A couple of years ago UCSB didn’t send out portal info until January. I think it was earlier last year. Your best bet is to follow the threads on the UCSB forum to see when others receive their portal info.
The UCLA portal is the most difficult to navigate. After acceptances, they require a two step authentication and a separate registration process to be able to view financial aid.
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I just tried it is saying “My Application Status
Record Not Found”. Do we need to worry?
If you are trying the UCLA portal see below:
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Thanks so much @Gumbymom for the quick response. I was scared for a min.
For UCSD which of the colleges would you apply to for a major in
Race, Ethnicity, and Politics (B.A.)
On the application it asks for ranking?
I don’t understand the ranking. It only really shows what classes will be required in each college.
Any input is much appreciated.
Many factors to consider such as GE requirements, AP/IB or DE credit and campus location.
Here are several comparison charts.
Muir and Warren have the most flexible GE’s. Seventh College could also be an option.
MANY THANKS
This is going to be a tricky year to gauge in terms of “what are my chances…”. More students than ever will have maxed out UC GPAs and AP classes taken. No standardized test score consideration, and apparently AP scores are more of a minor component. According to the revamped admissions process, the personal insight questions are VERY important, and there isn’t really a way to objectively say that your PI answers are “really great” or “meh”.
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What’s your source for this? Are you considering P/NP because of COVID?
My understanding is that UCs are looking for very specific things when evaluating the PIQs. They don’t want flowery essays because they want concrete information. I would argue UCs have a much less subjective approach to the PIQs.
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No source, other than there will be more TOTAL applicants, as we saw last year,(due to no SAT/ACT requirements) and so there will be a higher number of students with top tier numbers for the same amount of available spaces.
I believe you are correct in your argument that the UC’s have their process in place to evaluate the essays. My point was that it is difficult for students to evaluate their own essays compared to other applicants.
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Personal Insight essays/Application essays have always been considered Very Important in the application review for all campuses. Several such as UC Berkeley and UCLA also state AP/IB scores are considered important in their application review.
From UCB website:
Since Berkeley is a competitive campus, satisfying the minimum requirements is often not enough to be competitive for selection. In addition to the basic admission requirements, the campus selects its freshman class through an assessment that includes a holistic review of your academic performance as measured primarily by:
- Your weighted and unweighted UC grade point average (calculated using 10th and 11th grade UC-approved courses only)
- Your planned 12th grade courses
- Your pattern of grades over time
- The number of college preparatory, Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), honors and transferable college courses you have completed
- Your level of achievement in those courses relative to other UC applicants at your school
- Your scores on AP or IB exams
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Oh, no doubt @Gumbymom. My son who is a 2nd year at UCB (got in from WL) undoubtedly benefited from insightful essay responses, because he was about a 3.80 unweighted, 4.0 UC and 1390 SAT. which are low-ish % at best for UCB. He was rejected from UCLA and WL from UCSD.
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Why specifically do you think his essays resonated with UCB and not the others?
Applicants don’t know, and never could know, how their essays compared to their peers’. I think the UC application is like a puzzle and the PIQs must be used to answer different criteria. It took her/us a long time to piece together. In the end, she did her best to tell her story and that’s the best you can do.
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I don’t, really. He had extensive EC’s that were pretty focused in one area, and he tied all 4 essays into that. I think he did a good job at identifying what kind of person he is, where his interests lie, and what he can contribute.
That being said, it’s possible they looked at none of that, and just let him in from the WL because we’re local and they figured he’d fill a spot.
I agree with that. I think we sometimes want our kids to get into a specific UC, but the application readers maybe realize they’re not the best fit for that one. For one of our kids, the UC he ended up at was probably the right one in the end. Looking back, I think the essays helped him get selected (or not) at the right schools. He maybe was able to excel a little more than he would have at UCB and the school was a really good fit for his personality. After a couple of admissions cycles, I’m of the opinion that you apply to a reasonably sized set of schools and trust in the process to find out which ones they’ll actually have the opportunity to go to.
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Has anyone ever accidentally put the wrong income for UC and got a fee waiver but didn’t need it? Would that mistake affect admissions?
And do schools look at the income you put on your app and use it to make admissions decisions?
We know someone who got off the waitlist and it worked out really well for him. He did the spring start program they have (not sure what it’s called) where they lived in a regular dorm, but took the first semester of courses a few blocks off campus. Students going through that program actually had a slightly higher GPA at Berkeley from what I read. Now he has a Berkeley degree the same as anyone else. Just putting this out there in case someone in the spring reads this and wonders whether they should take a waitlist spot there.
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UC’s are need-blind so income is not considered in your admission decisions. Financial aid decisions will be made based on your FASFA once you submit it. If you made a mistake and got a fee waiver you really do not qualify, then contact UC admissions and let them know.
Income is not required to be reported so if you are not sure when filling out the UC application, leave it blank unless you need a fee waiver or are applying for EOP.
I agree and I think a lot of people overlook the opportunity to tell more about themselves in the activity/awards section.
Berkeley Admissions tweeted this today, “We see a lot of applicants write about taking care of siblings or working a part-time job in their PIQs, but not putting that in the extracurricular activities section. You SHOULD also put this info in the extracurricular activities section! It adds value and context.”
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