Before I say anything, here are the colleges I applied to: Cal Poly SLO, Cal Poly Pomona, SJSU, SDSU, UCI, UCD, UCB, UCLA, UCSB, UCSC, UCSD.
Alright guys, I think I’m screwed. I’m a high school senior from California, and throughout my high school years, I’ve always been involved in extracurriculars, clubs, and the community in general. I’m an honor roll student, I got a 1330 on my SAT, and this all sounds great. Except for the fact that stupid me dug myself a grave by putting Engineering as my major for every single college I applied to listed above. I put Theatre/Drama as my alternate major for every single college listed, and I’m now just realizing how competitive of a major Engineering is. What’s worse? I have no interest in Engineering; I just put that because everything else was boring and I didn’t want to put undecided because I thought colleges would think that a student putting undecided would come off as someone who’s unprepared. Anyway, I just got rejected by UC Davis, and I’m freaking out because at this point, I feel like if I can’t even get into Davis, I don’t even need to think about getting into the other colleges I applied to. I honestly don’t know why I’m writing all this–probably because I’m just super stressed and nervous right now and I just want to get this out to someone. I’m contemplating just joining the military if I don’t get into any of them. Community college isn’t really an option for me because it’ll just be a constant reminder of how my mistake on my applications ruined my chances of getting into a UC or CSU. Thoughts anyone?
Without knowing your GPA or AP course load, it’s difficult to say. With just SAT scores alone, and applying under engineering, likely the most competitive major in terms of raw statistics, you are likely going to be rejected by SLO, Irvine, Berkeley, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz and San Diego. You are possibly going to get rejected by San Diego, and may have a shot at Pomona and San Jose State. Davis is a tough school to get into regardless of major, and a 1330 is not in the upper half of accepted students. Applying under engineering was not a good idea, as it basically means that you have to have SAT scores that are in the upper quartile of accepted students. If you are presented with unappealing options, don’t disregard community college. My next door neighbor grinded for two years and transferred to UC Berkeley a school he did not have a chance at getting into with his high school stats. UC’s are quite generous for community college transfers. For example, UC Santa Barbara guarantees admission if you earn a 3.5 GPA. I hope that you can get into somewhere with your secondary major, but don’t be surprised if you strike out on the UC’s. Good luck.
I think if what you fear actually comes true you should consider living at home and getting a job for a year and reapplying next year to those colleges as a non-engineeer. Much less dramatic than joining the military, true but probably also less of a commitment. Your life isn’t ruined, for sure, so don’t jump off any cliffs.
I graduated in 2017 and I made a similar mistake as you did. I also got a 1330 on my SAT and I had a 3.8 gpa with some extracurriculars but I mostly worked all through high school. I was over confident in my stats and I applied to colleges way out of reach. As the decisions slowly trickled in March, I got rejection after rejection. And by March 31st I was so ashamed of my failure, I felt like my life was over. I could barely face anyone I knew, to the point that I quit my job because everybody kept asking about colleges. After that, I decided to enjoy my last months in high school before worrying about the year to come. I got a job at a restaurant, and although I am reminded of how I failed sometimes, the job has been fulfilling and I have learned skills and abilities I didn’t think I had (mostly social skills). I have also met some of the most amazing people, some of which are my best friends. I applied to schools in November (I only reapplied to one school, the rest were new choices) and took the process much more serious, conscious of the mistakes I had made last year. This year I applied to 4 CSUs and 5 UCs. I got accepted on early notification to all my CSUs and I’ve been accepted to UC Riverside. I have yet to get one rejection this year.
My advice to you is to not lose hope. Your error is not fatal and if you are rejected from all your schools, you are not alone. I know it may like failing to go to community college or to take a year off, but you’re wrong. Consider taking a year off and doing something productive with that year, go outside your comfort zone, try something new and different.This fall, I will be the second person in my entire family to attend college and I am so glad I took the year off, even if it wasn’t what i had planned originally. If college is your dream, you can still make it happen.
If you work hard this semester and end senior year well, then in the very unlikely event that you don’t get in anywhere you will have ended with a strong semester that will help your applications next year.
Also, I will note that I am looking at this from the perspective of a relatively old guy with a lot of years and experience. Looking back, I have been very successful. However, neither I nor the vast majority of people that I know took the fastest route from where we started to where we ended up. Spending an extra year here or there on a gap year or on the wrong major or on some other wild goose chase is somewhere between very common and pretty much universal. I took three years between undergrad and my correct graduate program, and it made me a better student. If you do end up taking a gap year before university then you will probably also come back as a stronger student when you do start university.
I don’t know your GPA as as such it is hard to guess your chances at your list of schools. However, one rejection is to be expected. You still have a lot of schools to hear back from.
@briannacaolee The most important lessons I learned through 8 years of higher ed were learned waiting tables and working the till. Good for you in seeing the importance of learning how to interact with clients and difficult people! 80% of the battle.
OP: wait and see. I have the feeling your net was wide enough, but if not, sit out a year and start over. Or perhaps begin at a CC with a matriculation agreement with one of those schools.
As others point out above, you are where you are and the choice is out of your hands. Being rejected by all those schools wouldn’t be the end of the world. There is no shame in starting at a CC or taking a gap year and working while you apply to less selective pool of colleges. It would only be a failure if you let it derail your educational goals.
I too learned some painful lessons during my educational years. The “scars” I got from failing to plan properly or to take advantage of my opportunities were some of the most important lessons that I learned. Humility and appreciating opportunities are two of the most important attributes for academic success. Another one is resiliency. This situation, as bad as it seems now, can be a catalyst for conscientiousness and future success.
If you can apply OOS (depending on your parents’ budget) in early May there’ll be a list of colleges that miscalculated yield and accept applications. Your common app must be ready to go though because the best colleges are snapped up.
California schools tend to be very competitive to get into. It’s really not the engineering major, it’s probably the GPA. No worries. You DON’T have to enlist in the Army either. If you get reject from all of them, which has been known to happen with a lot of us, just get a job and apply in spring. Spring tends to be less competitive. Also, add a few more safety schools. Living in CA, you’re in the Western Tuition Exchange. This means that you get in-state tuition costs if you apply out of state. Nevada, UNLV, Arizona, ASU, Washington State, U of U are all within the same costs as a UC or CSU school.
The UC schools have a guaranteed admissions for students in the top of their class, I think your gpa is high enough that you would quality. If you dont get accepted into the ones you applied to then im sure you’ll get accepted at another UC school! No worries & best of luck!
Your life isn’t ruined, for sure, so don’t jump off any cliffs.