<p>I was rejected to Berkeley, UCLA, UCSD, UC Davis. I don’t understand why I was rejected to all as I believed they were doing ‘holistic’ review. I expected to be a shoo-in for at least one of them.</p>
<p>I took numerous IB courses, GPA is around 3.7 unweighed, SAT 1700 & ACT 27, had outstanding extracurriculars (traveled abroad to volunteer, president of clubs, job as a tutor, etc), and won many awards over the years. I come from what people would call a ‘ghetto’ school, where no one really cares for studying and I am considered as one of the top students. I also come from a very underprivileged background. I’m also Asian…if that counts for anything. </p>
<p>I know my SAT & ACT are average, but I thought everything else would help me look better. My personal statements were pretty good too. I know students from my school who had 4.0 gpa, but no IB/AP classes and no extracurricular activities whatsoever…but they were accepted into Berkeley and Davis. These even include some of my own friends, and I know for a fact I worked harder than they did.</p>
<p>This is unfair to me as I worked so hard to be well-rounded to attend a UC although I had so many struggles at home. I could have just took regular classes and got straight As & help support my family by taking more jobs.</p>
<p>All I’m asking is for someone to help me feel better about all of this because I feel like a disappointment to myself and to my family.</p>
<p>Edit: I also appealed to all of them…but was still denied to all</p>
<p>I don’t know because I am using my cumulative GPA on my transcript. It turns out that many of my IB courses are not considered in UC honors. Sadly, my counselors never bothered to mention that fact…or they don’t even know about it.</p>
<p>The poor ghetto thing isn’t enough especially when you’re competing with kids from your own school with a 4.0. For the holistic thing to work you would need stellar EC’s like that of a published author. Sorry but regular EC’s are just not enough.</p>
<p>Too bad it’s only 2 students from my school with a 4.0 gpa and they only took regular classes. What was the point of me taking IB courses to be competitive then?</p>
<p>How were your friends’ SAT scores? As I understand it, schools like to take people with high SAT scores because it raise their average, making them look overall more competitive.
You also applied to the most competitive UCs, why not Merced, Riverside, or Santa Cruz?</p>
<p>Ok, I may be wrong, but I heard that UCs don’t really look at your extracurriculars as anyone can lie. They base everything on some “point system.” Again, I may be wrong!! This is what I have heard. I think a high GPA and high SAT scores are the main things they look at.</p>
<p>Their scores were around mine, probably a bit higher. If I had known that SAT were so highly regarded, I would’ve have studied more and took less rigor on my classes and activities.</p>
<p>I didn’t apply to to those as they didn’t have the majors I wanted. I was leaning heavily towards physiology and psychology. I also chose the UCs that could provide me with other majors I liked just in case I wanted to change later on.</p>
<p>Selectivity at UC campuses may depend on the division or major. If you applied to a very popular major, you may have faced a higher admissions bar than your friends did. However, course selection and grades are of top importance, followed by test scores.</p>
<p>I didn’t know that my IB courses wouldn’t be considered for honors until AFTER taking the courses and then applying. I am just so bitter about everything… :'(</p>
<p>Specific major matters in places like the Berkeley College of Engineering (while the Berkeley College of Letters and Science admits frosh without regard to major). Also, the Berkeley College of Engineering is generally more selective than the Berkeley College of Letters and Science.</p>
<p>Your expectation for those 4 schools was too high. 3.7 and 1700 are low. How did you travel abroad to volunteer? This may negate your underprivileged background if you did not explain well on your essays.</p>
<p>My school doesn’t offer as many AP classes as compared to IB classes. I did go into the IB diploma course, but realized it did not get many 2012 graduates from my high school anywhere. Therefore, I dropped it.</p>
<p>I traveled abroad through a program which gave me scholarships to attend. All programs I attended gave me money or a full ride throughout these years.</p>
<p>Let this be a lesson to all: have safeties.</p>
<p>OP, go to one of the CSU’s you were accepted to or transfer to a UC from a CCC. Sorry the four UC’s you applied to didn’t work out, but your stats just weren’t quite competitive enough.</p>
<p>You should not feel bad about yourself. Nobody wants to push you down.
Being rejected by the UCs is a sad thing but doing well in the UC is another thing you should consider. With your current performance level you may find yourself difficult to compete with a lot more students stronger than you if you were admitted to an UC. The high competition at the UC could make your educational and career goal not attainable (low GPA, probation,…).</p>
<p>Be happy and do well at the CSU school. You’d rather be in the top half of the class instead at the bottom half of the class.</p>
<p>Also you should carefully evaluate reality in the future. Don’t underestimate people around you.</p>