<p>I was recently rejected from UCLA and was absolutely heartbroken. I find solace in the knowledge that students of such a high caliber were rejected along with me, but that doesnt mean Im going out without a fight. Im wondering if I possibly have grounds to appeal for reconsideration, and what could be the harm in doing so?
My junior year, my grades dipped slightly, resulting in my low-ish gpa. This was due to a few reasons: namely, my moms unemployment. My parents are divorced and my mom has sole custody. She had been unemployed for a while, and her benefits had recently run out. That in conjunction with the bank harassing us with multiple foreclosure warnings resulted in not only a strained financial environment, but also the deterioration of her mental health (she suffers from bipolar disorder). Between the stress of losing the house, an emotional unstable mother and my unwise decision junior year to take on a full class schedule, I was spread thin to say the least. However, during senior year things improved. My mom got a job, we filed for chapter 8, her health improved and my grades followed suite, producing a noticeable improvement.
That is an extremely condensed version of events- I just want to give you an idea of what happened. I mention absolutely none of this in my application. I didnt even say my mom was unemployed- I just said homemaker; I didnt want to treat it as a crutch or an excuse.
Do you think this is grounds for an appeal? The way I see it, UCLA was my dream. Is there any harm in giving it a shot if Im truly passionate about the school? Or, comparatively, are there certain repercussions in appealing that I am not aware of?
Help me out, you guys!</p>
<p>If you didn’t mention ANY of this in your application, you might have a chance. It’s a slight chance at best. The only appeals I’ve heard of going through are the appeals that dealt with missing credits or AP/SAT scores. You can give it a try, but don’t expect anything. If it were up to me, I would just move on. Not sure why UCLA is so glorified in CA. There’s plenty of other great colleges.</p>
<p>My sympathies, but can you show a W2, showing you had to go to work to help support the family? If not it seems like your Mom and Pop (if applicable) took care of business. BTW-I think you meant chapter 7 or 13, BK.</p>
<p>As you know, UCLA gets far more highly qualified applicants than spaces available.</p>
<p>I doubt you have much grounds for appeal.</p>
<p>You will notice many posts by top students who have been rejected at their dream schools.</p>
<p>You might want to post your stats, so people can see how close you might have been to getting admitted.</p>
<p>My son had a 2300 SAT last year, yet got wait listed at many schools.</p>
<p>It is extremely tough to get into a top school without a hook.</p>
<p>Had you written about this in your app things may have been different. The 1st prompt, to refresh your memory, was
They were begging you to tell them about any difficulties you faced. Its a shame you didn’t.</p>
<p>Hopefully your narration of these events can make a difference for you. I don’t see that there could be any downside from trying an appeal.</p>