I applied to Cal, LA, SD, SB, Irvine, Davis, and Santa Cruz. Currently denied from SB, Davis, and SC. I’m worried because I assumed those schools would be the easier ones to get into (GPA: 4.08 SAT: 1310 w/ AP’s, extracurriculars, and volunteer service). On the UC Application site it says I am in the top 9% so I’m guaranteed a spot if available at any UC (is it just the one’s I applied to?) Anyways, I was talking to my friend and they think all these denials are coming in because the UC’s “talk to each other” and that I’m likely to get into at least one of the other UC’s I applied to. Is that true?
Each UC has their holistic criteria, so not getting an acceptance to a “easier one” does not mean you won’t get acceptance to a “harder one”. Hopefully you had other safeties that you applied to.
The top 9% means you’ll get into a UC of the UC’s choice - most like UC-Merced.
I don’t think the UCs talk to each other, but there is definitely some shared information that they have access to.
is the GPA that you stated a UC capped weighted GPA?
It is the UC capped weighted GPA. Thanks for responding, I’ve been pretty worried about this haha
Each UC has their own criteria when it comes their application review and they do not talk to each other. What is your intended major? Do you have any safety schools?
Top 9% only guarantees admission to UC Merced if spots are available and not a UC of your choice.
Just based on your UC GPA here are the admit rates from last year. Also if you applied to a competitive major such as Engineering/STEM, you need stats above the averages. Stats alone do not guarantee an acceptance since your EC’s and essays will also be taken into consideration. The UC’s try to select the best fit class of Freshman for their own campus.
2018 Freshman admit rates for UC GPA of 3.80-4.19 capped weighted and not major specific:
UCB: 10%
UCLA: 9%
UCSD: 34%
UCSB: 38%
UCD: 41%
UCI: 38%
UCSC: 70%
UCR: 84%
UCM: 95%
2018 UC capped weighted GPA averages:
UCB: 4.23
UCLA: 4.23
UCSD: 4.16
UCSB: 4.13
UCI: 4.13
UCD: 4.11
UCSC: 3.96
UCR: 3.81
UCM: 3.71
2018 Data:
25th - 75th percentiles for SAT:
UCB: 1360-1540
UCLA: 1340-1540
UCSD: 1300-1520
UCSB: 1270-1500
UCD: 1220-1480
UCI: 1230-1490
UCSC: 1210-1450
UCR: 1130-1380
UCM: 1020-1280
I applied last year and I got rejected from Davis, Berkeley, and SB and waitlisted from Irvine, but got into SD. So you still have a chance
My majors were either neuroscience or something biology related. My safety schools were LMU, USD, UC Irvine and Santa Cruz, and SDSU. Got accepted only to LMU and USD, schools I will not be able to afford because I received little financial aid. The others, I got rejected from except for SDSU where I was waitlisted.
UCI is definitely not a safety school based on your stats. SDSU and UCSC have gotten more competitive over the last few years as you can tell. A safety school also has to be affordable besides a high chance for an acceptance, so you really did not have any “safety” schools on your list. All you can do is wait it out and see if you get off the SDSU waitlist or you get into your other options. Crossing my fingers everything works out. If your ELC top 9% and do not get into any of your choice UC’s, your application will be forwarded to UC Merced which is the default campus.
@dodieuke As Gumbymom said, it is a tough situation that you may end up in. I am definitely hoping that UCI works out (or something wonderful happens with the others).
If you cannot afford the ones you got in, the other options are not straightforward. There is a list (not completely accurate) of colleges that still accept applications. However, I don’t know what the situation would be with financial aid.
Ones that stand out to me, just quickly looking through the list, are these publics (cheaper): Cal State Poly at Pomona, Clemson, U. of Arizona, U. of Central Florida
https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/get-in/applying-101/late-applications
If it does not work out, there is always the possibility of doing something productive next year and applying again. (and take some community college classes.) For a friend of mine’s child it was a life changing experience. But YMMV, and you need to position yourself right for next year.
Other viable options, that are less expensive would be outside the US. E.g., in Germany tuition at public universities is essentially free for everyone. Even though most of their graduate programs are in English, few of undergraduate are. But, this one is in English and is biology related:
https://www.uni-goettingen.de/en/prospective+students/580622.html
There is a German search engine (not all universities are that great)
https://www.daad.de/deutschland/studienangebote/international-programmes/en/
Most Dutch universities have some of their bachelor programs in English and charge $15-20K per year in tuition… But, I don’t know what their application deadlines are (but, I believe some are still open).
Room and board is usually cheaper in Europe.
Best of luck.
Sorry, CS Pomona deadline was 2/1. The other three I mentioned look legit (but OOS for you).
Another option is New College of Florida. It is a small public liberal arts college which is actually pretty good for what they are. (They end up sending a disproportionate number of their graduates to professional/graduate schools.) Your political leanings would likely need to be left to very far left in order to fit in.
OOS tuition is about $30K/year. But, I know for a fact that almost all OOS qualify for $15K/year presidential scholarship. Priority deadline to apply has passed, but they will take applications until April 15.
Hey, so update: Turns out I actually got half tuition off at USD and misread the award on the portal. So now I’m choosing between USD and LMU (prob choosing USD). I got waitlisted at UCSC, UC Irvine, and SDSU so after I commit to likely USD I’ll wait to hear back from these schools and decide from there. Thanks for all the advice everyone gave. I definitely could have applied to a better range of colleges, but despite how to UC’s turned out, I’m glad with my options.