Hello everyone I was wondering if location plays a small or large factor for cal states and will it greatly hinder my application. I currently live in Alhambra which is 15 miles northeast from Los Angeles, and I am aware that I live in the district of Cal State Los Angeles however I did not apply to it as I really do not want to go to a college too close to home. Currently, I applied to cal states which are at least a 45 minute drive away however my college advisor informed me that a student in my school didn’t get into CSULB with a 4.2 gpa and a 1410 sat while a student in long beach got in with a 3.5gpa and a 1200 sat. I applied as a criminology/political science major with an eligibility index of 4,484. So how much would location really play in for my admissions?
an eligibility index of 4884 suggests a CSUGPA around 4.0 and SAT around 1300. Assuming you’ve calculated your Index correctly, and have completed the A-G requirements, you are a very strong candidate for just about any program CSULB offers, local or not. The one exception might be nursing.
https://www.csulb.edu/admissions/local-preference-admission-consideration
that’s CSULBs official position on what local means and being designated local gets you.
That said, I’d encourage you to apply to several CSUs so you are sure to have a spot to land. With your stats, SDSU, CPP and perhaps UCR would be good alternates.
good luck
Other than Cal Poly SLO and SDSU, all of the rest of the Cal states give local preference so local applicants usually have a lower EI threshold to get into their local school.
You could always add CSULA as a safety just in case, but if your EI is 4484, then you stand a good chance at all the Cal States.
Best of luck.
Thank you very much !! Both of you are very informed about cal state and UC’s and actually responded to my other thread. So can I ask another question so I do not have to create another thread lol. @Gumbymom @NCalRent So I went to countless discussions with admissions officers from different UC’s, such as UCI UCLA UCSB, and they all say that the major you are applying as won’t be held against you and all majors will be looked equally. For say CS compared to a major in Asian Studies will be looked at equally. I personally don’t truly trust that majoring in computer science would not be regarded when looking at an individuals stat. Is this true?
Depending upon how each UC campus admits, CS vs Asian studies can make a difference. Below is how each UC campus review Freshman based on intended major:
UC admission by major:
UCB:
Division (L&S, CNR, CoC, CED, CoE) matters for admission selectivity.
Within CoE (but not the other divisions), major matters for admission selectivity. Changing majors within the CoE after enrolling is not guaranteed, unless one is CoE undeclared.
Note that L&S admits students ads undeclared; admission to capped majors (e.g. CS, economics, psychology, ORMS, statistics, art practice, and a few others) is by college GPA in prerequisite courses (and portfolio for art practice) after attending for a few semesters.
The business major is in a separate division and admits students in a competitive holistic process. Frosh intending business majors begin in another division (usually L&S), take the business major prerequisites, and apply (usually in their second years). They also need to take prerequisites for a backup major in case they are not admitted to the business major.
All students who apply to UC Berkeley and select a major within the College of Natural Resources are evaluated based on their application, not on the particular major they select.
UCD:
Admission decisions are made based upon the qualifications of the applicant pool and the number of available spaces within each academic area:
• College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences admits by college
• College of Biological Sciences admits by college
• College of Letters and Science admits by division within the college
• (Humanities, Arts and Cultural Studies; Mathematics and Physical Sciences; Social Sciences)
• College of Engineering admits by academic department
Students applying as “undeclared” or “undeclared/exploratory” are considered within the college/division to which they applied.
UCI:
- Freshman Selection:
UCI admits into the University first and then into the major. In the case that UCI is unable to accommodate all qualified applicants in their first-choice major, those students who indicate a valid alternate major may be offered admission in that major or Undeclared.
UCLA:
For the College of Letters and Science, the applicant’s major is not considered during the review process. The Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science admits students by declared major, with more emphasis on science and math programs. The School of Nursing also places more emphasis on science and math programs and requires the submission of an additional supplemental application. The School of the Arts and Architecture; Herb Alpert School of Music; and the School of Theater, Film and Television admit students by declared major (within the school), and put more emphasis on special talents through a review of portfolios and/or auditions, which are the most significant admission factors for these schools.
