Hello-
I just finished the college application process and it was pretty successful. I was admitted to Cal, UCSB, UCI, Davis, Cal Poly SLO, and UMich.
So I had some pretty good choices. I was waitlisted at UCLA and rejected at Texas and UNC Chapel Hill.
I committed to Cal, but then there was a crazy circumstance where I withdrew my application. Luckily, I had clicked the button for SLO as well, so I am still able to attend there in the Fall.
I am trying do decide if I should attend Cal Poly or if I should take a gap year and try reapplying during the next application cycle. I was pretty successful in the schools that I was admitted to, but I don’t know if I’ll have the same luck next year. I really want to attend Cal and I just dont know if I will make it in there again. I’m super frustrated that my application was withdrawn.
I had a 10-12 weighted GPA of a 4.44 (overall weighted was a 4.22) and a 33 ACT. I got one B in my second semester senior grades so that GPA was a 4.33. So my GPA isn’t as good as it was when I applied to schools last Fall. I applied under Biochemistry to those schools except for Berkeley where I applied under Chemical Biology and Bio Engineering at Poly.
Let me know your thoughts. My end goal is to attend Cal.
Why was your application to Berkeley withdrawn after you were accepted ?
Was there a false statement or claim on your application ?
Disciplinary situation ?
Or ?
The point is that the reason for withdrawing your app may follow you & affect your candidacy for admission next cycle.
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Have you talked to CAL? Is it possible you could still attend this year? I really have no idea. You don’t explain the “crazy circumstances” for withdrawal and for privacy it is understandable. If CalPolySLO is now the only school you can go to, it is a really really excellent choice and I would go ahead, work hard, and if you are unhappy and still want CAL, apply after your first year.
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There is a chance you will look back at what you now view as a mistake, as putting you on a good path. If not, nothing is written in stone. By all means, to set your mind at ease, call CAL just to make sure you cannot attend, then move on.
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It really depends on what the “crazy circumstances” are.
If you don’t want to share it’s okay, but if the “circumstances” follow you or continue, your odds would be affected.
No. Don’t take a gap year and re-apply. Start college in September, wherever is best for you.
Meanwhile, contact Cal and ask whether you can be re-admitted. You never know what you can get, by asking nicely. From your previous post, it looks as if you intentionally turned down Cal, so you’ll just have to beg to be put at the top of their waitlist, and maybe you’ll get lucky. But no matter what, start school in Sept, be it at Cal Poly or Cal. You should not waste your time waiting out a year and re-applying. Your results may be worse, and honestly, you will be wasting a year of youthful brain time, when you are best able to learn new concepts. You won’t notice it, but the brain does “mature”, meaning, it gets harder to learn new stuff. The difference for me between age 17 (started college) and 28 (started med school) was vast. In my late teens, I only had to practice something twice, and I had it mastered forever. At 28, I had to put it in and out of memory ten times to have mastered it forever. And it only gets worse after that.
I don’t know why you did what you did, but what you’re having now is buyer’s remorse. Get over it. Move on. Start school in September.
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It was withdrawn by my parents on our end not by Cal.
Okay thank you! Yeah I have been contacting Cal’s office of admissions for like a month and have emailed, sent letters, called, joined zooms, basically everything. Even with putting my whole life story out there they seem like they aren’t going to budge and that really sucks. It was just a crazy week for my family and the application was withdrawn on our end and not by Cal. I like Cal Poly but Cal is always been a dream of mine and it sucks to see it go to waste.
Thanks for your advice. That’s kind of what I have been thinking too. There’s no guarantee that I’ll make it into any schools next year. I think it was just because I had my heart set on Cal and then that was taken out of the picture. It really sucks but you’re right I should probably move on, even though this was probably the only shot that I had at attending Cal. They are pretty clear that you can’t reverse a withdrawal multiple times.
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If your parents’ reason for doing so is not something that will change next year (too expensive or parental disapproval for arbitrary reasons), then there is no point in trying to reapply again.
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Cal Poly Eng is no joke. It’s very tough to get in. Next year, you will be surrounded by extremely bright kids in a prestigious and recognized faculty that will take you to great places. You are still heading somewhere where tons of people wish they could be. Keep your head up!
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Transfer is a whole new ballgame, so you’ve got another shot at it, as a transfer. If your parents did this without your consent, you’ve got some serious family dynamic issues. Cost? Fear of losing you to some ultraliberal culture in Berkeley? Distance?
I could understand if they were funding it - then they do get the last word.
CalPoly SLO is a great place to be. So often people have trouble giving up their “dream school” and in this case it is even harder because you did get in to CAL. Not sure what happened but as I wrote before, you may very well look back and be glad you are at/went to CalPoly. See how the first semester goes…
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I understand your disappointment, and I’m sorry that you find yourself in this position.
Let me suggest that College is not a destination, rather it is a means to an end. The ultimate goal is the rest of your life after college. At this point, the question is whether Cal Poly SLO will get you where you want to be in 4 years. If not, what’s missing there?
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That’s a tough break, really feel for you. I would take another stab, but I think the chances are very slim they will reverse course.
I would stay the course with Cal Poly over doing a gap year. Great school.
Just to clarify, Cal Poly SLO has a quarter system. Cal has semesters.
In this case, I would not suggest a gap year. Attempt a transfer later, if SLO isn’t a good fit.
Made it off of the UCLA waitlist. Though I still want to go to Cal I’m happycwith UCLA.
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Congratulations! UCLA = Awesome!! 
