@lihj4598tvcie Which high school do you go to?
Mission San Jose
@jigglygoo what school do u go to? what clusters?
Does anyone know if the bio courses at UCSC are competitive?
For teacher recs, do the teachers need an account? Mine is asking for my teacher’s password and he doesn’t know what to put
@acastro which is more important, the personal statement or cluster essays? I spent most of my time on the personal statement and I’m not sure whether that was the right choice or not.
I am trying to apply to UCI for Cluster 6 and Cluster 4. These are strong chem and bio clusters, pretty much medicine
I was wondering what my chances are for getting in:
GPA: 4.0
Teacher Recs: Probably really good, my teacher really likes me and has given me leadership chances in his class
Academic Activities: I don’t have any stem ones, but I am in Interact, French club, Spanish club, Choir, and I do color guard (winter guard now). Previously I practiced martial arts. My biggest issue is that none of these are strictly academic. However, they are places where I have exhibited leadership.
Oh I will be a rising junior by the way! 
Your stats are definitely very solid, but keep in mind you are competing against many others who also have a 4.0, but extensive extracurriculars. I would recommend making the most of your essay to show admission officers your interest for the topic in order to maximize your chances. Good luck!
@lihj4598tvcie Monta Vista I’m applying to UCD cluster 8
Has anyone been able to finish their application? I submitted it but my parents still have not gotten an email to complete the application. I’m applying for UC Davis, if that helps.
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@jigglygoo I go to Monta Vista too! What grade are you in?
Hi!
Are there any COSMOS alums out there who have any advice or willing to share examples of what to write about in the COSMOS application essays. The prompts this year are “why you want to attend this cluster?” and the main one is "Beyond what has already been shared in your application, wha t do you believe makes you stand out as a strong candidate for admissions to the University of California (COSMOS)?If there’s anything you want us to know about you, but didn’t find a question or place in the application to tell us, now’s your chance. What have you not shared with us that will highlight a skill, talent, challenge or opportunity that you think will help us know you better? "
The clusters I plan on applying to are the Biomedical Sciences Cluster and Chemistry of Life Cluster at UC Davis.
Thanks!
@aim9823 I’m a freshman
Hi guys, I’m applying to UC Davis for Chemistry of Life and Mathematical Modeling in Molecular Biology. I’m pretty scared because I keep hearing that UCD is the most competitive of all campuses 
I wonder what my chances are of getting in though. Oh and I’m currently a sophomore.
Unweighted GPA: 4.0
Teacher Recs: I used my Pre-calc teacher, and I think she likes me
Academic Activities: I did a summer program (Rosetta) on biomedical sciences at UC Berkeley last year. I’m also an officer for neuroscience club, and I volunteer at a place where I teach students on the autistic spectrum art. I hope those are STEM related enough.
Essays: I think I’m a relatively strong writer, but this is my first time writing applications like these so I’m not too confident. I tried my best to show how passionate I am about Chemistry. For my statement of interest I tried to show my perseverance because I’m part of the Yearbook staff and an outside orchestra.
I wish everybody good luck!
do we have to write 2 essays about the clusters we chose or just 1 essay?
also should i be applying for 1 or 2 clusters?
@svjwww one essay per cluster, so 2. Also apply for 2, one will be your first choice and the other your second choice if you don’t get your first
I might be wrong, but I recall hearing that nobody gets their second choice.
@techinerd My roommate last year got her second choice but it is highly, highly unlikely you will get your second choice.
Does COSMOS ask for SAT or PSAT scores? I thought they only ask for HS transcript.