The UC’s are well aware of the gpa dilution with more a-g classes so I would think they take that into account. I also remember seeing one of the lists showing ave number of A-g classes for admits at one UC(might have been UCSD but I cannot recall). The largest portion of admits had 27+ a-g years(54 semesters) I think. Also for UCB on the gpa list of admits it looked like slightly higher admit chance for gpa’s of 4.4-4.59 vs the 4.60 and above. Thinking that also points to UC seeing that applicants with the top gpa’s may have less rigor in terms of less units.
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My understanding was that once you start putting weights on #GPA, #(A-G) then the admission criteria is no longer holistic.
This is from the presentation forwarded by @GumbyMom
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I disagree. Let’s say, for example, that you combine some things (such as GPA, a-g courses, etc) and compute some kind of “academic strength” score. Then send a human application reader the computed score, the student’s course list, activities list, essays, and anything else you want the reader to see, and have them rate the application holistically. This process incorporates a computed score, but is holistic.
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How can you take 8 year long courses? I thought in most Public school the maximum number of HS courses is restricted to 6. Also, in 10th grade PE which is not A-G is mandatory for HS graduation.
Schools that run on a 4x4 schedule have 4 classes every day for a semester, completing a year’s worth of coursework in a semester. Then students switch to a new set of 4 classes. So one school year equals 8 classes.
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With all the assumptions and speculations being made on placing more emphasis/weight on GPA/a-g rigor due to this test-blind policy, I’m willing to bet a lot of CA counselors at competitive HSs will start strategizing to load up on non-AP/HL a-g courses 7th-9th grade (i.e. Journalism, Art, etc.), only to switch to loading up on AP/HL courses 10th-11th grade, and like many competitive seniors this year, fully load up on AP courses (~5-6). We’ll probably also see more kids enrolling in their local community colleges during the summer months.
I’m not really sure if this is really a good thing for our kids. If only they would just release their calculations (i.e. CPSLO’s MCA) so GPAs have some type of a ceiling because I’m not sure if their “capped UC GPA” means anything anymore.
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SLO doesn’t release anything like that anymore, though, and the idea of holistic admissions is that there isn’t a straightforward calculation. I think the PIQs matter, alongside the activities list (which in my opinion is an area of the application that can really tell a story but that students don’t always take a lot of care with — it should hang together and work with the PIQs and course selection to paint a picture of who you are). There is no magic formula.
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I agree SLO doesn’t officially release their MCAs anymore. However, their supplemental questions sort of hints to them still using their old MCA to some extent. With their absence of essays and EC listings, you can almost speculate as to how they weigh academics/rigor. As of now, the only thing I’ve seen on CC is a current UCSB student’s FERPA on his admissions package. There, they weigh 9 points for academics, 9 for STEM (COE only), and 18 for holistic review (although it would be great to see how they score the 9 points for academics). The point I was focusing on is the academic portion only. If we had the formula just for this part, it would prevent kids from strategizing reaching for that “infinite ceiling.”
I couldn’t agree more. I think applicants (and parents) are looking for a magic formula based around grades and courses. However, every time we hear UC admissions share what they are looking for, they talk about the activity section and PIQ.
Students tend to focus on the PIQ but short change details in the Activities and Awards section. Many only list a few activities and awards. I encourage students to look back over the past 3 years. Look at your agenda books and calendars. What did you spend your time doing? Don’t dismiss activities as insignificant. Don’t assume that the readers know what you do after school.
In a recent podcast with UCI’s director of admissions, he said, “We want students to be, to demonstrate their engagement, and we want students to be active in their communities, and we want students who are demonstrating that they are going to be successful here and managing multiple responsibilities.”
UCLA states what they value. The A&A section is a perfect place to show that you have what they are looking for. “We value leadership ability, character, motivation, tenacity, initiative, originality, creativity, intellectual independence, responsibility, insight, maturity, and demonstrated concern for others and for the community. Traditional measures of academic achievement may not capture these qualities. But the reader may find them elsewhere in the application”
Berkeley shares what leadership looks like in an application. "The important thing to remember is that when you list academics, activities, awards, and employment; when you include Additional Comments; or when you answer your Personal Insight questions, consider how you may have demonstrated an aspect of leadership, initiative, tenacity, or persistence. Be sure to include those points in your answers.
This LA Times article shared types of things that students might leave off of their A&A list but that admissions are looking for. For example, “Even during the pandemic, did they seek out opportunities to learn through TED Talks? Did they volunteer for online tutoring or help family members stricken with COVID-19?”
Finally, UCSB posts a ton of very helpful videos. This video, directed towards counselors, goes into great detail (with examples) of where and how students short change their application in the A&A and PIQ sections.
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So true. There really isn’t a magic formula. Yes, to get into one of the more selective UCs (pretty much any school other than Riverside or Merced, which to some degree are more formulaic in their process) you need to have a baseline strong GPA and demonstrated rigor, but if it was a formula or some kind of a puzzle, there wouldn’t be so many surprises each year, where based on tippy-top numbers, you’d assume X applicant would get into Y school. They are looking at other elements within the application, and the awards and activities section is a great opportunity to help tie the rest of the application together and tell a story that hopefully helps the readers see you as a “fit.”
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