This has been bugging Me.

Applying to College
1

<p>Here's the deal:</p>

<p>The Plight of College Applications Occurred a while back and I applied to 4 UCs of all three tiers. (UCB, UCLA, UCD, UCSC) </p>

<p>I applied with the stats of: 3.65 (unweighted GPA)/ 4.1 (weighted), I took several AP courses and passed each, first generation College Student, and I had extracurriculars under my belt. My SAT's weren't so great, I took SAT-I twice and got the whooping score of 1650...exactly, TWICE! My SAT-II's weren't horrible...they were average-above average. </p>

<p>I applied to UCB and UCLA knowing it was a long shot...so I didn't count on that too much (No surprise that I didn't get accepted). However....I always thought I was a shoe-in to UCD, I've known people of previous years that were accepted to UCD with lower GPA, similar SATs and my stats were either similar or superior to theirs. Low and behold, I get a rejection letter from UCD while some classmates with less APs, GPA...etc. were accepted.</p>

<p>I may still be a bit bitter about this because it was a big slap in the face to all the work I've done throughout my academic career. I want to know what determined my rejection to a mid-tier school like Davis. I know several people that had a lesser resume than mines...and this is one source of my bitterness.</p>

<p>So, anyone can give me a vague idea of their decision? I have my speculations but none can be proven....rendering these speculations nothing but headaches. </p>

<p>My decision was to attend UCSC, one of the pronounced "Lower Tier" of the UCs. Although, I'm not too caught up in the college Rankings cause I don't believe you're better than me if you attend UCB or I'm better than anyone attending a CC. I just want to understand how the UCs root through their applicants.</p>

2

<p>At one point UC Davis published their admissions formula, complete with what scores were assigned to different GPA's SATs, SATII's, first in family to college, leadership roles, etc. I don't know if they still do but you could probably find an old one if they don't. It was very number-driven, with an exact cutoff each year. Look it up and do the math.</p>

<p>UC Santa Crus is a fascinating and exciting school. You should consider yourself fortunate to have the opportunity to go there.</p>

3

<p>^^ agreed -- UCSC is an awesome school.</p>

<p>See this regarding UCD's admission process:</p>

<p><a href="http://admissions.ucdavis.edu/admissions/fr_selection_process.cfm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://admissions.ucdavis.edu/admissions/fr_selection_process.cfm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

4

<p>"I've known people of previous years that were accepted to UCD with lower GPA, similar SATs and my stats were either similar or superior to theirs."
^how many years ago? because college admissions have gotten significantly more competitive in the last 1-2 years. The avg. SAT at Davis is probably around or above an 1800, so your score was pretty low. UCSC is a great school though, so don't get too down on yourself.</p>