Sort of an Unexpected Result.

Applying to College
21

<p>z7xfla:
When I say that my essays are decent but not extraordinary, I just mean that I am sure they are just as good as the average UCSD admit’s. They didn’t have any brilliant or clever hooks, but they were still well written and interesting.</p>

<p>For the first essay I wrote about my interests in music, sports, and medicine, and basically how each one has shaped my life and influenced my future. I threw in some anecdotes alluding to my volunteer work at VITAS hospice care center, my lifetime of playing violin and years spent in the school orchestra, and my focused studying of the sciences (trying to get them to notice my AP science scores). </p>

<p>My second essay was written about Cross Country, and I was trying to showcase my persistence and hard work. I wrote about my progress from freshman year, unable to make the team, to my senior year, where I’m now one of the top runners in varsity. I also wrote about how running related to my lifestyle and taught me valuable life lessons: how to handle winning and losing, keeps me healthy, do my best at everything I attempt, etc. It’s may all seem a bit clich</p>

22

<p>Hm, sounds like it was a good essay. Mine was written pretty much the same way as yours.</p>

<p>Your GPA is by no means bad, but it’s a little below average for UCSD I think (dunno what the average was this year, but I’m assuming somewhere between 4.1 and 4.2 since it got more competitive). The National Merit Finalist should definitely be worth more than 2 points though.</p>

23

<p>I called UCSD today. The admissions officer I talked to was really kind and she gave me a really thorough breakdown of all the sections for me. I found out that I probably won’t be able to appeal because I have no new or compelling information. No awards received after the application was turned in can be used in the appeal. She also told me that the application reviewers don’t even get to see AP scores. Can anybody confirm is this is true? And is it true for all UC’s? I didn’t take AP courses at school, but I still scored well on Bio, Chem, Physics B, and Psychology. So was all that work for nothing if they couldn’t see my score?</p>