You realize we’re just guessing about what’s in the secret sauce right?
My D has the same results as the son of @jntwinmama. IN at SLO and WL at UCSC. D has other acceptances, but the UCSC WL is a bit puzzling to me. Meh, no matter, D may not opt into the UCSC WL.
Totally know it’s all just a guess and there doesn’t seem to be much rhyme or reason, perhaps especially this year. I want to learn as many lessons as possible (again, first kid is being the guinea pig) so they I can better advise my other two. There are a few things I know I would advise to do differently, but at the same time mental health is so important and at a certain point there’s only so much one can take on. Good luck to everyone! This is almost over and I totally agree with the statement that they will grow and thrive where planted. Or something like that. 
To clarify, there is no way to “opt-in” to the waitlist this year, right? If you’re waitlisted, you’re automatically on it, and can choose to opt-out with that survey? Just making sure I don’t have to do anything extra to show I want to stay on it.
My boys are identical twins and are very similar in some ways. Same high school, similar grades, almost all of the same classes, (ACT score one point apart). Both in at SLO. One in at UCSC, one waitlisted. Very different ECs and essays. One is gay and a singer, dancer, did musical theater volunteered at a book giveaway project. The other is not gay, a club and varsity swimmer, team captain etc., volunteered to get a bond measure for funds for new city pool passed, etc. 
Correct, you can opt out but automatically on the waitlist if you do nothing.
This in-state rat race is insanity. My first son didn’t apply to any CA state schools partially b/c none offered his preferred major, and partly b/c of the mess described in this string. My current son is going for business so that opened up some in-state possibilities. I know many on here are STEM and they are looking at different calculus, but my S also applied to U of A and ASU. Both accepted him with enough $$ to go to either for about $35K/yr all-in. It would occur to me since most kids on this string have similar or better stats, that anyone could get that deal. In the case of business, both AZ schools have nationally ranked UG business programs whereas that is not the case at Cal Poly or any CSU. It doesn’t even make sense to bellyache over these schools when there are better options at similar price. Is anyone considering OOS options with merit as an alternative to staying in-state? Also most other state schools aren’t as impacted as UC’s and CSU’s in terms of graduating on time. It just seems that our state system has failed us and we should all be seeking alternatives.
it is insanity. Part of our problem is finding schools close enough to where we live in California that have D21 major, and that also offer enough aid to make it affordable enough for us to send her there. D21 got into NAU and ASU. Both have her major(great programs) and gave her a lot of money, but she absolutely doesn’t want to go to either school. The other oos she likes that have her major and whose campus’ she loves won’t give her a dime. Its been extremely frustrating to have so few realistic choices that tick off the 3 requirements. Major, cost, D21 liking the campus.
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Yes my son also got into ASU for business with merit and from what I understand they have a fantastic business program. Someone once told me that more CEOs come from their program than any other. ?? He’s also considering University of Utah, also for business. It’s very afforable for OOS when WUE is factored into tuition. Got into a couple in Texas as well but even with merit scholarship money those price tags are probably too high for us. He’s waiting for CA decisions and depending is leaning toward Utah because he like to be very active outdoors and there a lot to do there in his “free time”.
I share your perspective. The UC and Cal Poly thing are so unpredictable and there are just too many kids in California. I won’t even mention the decision to not accept SAT/ACT which my son spent months studying. We applied to UC and Cal Poly as kind of a gamble to see what happens, but not counting on it at all. We did apply to OOS schools and are having decent results. He got into Ohio State with a merit scholarship that makes it about the same as UC. My older son who is a Junior in college had difficulties with in state options and is at Miami University with a merit scholarship and loves it—snow and all.
This is our major issue as well. My kids are deadset against going OOS. OK maybe there is a tiny little part of me that wants them to be close to home as well! 
Same here. D admitted to Cal Poly, WL at UCSC. But UCSC not the best fit, so might not opt into WL.
Yes. D21 was admitted to CPSLO for an ‘easier’ major but I think it’s unlikely she will attend (I have my own thoughts on CalPoly’s algorithm after seeing so many students from D19’s large, uber competitive private HS get waitlisted with very high grades/rigor/relevant work hours vs. the large number that seem to get in every year from D21’s small, well regarded public HS where it is far easier to get a higher GPA will much less rigor). You can’t beat the price at SLO, but she received merit $ at several well regarded schools that bring the cost to within $5- $10K/year of SLO’s annual cost, so the way I see it, the incremental total cost for her to attend a school that she really prefers vs. SLO will be the cost of a car (and for two of the WUE schools, it would be even less than that). I am also from a state (NJ) that historically has among the highest % of students going to college right from HS, every year, and where more students head out of state for college than stay in state, so I just never really thought of staying in state as the default. No doubt she’d get a great education and a defined career path at SLO. The location benefits that seem to attract students to CPSLO (the beautiful area, hiking/outdoor recreation right there, great small town, access beaches) are not big factors to her because she has easy access to those things where she lives. And while she picked the major that she thought she was most interested in, the idea of having to stick to that path based on little practical knowledge is a little overwhelming for some 17 yo’s who are really not sure what they want to do, knowing that it could be quite difficult to switch majors once at SLO. We also aren’t fans of the quarter system. She didn’t apply to other schools in state, as she knew the UC’s are a crapshoot even in the best of years. She prefers a smaller school with a more traditional residential feel and small classes (the small classes at SLO compared to other public schools was why she applied there), where most students live on campus for at least two years and it’s the hub of life, and closer to an urban area, and that’s the type of school where she likely will end up.
Ya… My son is a typical STEM kid and he took all AP calculus classes, AP Chem, AP Physics, AP Computer Science. He is a president of his high school robotic team and enjoys coding. Took multiple college computer science courses, so I believe he is pretty advanced in CS when he attends the college. He enjoys CS so much that he felt like solving a puzzle. His GPA is not extraordinary, but 4.25 or something. He only got two B’s in his HS career. His High School employs trimester system, and the third trimester AP classes don’t count 5.0 GPA because it is seminar class. So every third trimester his GPA dips. Anyway, this is not good enough to get accepted to SLO. He is still waiting for the decision, but probably receive the denial.
It is good enough. It seems to be a bit of a crap shoot for some majors.
It’s clearly not just about grades, but I’d be curious to know what the other metrics they are using.
subjective assessment of who knows what?
Maybe its me but it seems the subjective part of the assessment is becoming a bigger factor in the decision making which of course only makes it more confusing for students to know what they need to do to get in.
I feel so sad that 4.25 is not considered extraordinary ;( Best of luck to him on other decisions coming.
I thought 4.25 was very good too, but after reading so many stats from other kids, they are like 4.5, 4.6… whew!!