I only applied to three UC campuses, Berkeley, San Diego, and Irvine and was rejected by the first two right away. UC Irvine waitlisted me and rejected later on. My high school GPA is 3.97 weighted and SAT is 2010 (640 CR, 700 M, 670 W). I took 4 AP classes and played water polo. I don’t know what to do now. Should I go to CC or take a gap year and apply to cal states for fall 2017?
It was crazy to get into all of those UC’s this year. My advice is to go to a CC. Many have great water polo teams. You’ll succeed academically and have plenty of options after two years.
It’s easier to transfer to a UC from a CC rather than a Cal State. Go to CC, do well there, and you should be able to successfully transfer to a UC.
Did you only apply to three schools??? Why?
There are schools that are still accepting applications. Some are awarding merit scholarships.
What is your major? how much will your family pay each year for college?
I assumed that I would get into UC Irvine, big mistake. I want to major in biology and can’t find any schools in California currently accepting for that major. I got an invitation from UC Merced about two months ago and didn’t accept it because I was still thinking I would make it to UCI. My parents can afford up to 20k a year.
Picky Picky…UC Merced is a great school!
NACAC publishes a list of colleges stil accepting applications, and many of them are really good. It think it is pinned at the top of this forum.
But do they schools that will only cost $20K/year?
I would consider a gap year and re-applying. If you find something meaningful to do in the year, it could strengthen your application.
With those scores and GPA, I agree it’s unusual that you didn’t crack UCI. I’m not familiar with your particular file, of course, but there may have been some significant red flag in it you’ll want to address before reapplying.
Call admissions. Make it VERY clear you’re not demanding a reconsideration at this time. Ask if you could get some insight into what reason you were rejected, and how you might strengthen future applications. Be prepared for possibly difficult answers like “your class load was simply too weak,” or “your personal essay was wretched.” Thank them for their time.
Consider a CC.
Don’t know why you didn’t take it. If Irvine later accepted you off a waitlist then you could have always written Merced and told them you changed your mind. Nobody should count on getting off a waitlist or else they could end up, well, like you are – no college to attend in the fall. Did you talk to your GC about what you were doing? At this point there is nothing to be lost by calling Merced to see if the option is still open, although I doubt it is.
At this point is it is your call. As a Bio major I’m guessing you are pre-med since there are few jobs in the sciences for those with just a BS degree; you need a PhD to even be eligible for the string of post-docs that if you’re lucky eventually lead to full-time employment. So I’d ask 2 questions. First, are you willing to wait a year to start college? Keep in mind that if you enroll in even one CC class the UCs and probably the CSU will consider you a transfer student, with a different set of admission requirements that you need to understand (unit requirements, etc). Or you could get started now at a CC and transfer after 2 years; if you go this path look into TAG which guarantees admission to some UCs.
Second, if indeed you are premed, what do you know about it? A lot of kids have an interest in the health-care field and its automatically “I’m premed”. Doctors are far from the only ones in the health field that help people. Physical therapists, radiology techs, nurses, speech pathologists, physician assistants, to name but just a few. Spend a few hours browsing on http://explorehealthcareers.org Unless you’ve considered the alternatives and have spent time actually working in a health care setting (which is an unofficial requirement to get into med school, BTW) its better to think of yourself as interested in exploring a career as a doctor rather than someone who has already made the decision.
St mary’s of CA last year was offering during late May $17K for people they accepted. They were doing this using a phone bank and making the offers. You may try them. It’s a solid school CTCL and has some great academics. Campus is gorgeous. SF Bay area = internship ops. Also they may have agreements consortium-like with Mills, Berkeley (I am saying that b/c Mills has agreements with several area colleges inc. St. Mary’s) For premed St M of CA is great b/c has a cadaver class. One of the few undergrad schools that have one. The only other one I know of is Earlham.
If you’re female (I’m guessing not, but you never know) Mills may have money for you too. And they didn’t fill this year so maybe they have room.
Thank you for your advice, I called UC Merced and explained my situation to them and they suggested I email them for an opportunity to appeal for late admission. I also went to UCI admission office this morning and talked to one of the admission officers. He suggested I attend a CC with the TAG program and said that I was a good candidate but this year they rejected a lot of applicants from the waitlist. He also said to keep in mind that if I take a gap year UC campuses are getting more competitive every year.
