last year, and I remember her trying to figure out what she needed to do for herself. I imagine that general advice might be similar.</p>

<p>In her case, she had added to existing EC's, playing a key role in a major school event, being selected as a leader for a retreat, and continuing with community service, so she sent an updated resume along with additions to a portfolio. She was on track to receive her highest GPA in HS, so she sent a midyear grade report. She sent a few extra recommendations, which I think came from the school president (like principal) and priest (it was a small school and she was very involved, so these people knew her well). She also sent a brief statement of her own, reiterating her continued interest + the things she'd accomplished since sending her original explanation. The high school helped her gather all of this and send it as one package.</p>

<p>I imagine that if you're trying to appeal a decision, they'll want you to present new info rather than to convince them that they were 'wrong' the first time around. Updated grades (if strong), additional leadership, notable club or EC activities, recent awards, an additional recommendation, continued service or other involvement, something important that you've accomplished over the past 3-4 months that you wish had gone into your original application, whatever. </p>

<p>Best of luck with the process + at whichever school is eventually lucky enough to enroll you!</p>

<p>HOLY CRAP..im in the same exact boat....UCD (first choice) rejected me, and now im paranoid about UCI, i got into UCR and SJSU but i dont wanna go to either</p>

<p>...is there any way u can make a deal with the school...like for instance can u ask UCD to put on u on academic proabation and give u a chance to prove urself?</p>

<p>Agree with Student615, it's probably an annoyance to adcoms if you just point out things you already had in your application. It's better to send new things to show that you didn't quit ECs just because you were done applying to colleges, and maybe that your grades improved too.</p>

<p>OK, the above is all well and good, but not advice for this situation. The UCs have their own appeals process. People need to be giving specific advice about the UC appeals process and ideally about UC Davis in particular. No other advice is helpful in this specific situation. </p>

<p>All I can say is, since you got into Riverside and Merced, you must have demonstrated that you are UC eligible. That is good. Beyond that, I hope someone else has some specific advice about this. </p>

<p>Actually there is a UC Davis section, you really should post your question there.</p>

<p>see the page Freshmen:</a> Non-Admitted Students</p>

<p>also, since Davis runs on a strict point system, you should find out how many points you had, and what the cutoff was. See Freshmen:</a> Application Criteria for Selection Process Make sure they scored you correctly, assuming they'll give you a breakdown of your score. Sob stories aren't going to help you here; your best chance on appeal is to show you deserve more points than you got, enough to put you into the admit range.</p>

<p>you should use google to search for info on Davis and appeals; I found the stuff above with 30 seconds work.</p>

<p>Thank you for the advice and encouragement you guys! I wonder if there's anyone who does indeed know the cutoff point of UCD's point system? Unfortunately they don't even provide the score I got but judging it myself, I can say I got anywhere between 7140 to 8390 depending on the subjectiveness of the people determining my score. I didn't really think the cutoff would be higher than that but I guess I was wrong.</p>

<p>What I'm writing so far is my marked improvement for senior year. I want to tell them how my GPA improved from 3.33 in junior year to 4.17 in first semester of senior year. And do you think I should send them copies of my high school newspaper and tell them which parts I contributed to? (I am an editor) Along with that, I'm going to ask teachers and club advisors for recommendations and I'll send in regional competition awards I won after applications were due.</p>

<p>BTW, I'm not as upset about the rejection anymore. ^^;; I guess I can understand why they wouldn't think I could achieve at their school and I know I'll be ok if I attended a backup school. Of course, that's not going to stop me any less from trying my hardest to prove to them that I am indeed a student that has the potential do well at UCD. >=]</p>

<p>don't fret yet about UCI. Davis had a huge over-enrollment two years ago, and that bubble is still percolating thru the campus. In contrast, Irvine is growing and adding students every year.</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

<p>What is the cutoff point for Davis? I'm trying to help a friend of my daughter.</p>