Have UC Acceptances Become More Difficult?

Chance Me / Match Me!
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<p>I've noticed people on this thread saying that most of the UCs are reach schools, yet I have found it not to be so. I go to a public CA high school where it seems like many graduates attend UCs, even with less than stellar grades, GPAs, and test scores.</p>

<p>Examples:</p>

<p>(note: AP scores listed are the only ones students had taken at the time of admissions/applications)</p>

<p>1) 1850 SAT, 29 ACT, 4 on APUSH. 640-680 on SAT IIs, 3.9 UW and 4.2 W GPA. Not a URM, unhooked. No community service hours, only ECs were drama/theater and band. Accepted to all UCs except Berkeley and now attends UCI.</p>

<p>2) 1900 SAT, 30 ACT, 5 on APUSH, 4 on Stats. 650-700 on SAT IIs, 4.0 UW and 4.4 W GPA. Not a URM, unhooked. 50-60 community service hours, only ECs were 1 leadership in a school club and ran track/cross-country (not recruited). Accepted to all UCs and now attends UCB.</p>

<p>3) 1870 SAT, 29 ACT, no APs at the time of admissions/applications. 630-660 on SAT IIs, 3.85 UW and 4.0 W GPA. Not a URM, unhooked. 30-40 community service hours, ECs were drama/theater and competitive club soccer (not recruited). Accept to all UCs except Berkeley and now attends UCSD.</p>

<p>All three examples graduated from my school in 2010, a school that is barely average in terms of academics/quality. Yet it seems here on CC people are told they have little chance of being admitted to a UC with a 2100 SAT, 32 ACT, 5s on 5+ APs, etc... Are UC acceptances really this difficult and we just have an "in-state advantage" or is the hype bigger than the challenge itself? Have acceptances just become more difficult in the past years, or something else? Just some thoughts....</p>

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<p>Your in state</p>

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<p>I’m from Texas, and nearly everyone in my class and the class before mine (class of 2012 and 2011) who applied to UC Berkeley got in… and I mean everyone – even the quite (relatively) subpar to what the school’s reputation would usually dictate for acceptances. UCLA was a little bit more competitive… So I’m guessing OOS status and variation between different UC’s?</p>

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<p>Ucberkeley017: Personally, I think it depends on what you do with it. If you were to use it to find an internship or the like, it would probably not be frowned upon, whereas if you just wanted a free period so you could go home early and be unproductive, I don’t think admissions officers would like it as much. For Berkeley, I would say to try to fill it with another class, just in case, or find some sort of EC opportunity to take the place of the class.</p>

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<p>You say ti full it in with a ec but how will they know that I used my sixth period for that ?</p>