Hey fellas,
I am super depressed right now because I was rejected from UCD, UCSC, UCSB, UCI, UCLA, and UCSD. 6 of 7 UC’s I applied to. Last is UCR and I haven’t heard back from them. I also applied to Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach, and Cal Poly Pomona. When applying, my UC GPA was 3.83 and SAT 1790, majoring in Computer Science/Engineering (bad choice for me). I have +400 hours of community service, a job for the past 4 years, 4.3 GPA this semester, and a mom that has been battling depression for a year and a half. I don’t know if these “achievements” or new information is good enough to send in an appeal to UCI or Santa Cruz.
I have honestly never felt so down and what’s worse is that I go to a private high school so my parents spent tens of thousands of dollars to give me a better education and a better shot at UC but I feel like I have wasted their efforts. I am asian and I can’t even face them right now because I feel so ashamed. It feels like there’s a hole inside me and I’m just empty I can’t even cry.
So is it worth to appeal or stick with Cal State and transfer. Also, do you guys all feel this way after being rejected, or is it just me?
OP, this is a really really tough year for UC admissions. You must be very motivated to be pulling those grades and scores while your family situation sounds stressful. Hang in there – it is not over yet!!!
Don’t forget community college or the state schools. I went to community college in Oakland for a year) and SF state (for a semester) and eventually transferred to my state Univ. I did liberal arts with one science course a semester (all I could handle at the time) and got into my state med school. I am now a happy primary care MD. There are many paths to get us where we want to go. What you are going through is really hard but there will be options. Best of luck!
No, it sucks for everyone. Lots of surprise rejections both this year and last from the UC’s. The good news is, California has lots of other options and the more we spread out the talent, the stronger those options will become. If you have acceptances from the CSU’s on your list for engineering, I’d go with them personally. Community college isn’t a bad option but transferring into a UC for engineering may prove difficult in the current climate. We know kids at all the CSU’s you mentioned and they all are having positive experiences. Hang in there. It’ll work out.
Preference for xfer admission to UCs is given to CC students. If you get into one of the CSU schools you should go in with the idea its where you’ll get your degree from. If, in 2 years, you still want to xfer then you should try, but don’t treat it as a given the way you seem to be.
Honestly, If you got into CP Pomona for CS and still want to pursue a degree in the field - go there and don’t look back.
You applied for one of the most competitive majors at some of the most prestigious schools in the country and you are shocked you got rejected. All the top UCs reject far more applicants than they accept. It is natural to be disappointed but, you’ve got nothing to be ashamed of and nothing to dwell on. Frankly you should be glad you were smart enough to include some good CSUs on your application list. Your application results are in the past and beyond your control.
Other than time and hassle, there’s little downside to an appeal - just know it is a long-shot.
Focus on the doors that are open to you , find the best path forward and take it.
I’m sorry, your results were harsh. It is a very tough year because of the budget and the impacted majors. Hang tight for your other results. I have seen data that CSUF engineers have very good outcomes for salary and employment. I’m pretty sure CPP too, I know a youngish engineer from Boeing who started at San Antonio CC then graduated from CPP. I think LB is good too.
Since you go to private high school, you should have an experienced guidance counselor available to advise you on the best steps to take. I would make an appointment.
This may be cheesy, but here’s an excerpt from a letter I wrote to myself last week:
Nobody on this Earth is the same living, breathing individual that you are. You are unique in every sense of the word and nobody can take that identity away from you. You are more than a name, and certainly more than a collection of numbers. You are not just a GPA or a class rank or applicant #12345. You are more than just a test score. Before you get those college decisions next week I want you to know something. You are are an ambitious, successful, hardworking, and talented person. You do not need a school to tell you that about yourself - you should already know it. Nobody could ever take your place even if they tried. There is more to getting into college than just being a qualified applicant. Thousands of qualified applicants get rejected or waitlisted each and every year because the role of luck and chance is so great. Where you go is not who you will be. Who you will be is who you decide to be.
– You didn’t screw up your chances, at least one of them will accept you, so long as you have a safety school. It’s okay, I promise.
An appeal should be based on information that was not previously available. If your community service hours, job, and/or mother’s illness are indeed “new” information that was not disclosed in your application, then that is grounds for an appeal. Can’t guarantee it’ll succeed, but there’s no harm in trying.
Meanwhile, consider all the advice you were given in this thread, and come up with a plan that makes sense to you in the event your appeal doesn’t succeed. And, for goodness sakes, pick a major you feel good about!
Thank you everyone for your kind and supportive words! I think I will make do of the CSUs I have applied to and go from there. It’s also more like I feel I have wasted so much of my parents’ resources and not achieving something great, but from what you all are telling me, is that there are still great outcomes from doing what I’m good at.
I feel the same way. I only applied to 4 UC’s(rejected to 3 and waitlisted to 1). I am so disappointed in myself. I took so many AP classes and worked so hard
on my personal statements, and it sucks to be rejected after all that… I also applied to all of the CSU’s that you did! Maybe we can see each other there ;). I was accepted to CSULA, but Fullerton and pomona still haven’t sent me anything… I’m majoring in Psychology btw.
@kiwi1422: UC’s and Cal States only take Junior level transfers, so OP cannot transfer in a year unless they have a large amount of AP credits that are transferable. Minimum 60 semester or 90 quarter units needed.
As others have mentioned, you should not feel that you have failed or wasted anyone’s money. The CSUs offer a great education IF you take advantage of it and you need to be in the right frame of mind to do that. You will not be closing off any future options, graduate school, entering the workforce, etc, by getting your degree at one of them.
If the information your provided in your original post is new, or at least presented more clearly, do appeal at UCI and UCSC. Go visit CPP and CSULB. Plus, you have UCMerced - perhaps visit, too, before you decide.
Did you apply to any university beside CA publics?
Those SAT scores are about average for those schools, Quotas these days are bad, and the major probably didn’t help. I wouldn’t worry about it too much. Your parents are putting too much pressure on you. The schools you will get into are decent. Just go ahead with your education and career.
Those SAT scores are about average for those schools, Asian quotas these days are bad, and the major probably didn’t help. I wouldn’t worry about it too much. Your parents are putting too much pressure on you. The schools you will get into are decent. Just go ahead with your education and career.
