<p>what's the difference between being a spring admit and being waitlisted?
is it that if you were admitted in the spring, you are placed on a waitlist for the fall? or is it like if you got in spring, that's it, there's no waitlist for the fall?
i dunno how i got in spring and not fall, seems pretty crazy to me. i got accepted to ucla, u of m honors, and i got a likely letter from UVa out of state, so i thought i was pretty much guaranteed berkeley since im in state, elc, ranked 4th/530, 4.7, 2200, etc., not that i was planning on going there, but i was surprised to say the least haha. anyway, hope someone can explain this to me. thanks :)</p>
<p>Sure. Spring admit is for stronger candidates than waitlist. Yes, it is possible to be offered to move up to fall but not very likely. </p>
<p>Students leave in mid year opening up space. Some graduate in winter, some transfer to another university, some just leave. The spring admits are incremental acceptances that are only possible due to the additional space that is anticipated in midyear. Up until this year, there was no waitlist, it was just Fall, Spring or rejected. </p>
<p>Many Cal students here on this board were spring admits and can speak from direct experience, but essentially nobody differentiates between students that came in Fall or Spring. Through FPF or local community college, you take courses in Fall and are not behind when you arrive on campus. Since FPF is colocated with Cal, in that program you are on campus and enjoying almost all of experiences same as the Fall admits. When Spring comes around you are seamlessly transitioned to Cal. </p>
<p>Spring admits graduate on the same schedules as Fall admits and other than the first semester are full Cal students at their college. If you can get past the ego hit from knowing you were in the pool that were accepted at Cal for Spring, once you are attending it will be an odd historical footnote and nothing more concerning your four years in Berkeley.</p>
<p>Short answer: spring admits are guaranteed a spot for Spring semester; waitlisted students are not guaranteed anything.</p>