@czs1994 - when I called today and spoke with them, they said not adding an Algebra course taken in middle school would just make him miss out on the bonus math points, not have points deducted.
They also said the verification process happens later and that is when the humans look everything over and make sure what you submitted is accurate. That is when they will say, “oh, you took Geometry and Algebra 2 and whatever higher course. You must have also taken Algebra.”
I agree that its a mistake on our side to not read the instructions fully. But is there a way for us to take this issue to Admissions Director’s attention?
@RoonilWazlib99 The verification process happens after the acceptance process. There is no verification if no acceptance. I would be more concerned for those who omitted Geometry considering what the UC A-G statement, which was referenced in the CSU instructions, said about the omission of Geometry. I hope it doesn’t result in deductions, but don’t know.
Yes, I’m sorry if I wasn’t clear - the verification is after acceptance. The admissions counselor told me he would just be missing points and not have deductions made. They start from zero and go up, not down. Having the admissions counselor say that deductions wouldn’t happen is good enough for me to accept that it doesn’t happen.
There is no “deduction” process in the MCA. Where are people getting this -1000 or -2000 nonsense from? Starting with Algebra 1 for math you get:
6 semesters = 0 points
8 semesters = 250
10 semesters = 500
@VickiSoCal Here’s one mention of the deductions (from a 2010 presentation) http://www.powershow.com/view/24c5cc-ZTE1Z/Multi-Criteria_Admissions_MCA_powerpoint_ppt_presentation
I have no idea if this is still the case, doesn’t sound like given what @RoonilWazlib99 said
@MelloG, I went through the 12 pages of that power point and don’t see any mention of deductions. I have no idea where the assertion of 1000 or 2000 point deductions comes from.
I BTW did make one assumption that since seems to be incorrect. I assumed a student that left off Algebra and Geometry would be automatically rejected by the system since technically their application would suggest they failed to meet the minimum requirements. That apparently is not the case based on what applicants have reported this year. They simply miss out on some of the MCA adder points for math rigor.
And anyone who took 5 years of math in high school (some do!) are fine.
And if any math classes were taken at a college or dual enrollment, each college semester counts as 2 high school semesters.
Since the rigor score is capped at 750 and there are up to 950 points available, you may have made up some of those points by having extra lab science, English, foreign language, and art/performance.
But, I agree that Calpoly should come up with a way to count 2 semesters for Alg 1 if the application shows Alg II but not Alg 1. Prior to determining admission, that is. Especially if the application was changed this year to make the place to enter middle school classes even less obvious.
@eyemgh on page 11, the first footnote for required semesters: If semesters required are not met, 500 deduct points will be applied per semester deficient.
So if you don’t have the 2 semesters of geometry, for instance, according to that footnote 1000 points would be deducted. As you pointed out, since people who did not report middle school algebra and geometry aren’t being automatically rejected, things have likely changed since 2010 when that powerpoint was presented.
@MelloG, those pesky footnotes…who reads those? :))
Sorry I overlooked that. I don’t recall it in the 2013 presentation, but I’ll check when I get back to the computer that still has it.
Hello everyone,
I am a new member of this forum. I wish I knew this forum earlier.
My son made the same mistake in his application as jonathanb1 and some other students: did not input Math course in Middle school to application. This is my first child applying to college. I felt so sad. I am wondering should I advice him to change his major to a less competitive one. Would you please give us an advice? Here is his status:
4 year of math in HS:
Algebra 2 honor
Pre Cal and Trig honor
AP Calculus AB
AP Statistic ( taking it now in his senior year )
4 year of science in HS:
Biology
Chemistry Honor
AP Chemistry
AP Biology ( Senior year )
4 year of Spanish ( 2 years in Middle school, but did not input in application )
Spanish 2
Spanish 3
Spanish 4 honor
AP Spanish ( Senior year )
4 year of Visual Arts and Performance
4 year of Orchestra, Violinist
Cal Poly GPA: 4.2
SAT : 1490
MCA : approximately 4525
My son applies to Computer Science for Fall 2018. Do you think he should change his major ? And can we do that now? He submitted his application on 10/15/2017. I really appreciate your recommendation.
@anedcollege: You can use this link for the change of application form. You can request a change of major using this form. I would consider changing to Software Engineering if he is interested.
CS and SE are going to be a stretch with an MCA of 4525, not to mention he likely has a 4275 with the loss of the 250 points for the application error. That doesn’t mean he won’t get in. They are simply CRAZY competitive. Make sure he has a safety, one he knows with certainty he’ll get into AND one you can certainly afford.
@Gumbymom and @eyemgh: Thank you so much for quick response. My son chose Statistic as his alternate major. He will change Statistic as his main major now.
I just found out 1 more problem in his application now. He did not recall how it happened:
He reported his English 9 in 9th grade. However at the Subject column, it did not show " B - English " as in English 10, English 11, English 12 that he reported. Results of that, at A-G matching courses, it shows that he has only 3 years of English, even though he has English 9 is in 9th grade course report. Have you ever heard of this ? What should we do now? Thank you.
I’d call admissions and ask their advice.
Thanks @eyemgh . My son will call admissions tomorrow.
Wondering if anyone has any updates to the problem with students not listing algebra and/or geometry under 9th grade math. Was anyone able to get this changed?
Admissions office mentioned that if its not in the application, they don’t count it for rigor. The rep at Seattle college fair also said the same thing. When I mentioned about MCA, they didn’t talk about it. It would be great, if we can somehow bring this to Admission’s Director attention.
I would be very surprised if someone in the Cal Poly admissions department will discuss the mere existence of MCA, let alone how exactly it works.