<p>i agree with jiceo,,and my story is sort of like pirate's but not really..my mom is also a drug addict and my father is now serving his second term in jail for drug trafficking. the first time was when i two and the second one when i was 12. my parents are also divorced. I've never spent more than 4 years with the same extended family member because my parents have never been able to take care of me. i lived with my mother for probably 2 years out of my entire life and not in one increment either. she's always depended on men to take care of her and the one she was with the longest is a pedophile. She has stooped low enough to take me along when she needed to get high...with all of this, I still have a positive outlook on life and have been able to achieve more than a lot of my peers, granted my TEST scores aren't as high as yours jasonlee. LIke jiceo said, some of us may not be privileged enough to not need a job, take SAT prep classes, and focus SOLELY on school.</p>
<p>do you know how many students colleges find with near perfect SAT's and high GPA's that drop out because they crash and burn? The only thing they know how to do is academic, they can't handle the stresses that come from time management, let alone life.</p>
<p>I just want to say sorry to all the ppl that were offended by this thread. You guys are all entirely correct. I shouldn't hold grudges to anybody or to UCLA itself. It is truly a regret that I made such harsh, and even arrogant comments about the whole admissions process. I did so out of bitter anger of the fact that I got rejected. You guys really should, however, know the fact that I worked extremely hard to get to where I am today and to only get rejected pained my heart deeply. The fact that hard work doesn't automatically equal success is the lesson I learned from this experience. I had a hard time after feeling so disillusioned by the realities of the world. I felt it was unjust to see people who did not care much for school getting accepted while, I, the one who pulls all-nighters get rejected. Yet, I did not realize that maybe those people had some kind of a life scenario that prevented them from being the best. I'm glad that all the people who got in got in. I'm sure they deserve it. Again, I apologize, especially to mme-line. You're right, test scores are not worth as much as life experience or hardships. And like gbv13 said, I probably could not handle the disastrous possibilities that life might bring about. Im just a typical, naive nerd who knows nothing but school and academics. Therefore, you guys are right, I'm undeserving and even foolish in believing that I automatically deserve to get in to UCLA because I'm strong academically. I'm going to move on and forget about UCLA and do my best at UCSD next year(unless Cal decides to accept me)! UCSD is definitely a school that I can be happy with!! Good Luck to everyone on this thread and please forgive my arrogant behavior.</p>
<p>apology accepted...and i know what u mean about the all nighters, last year, there were 2 weeks where i totalled 13-15 hours of sleep each week. i can see why u would be frustrated with working your butt off and not getting in. and that ^^^^ was very mature of you jasonlee. I, as well as everyone else who wrote on this thread, I am sure, really appreciate it, that really shows a strong sense of character, to admit it, apologize, and move on...and that alone makes you much more than a "typical naive nerd" you may be a nerd, but you have proven that you are mos def not naive. (at least not anymore =])..and you're most def not undeserving, it just isn't your niche, and that is not your fault. you worked hard and its understandable that you were mad. don't be so hard on yourself. with the post you just made, you've shown growth and obviously learned something, two things that you're going to be doing for the rest of your life and if you can do it in an insignificant online forum, u'll be able to go far in the real world.</p>
<p>I know the feeling, I got rejected from some schools too that I wasn’t expecting to get rejected from. I’m glad you’ve come to terms with everything though. And don’t get too disheartened from all the comments above. From your stats and other posts on this website, it’s obvious you’re a smart guy. Your EC’s are pretty impressive too, just because UCLA didn’t admit you, doesn’t mean you won’t be getting into any other great schools. Like I said before, admissions do get messed up every once in a while. That being said, don’t be so harsh on yourself. I know the rest of us were earlier, which I’m sorry about now btw, if my comment was rude. And instead of getting mad at everyone for they're comments, you took it as constructive criticism and even apoligized, which shows a lot of character. There's a lot of people in this world that wouldn't be able to do that. You’re definitely not undeserving or foolish for believing that you deserve to get into UCLA, but now you’ve just learned that the world can be an incredibly unfair place, which, I think we can all agree, really sucks. </p>
<p>jasonlee, I underestimated you, and so I too am sorry. It was brave to come on here and apologize. Don't sell yourself down either, we all realize you have worked hard, and that you probably deserve ucla more than many who did get accepted. the admissions process sucks!</p>