The reason I am majoring in bio is to hopefully attend medical school later on. What I am wondering is if I were to attend CC and later transfer to a UC campus with the TAG program does it ruin my chances of getting into medical school? If it does, would it be a better idea to take a gap year and apply as a freshman again?
Thank you for the link it’s very helpful.
If you attend a CC and take the prereqs for med school there, many med schools are said to prefer candidates who then took additional courses in the sciences at their 4-year to satisfy them that your good grades at the CC (and its not worth applying to med school if you don’t have good grades) were not a fluke of the CC being easier. If you are a bio or other science major this won’t be a problem.
If Merced takes you, then jump on it! I suggest showing your email to your GC before you send it to make sure it is as strong as it can be. IMHO you need to admit you made a big mistake and essentially beg them for reconsideration. There is no shame in going to Merced. It will give you more time to get to know profs and take part in research compared to a junior xfer into Irvine. A guy a know who got accepted to Cal a few years back chose to go to Riverside, deliberately, because he expected the competition to be less intense there. He was apparently right since he is a M.D. today.
But the most important advice I can give you is to get exposure, this summer, to the medical field. Volunteer at a local hospital or health-care facility. Find out for yourself if it is a fit, or perhaps one of the many other health-care jobs that doesn’t take 11+ years of preparation (4 college, 4 med school, min 3 years residency) and $250K+ in debt might be a better fit.
The UCI AO makes a good point about gambling with a gap year but if you do take it, Merced will probably still be an option for you too. That would give you time to visit the campus and maybe get in touch with faculty there (as well as Riverside and maybe Santa Cruz). I like #13’s point that Riverside or Merced can give you a better environment than the other increasingly insane UCs (less competition, more research opps, better recs).
I’m not sure when Merced gives out late admissions but if you do decide to appeal for that, try to visit this summer before you have to make a decision. It could be a great opportunity but you should know what you’re getting and not commit out of panic.
St. Mary’s is a great suggestion too. Terrific location.
Thank you everyone for the suggestions. I heard back from UC Merced and they extended the deadline for me for the count me in program. I just submitted an intent to participate but now I am even more confused on what to do. I also went to the local CC campus today and registered for their summer and fall terms.
The tuition cost for UC Merced is 36k per year compared to only 4k at a CC. I looked up the ranking for UC Merced and now I’m not sure if it’s worth the money I will be paying for the next two years. I definitely will go check out the campus with my parents it’s a 6 hour drive away.
Everyone is so helpful and supportive on this forum. Special thanks to mikemac for the suggestions.
Thank you, Anna.
If you stay in Merced, go to trip advisor and check the motel rankings. My suggestion would be the Marriott; I recently stayed in Merced on my way to Davis. Bring ear plugs; trains and highway noises. Bring lots of water since the weather is hot and harsh and the university is inland. Good Luck!
The COA for UC Merced is $35,584 (On Campus)
See http://financialaid.ucmerced.edu/cost-attendance. Also see http://med.ucmerced.edu/ for its medical education
?
Merced’s tuition is not $36k per year unless you’re OOS. Are you??
Instate tuition is about $15k. Then there is room, board and books and misc expenses. What is your EFC? Did you qualify for any aid?
UCM’s ranking is more than fine for med schools. In fact, it is a great situation since it’s like a small private, but public.
If you’re OOS, then all UCs are a bad idea for a premed. Too expensive and too many premeds
If you go to a CC first, then you will very much likely have to take a gap year to apply to med schools.
What are your stats? St. Mary’s may still have merit to award.
I would say applying to just three colleges is reckless. UCI has a lot of bio majors. With those scores you could have easily made it in, but perhaps your college essay or EC’s weren’t promising in their opinion. A lot of people in the area want to major in bio or chem, so it’s slightly tougher to get in with those majors.
Also, UCI mostly accepts HS students from their volunteer programs with good SATs. Those who want to stay at home will 100% (imo) apply at UCI because it’s better than the other nearby public colleges (Calstate LB or F)