UCSD:
The campus does not admit students on the basis of academic major or choice of UC San Diego undergraduate college. Alternate majors are considered and capped majors are highly competitive. Also note: Capped majors require additional pre-req courses and specific GPA to be able to qualify if changing majors. Also if applying to a capped major, select an non-capped major as an alternate.
UCSB:
College of Letters and Sciences: Choice of major is not considered in selection to the College of Letters and Science. The exceptions to this rule are dance and music performance majors. Both majors require applicants to complete an audition in late January or early February.
College of Engineering: Students are selected by major for all engineering and computer science majors. Only applicants with a solid background in advanced high school mathematics will be considered for admission to engineering. This includes high grades in all math courses through grade 11 and enrollment in pre-calculus or higher in grade 12. A student not selected for their first choice major will be reviewed for admission to an alternate major outside of the College of Engineering if one was selected.
College of Creative Studies:
Applicants to the College of Creative Studies submit a supplementary application in addition to the general UC Application, which is reviewed by Creative Studies faculty. Students are selected within Creative Studies majors only. Applicants not selected for Creative Studies will automatically be considered for admission to the College of Letters and Science.
UCSC:
Important Note for Prospective Engineering Students: Choice of major does not influence the selection of first-year students, except for those applicants interested in a major offered by the Jack Baskin School of Engineering (BSOE). Freshmen who are interested in a BSOE program should be sure to indicate a BSOE proposed major. Students who do not indicate a BSOE program or who apply as undeclared might not be able to pursue a BSOE program.
UCR:
Admission by major but alternate/2nd choice major will be considered if applicant does not need their first choice admission standards.
For Business: Freshmen students must apply to Pre-Business under the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHASS). The College breadth requirements and the prerequisites for a Business major are completed during the freshman and sophomore years. An application is submitted at the end of the sophomore year. Upon acceptance, students become Business majors and are then advised in the Business Department. Students from any academic major may also complete a Business minor.
CSU’s admit by Eligibility index and major so for CSU’s intended major is very important.
Most selective majors at the UC’s
UCB:
Majors in the Colleges of Engineering and Chemistry are the most selective. Details on the admitted student profile at Berkeley can be found at https:// admissions.berkeley.edu/student-profile.
UCD:
Majors in the College of Engineering and Computer Science in the College of Letters and Science are the most selective. For more information,
visit: https://www.ucdavis.edu/ admissions/undergraduate/freshman/ selection-process.
UCI:
The following majors are the most selective: Business Administration, Dance, Music, Nursing Science and all majors in The Henry Samueli School of Engineering and The Donald
Bren School of Information and Computer Science.
UCLA:
Majors in our professional schools are most selective. For detailed information about the freshman admission process, refer to http://www.admission.ucla.edu/ prospect/Adm_fr.htm.
UCM:
Majors in the School of Natural Sciences and the School of Engineering are the most selective. Students are encouraged to complete pre-calculus or higher before applying.
UCR:
Majors in the Bourns College of Engineering and the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences.
UCSD:
Majors in the Jacobs School of Engineering.
UCSB:
The College of Engineering is generally the most competitive; however the College of Creative Studies requires faculty review and can be highly selective.
UCSC:
The Computer Science major is highly selective.
Thanks for the information I REALLY appreciate it !!! In terms of CSU, I have already applied as a political science major forCSULB, CSUF, SDSU, CPSLO, and CPP. Would I be held at a higher standard for the cal states? And another question,CPP provided me a bronco number for me to claim my account and they told me to enter my password, and I did this correctly, I did this up to 20 times and they still did not let me login to claim my account. Should I call them and inform them of the situation? @Gumbymom
I think you are fine with the Cal states as a Political science major.
Regarding CPP, it can take up to 48 hours before activating your account. If after a few days, you are still having issues then contact CPP.