<p>please don't call yourself undeserving... I don't think that academically you are at all. we were all upset with your attitude, but we failed to realize or remember just how painful things like this can be, and that we all have probably acted out our aggression in unbecoming ways at times. To be honest, it is awesome that you released your aggression on CC, because I think that message boards tend to be an understanding and quickly forgiving community. certainly better than physical aggression! :)</p>
<p>keep your head up, you've worked hard and you have a lot to be proud of. I have to admit that I was/am sort of jealous of you, because I wish I would have put as much into high school as you have. but, I have nothing to regret in my life, because I am in a very good and happy place/position at the moment. although, I have to say that, as a transfer student, I have yet to hear from ucla yet... who knows if I'll handle the decision with tact.</p>
<p>you're right that ucsd is a great school. it is also a great area. I used to live very close to campus about five years back, and I miss the area. good luck with Cal, I think you have what it takes.</p>
<p>I bet if adcoms at UCSD saw this thread, they sure wouldn't be regretting the fact that they accepted you at all. Yeah, there are people at UCLA that really don't "deserve" to be here but that isn't for you to decide. The adcoms here tried to be as impartial as possible to deal with the true sob stories and the fake ones. You think your challenges are big? How about an intercity kid who had to work through high school to bring food on the table while balancing school at the same time in a dangerous neighborhood? How about the family who's parents have disabilities that impair household income and accessibility to resources most people consider granted? My parents could shell out $800 for SAT classes, but that is in no way a given for everyone else. Enjoy UCSD for what it's worth; a college experience that the adcoms from schools that you got rejected from feel would be a better fit for your capabilities.</p>
<p>I Think you guys have misinterpreted the OP. I dont think he meant that if a person was homeless or whatever that should have no significance. I think it is more of a personal issue. For example, there is one kid in my class w/very low scores (1900<) decent ec's and gpa, but not the highest courseload. He had at least the same if not more opportunities than I did, and his parents helped him a lot, got him tutors etc. He was accepted, meanwhile I was rejected with high scores, gpa, ec's etc. This just doesn't seem right to me, and I know this kid will struggle, because he does not comprehend academic material so readily. This could have been seen by his scores, but UCLA chose to be "holistic" and accept him. Now, I know this may sound bitter, but its not; I would not go to UCLA anyways because I got into a better school (for me at least), and I am happy this kid got in over me because he will actually go there and might not be accepted elsewhere. However, I am trying to illustrate what I think is the OP's point, with this as an example, and there are many more, where the holistic approach simply takes lower scores even when they may have had an easier time. UCLA has no way of knowing if the applicant is being honest, and this whole opportunity thing is overblown, because you really don't know who had more/less than others, as I have seen personally.</p>
<p>Oh dear. It's not a personal thing if being homeless means that you can't get the adequate shelter and food to perform at optimal levels, or that you won't have enough money to pay for AP tests and test prep. Is the kid that you're referring to homeless? Is he URM? There are even subtle things that are at work here. On the face value of it, being Black with subpar scores but admitted to UCLA whereas an Asian with better stats didn't seems like blatant discrimination. But how many times will an Asian kid walk into a convenience store only to have the store manager watch his/her every move? How many times will an Asian kid be pulled over by cops for driving a nice car? Prejudice is everywhere, and those are the challenges that some people face that need to be taken into account. Also, who's to say someone's going to fail? The thing about college is that its a new beginning. People that had it good in high school and had the groove of things might not pick that up in college, whereas people that find that they were blessed with the opportunity to study at a prestigious institution may seize upon it.</p>
<p>Hmm a lot of emotions flowing through this thread. I have to agree with OP a little that UCLA did not seem to have made the best choices of students. lol. But what do I know? I got rejected. ahahhahahaha. I wish the admissions were wrong ;) lololol</p>
<p>Hey but jasonlee, you should stop criticizing everyone's opinions while holding that you are always correct. Seems that your behavior is affecting your mood and ppl have noticd b4 such as Pengsta from the SD thread. It was nice to see you reveal why you really were angry. I applaud your honesty and hope it was real!</p>
<p>no need to read the 4 pages. op is a piece of trash and this thread is a piece of trash. his ignorance makes me cringe.</p>
<p>just one little note: how well do people with high sat/gpa but no extracurriculars/hooks go in real life? usually have bad social skills, no integrity, and is just booksmart, which is worse "smarts" you can have.</p>
<p>edit: stumbled upon your apology and you hit the nail. at least you admit you were completely wrong.</p>