<p>My son is mostly interested in Berkeley out of the UC campuses and is statistically likely to get in. He is also applying to some private colleges. Does applying to additional UC campuses such as UCLA and UCSD in any way hurt his chances of getting into Berkeley? It is easy to add up to three additional choices in the UC system. As best I can tell, each campus makes individual admissions decisions so the answer is no, it is fine to add more names. But I'd welcome clarification of this from anyone in the know.</p>
<p>negative -- apply to all 9 if you want. Since the two flagship campuses are so compeitive, the UC system encourages multiple apps.</p>
<p>One UCLA alum with whom we spoke when S applied five years ago felt that friends of her had been hurt by applying to schools other than UCLA and Cal. They were accepted at the other schools but not these two even though the stats were similar. Her advice was to apply to those that you really want to attend. If it doesn't matter which UC, then apply to all.</p>
<p>Little Mother, it is extremely unlikely that the fact that the person's daughter applied to more than one campus had anything at all to do with her being rejected by UCLA and UCB. </p>
<p>Keep in mind that each campus has its own slightly different interpretation of the comprehensive review formula. While the overall admissions stats may have seemed similar to your friend, that doesn't tell the full story because it doesn't take into account the comprehensive review process. Because UCLA and UCB get a large share of qualified applicants, the comp. review process is even more critical in admissions at both campuses.</p>
<p>Applying to other campuses in the UC system is NOT part of the comprehensive review process and does NOT affect your chances at any particular campuses. In fact, I am pretty sure that each campus does not see which other campuses you applied to because the applications are transmitted electronically campus by campus. It is just like the common application --- all schools applied to are not shown, just the information for that school.</p>
<p>Additionally, the UC's encourage applicants to apply broadly and to more than one campus. Getting accepted to UCB or UCLA is so competitive that it would be silly not to apply to other schools in the system at the same time.</p>
<p>By the way, just re-read your post Little Mother. Five years ago, there was no comprehensive review process. A lot has changed since then. :)</p>
<p>My son is a freshman at Berkeley this year. In our community, there is a rumor that if you apply to both Cal and UCLA, you might get into one but not both. I'm sure it's just anecdotal evidence (it's true that I don't know a single student who applied to both and got into both, while I know students who really wanted UCLA but got into Cal, and some who really wanted Cal and got into UCLA). It wasn't an issue for my S because he was not interested in attending UCLA (geographically, his preference was northern California). He did apply to Davis and was accepted. I do believe that both schools try to balance their geographic draw. UCLA is not interested in having a vast majority of So-Cal kids and Cal doesn't want all No-Cal kids. So does that make it more competitive for So-Cal kids to get into UCLA? I don't know.</p>
<p>Even if the schools were able to see what other UC's you applied to, I doubt Berkeley or UCLA care. They know 90% of the time they'll be your top choice, they aren't worried that you might pick UCSB or Davis over them.</p>
<p>momof2inca: My son applied to UCB, UCLA, and UCSD this past year and was accepted at all three.</p>
<p>IMO, the UCs pay no attention to what the other campuses are doing. My D applied to Berkeley, San Diego, and Davis and was accepted at all three. Berkeley and Davis offered her Regents scholarships. San Diego did not.</p>
<p>There are plenty of stories where kids get accepted to all or two of the top 3 UCs (Berkeley, LA, San Diego). My S had 2 friends at his HS - all 3 of them applied to the top UCs. Each was accepted to only one, and each was accepted to a different one.</p>
<p>There is such a demand for UCs, that just because you are a statistical match, it does not mean anything. My S had a 50% statistical chance (gpa) of getting accepted to San Diego, and he was rejected. He had an 8% statistical chance of getting accepted to Berkeley, and he was accepted.</p>
<p>My recommendation is to apply to any and all UCs that you would consider attending. There truly appears to be no risk in doing so (save the $40 per school fee). If the OP is still concerned, suggest she contact UC admissions</p>
<p>He should apply to more campuses than Berkeley, if there are other campuses he would attend. The admissions process is separate at each campus. Based on what I've seen, Berkeley does not care that you apply elsewhere. UC admissions is still more number-driven than private colleges, but that doesn't mean you can assume admissions to a particular campus.</p>
<p>I don't think it's a big deal... I applied to all of the UC's (except Santa Cruz) and got into them all.</p>
<p>Ok just letting you all know if you get into UCLA and/or Berkely but not UCSD, you can probably appeal to get into UCSD. My brother didn't even get into Berkeley or UCLA or UCSD, but when he appealed the UCSD decision he got in because they lost one of his test scores. I think because of the six college system at UCSD, they tend to lose their files more often, or something.....from my personal experiences it just seems like too many qualified people get rejected from there.</p>
<p>Thank you everyone! This is the first time I've posted and I appreciate all the responses.</p>