Rejected from JHU,UCLA, UCB

<p>Can someone tell me where I went wrong?</p>

<p>Rejected from:
JHU, UCLA, UCB
Accepted to:
UCR, UCI, UCSD
Pending:
Brown, Columbia, Upenn</p>

<p>GPA: 4.2(weighted)
SAT: 2110
Writing: 670
Math: 780
CR: 660
SAT II:
Chemistry: 670
Math Level 2: 770</p>

<p>Class Rank: 9 of 381 (top 2%)
AP Classes Taken: Calc AB+BC, Economics, Government, English 11+12,Spanish 3+4 Literature, Physics B, Chemistry, Biology, US History</p>

<p>Extracurricular:
-Rotary Youth Leadership Awards
-Varsity Tennis(1 year)
-California Scholarship Federation(3 years)
-National Student Leadership Conference
-NSLC alumni, volunteer at New Orleans, LA with NRA for Hurricane Katrina
-Volunteer at Community Hospital Pharmacy(1year)
-Volunteer at Cherry Festival
-Volunteer at Lavender Festival
-Junior Honors Escort
-Minor Clubs: German Club, Asian American Club</p>

<p>Should I even bother waiting for my pending colleges? Can someone tell me any major components of the stats I'm missing somewhere? Because I know two of my friends got in UCLA with GPA of 3.4-3.6 and SAT of 1400-1600 and I got rejected. My other friends got into UCB with lower stats than me.</p>

<p>I thought my EC were kind of weak, but I thought my GPA and SAT score should have covered it up. My essays were near perfection also because I got a admission reviewer from JHU to review my essays and I got reviews and advice from my English teacher also.
I'm planning on appealing for UCB because I'd rather go their than UCSD (at least with my stats I believe). Should I go through with it appeal? Although the only new thing I can add is that I got a 5.0 GPA last semester.</p>

<p>Thanks a lot.</p>

<p>You don’t mention whether you or your friends demonstrated unusual challenges… the UCs use those as de facto surrogates for URM admission… things that are defined, for example at UCSD’s formula webpage: lousy high school, low SES targeted college prep participation (like AVID), single parent home, 1st generation college, etc.</p>

<p>Anyway, your particular stats are right in the middle of UCLA and UCB’s admitted student averages…</p>

<p>UCSD is an awesome acceptance. Take it and run. If you are URM that doesn’t fit into the UC acceptable surrogate categories, then you actually have a better shot at some elite privates than you do at UCLA/Berkeley. Since you didn’t get into Hopkins, I am assuming you are not URM…</p>

<p>You didn’t go wrong anywhere. You look to be an amazing young person with a lot of potential and you’ve obviously got some brains and you use them. Please don’t view not being accepted as doing something wrong. College is not the be-all, end-all of life. I think you will be successful anywhere. I went to a small, state school b/c that is all my parents would allow…went to a great graduate program elsewhere, my choice. Life is full of ups and downs but trust me, you did nothing wrong. You did a lot right. They simply can’t take all the qualified students. Perhaps they’ll be sorry they did not accept you at some point!</p>

<p>It could be a major you apply that is harder to get in or your essay is not reflecting your strength.</p>

<p>There is no “perfection” for essays</p>

<p>UCB or UCLA is not worth the money. Why be sulky about colleges that overcharge so much (at least for out-of-state) for crappy state education.</p>

<p>You do sound like a stellar student, but like DunninLA said, they take into account unusual circumstances. Comparing yourself to other students around you who were admitted is not the best idea because you have no idea what their circumstances are. Also, remember, for the UC’s, stats are not everything. Especially at UCB. They want great people who are intelligent, but if you rely on numbers to get you through, they don’t know who you are as a person. As for appealing to UCB, I say give it a try because you never know what happens, but if you don’t have any significantly new information to add then you may not see the results you want. You can also try appealing for Spring admission. There are more seniors that graduate spring semester and you may have more luck getting in that way. Also, UCSD is a great school. There were people accepted to LA and Berkeley but denied there–they get to be picky too and are not going to take just any student. You should be proud of yourself for getting into there. </p>

<p>And, just a side note, Berkeley is SO worth the money. I’m growing more at UCB than I doubt I would at any other University, and we rank with some of the highest private schools but don’t pay their ridiculous prices! Although I agree that, for out of state students, the tuition is a bit high, but its because of the tax thing…so yeah.</p>

<p>The schools you were rejected from could have gone either way. You had solid, but not shoo in stats for them. You can have a perfectly written essay without having one that reaches out to adcom in a way that makes them determine to get you on campus.</p>

<p>For the ivies, your SAT scores are low, particularly your CR score which is considerably below the median for all of them. These schools are overrun with applicants with high math scores, but they want high scores across the board. You have a good rank, but at the ivies non hooked candidates tend to be numbers 1 or 2 in their class. And I’m guessing you’re in the uber competitive Asian from an overrepresented state pool, which makes things even tougher.</p>

<p>So anything is possible, and you won’t know until the fat lady sings, but you have some good choices so be happy about those and keep doing well to have even more and better choices for grad school.</p>

<p>You did NOTHING wrong. You look like an awesome person.</p>

<p>The truth is, if you haven’t had (or fabricated) some impossible difficulty/whine in your app. essays, they will feel like, “Jee, this kid can get in anywhere.”</p>

<p>The UC system acts like a charity now. It gives hand-outs more than it rewards greatness.</p>

<p>This isn’t just my own bitterness talking, by the way. I spoke with an admission’s officer.</p>

<p>What is URM?
And does my ethnicity matter at all also? I’m Asian by the way.
By going to USCD does it lower my chance of going to a higher graduate school like Berkeley or some top private school?</p>

<p>applebees: i’d say your EC were probably the main reason because although your stats were average-high for a UCB or UCLA applicant the longest EC you have was 3 years which was a club. If you had been involved for something for a longer period of time, like volunteering for a hospital for 4 years, or an EC liek soccer for 6/7 years, you’d have a better shot. Being asian also probably had a lot to do with it, which makes sense since you got into UCSD which is also in the top 3 though less asian populated.</p>

<p>peterpan: “crappy state education” was uncalled for and your opinions are biased and shouldn’t be taken too much into consideration due to your probable bitterness from being rejected from duke, UCSD, UCLA, UCB and waitlisted at rice, Johns hopkins, northwestern, and Washington U</p>

<p>URM Under Represented Minority</p>

<p>gosh now you have me worried too. my stats are just like yours. sat is 2110 and i’m not even sure that i’m taking as many APs as you. #2 and i volunteer at like the same things as you. I even went to RYLA! gosh. i really wanted to go to Ucla too :(</p>

<p>Your ethnicity for JHU. For the UCs, you were definitely competitive, but the decisions really could have gone either way and you were just unlucky. </p>

<p>Your main weakness was your lack of ECs. Most of them were just short-term things or one year at the most.</p>

<p>UCSD is a good school. You can always transfer if you don’t like it there. I think you should be proud of what you accomplished.</p>