Hello everyone, I just need some quick opinions to make it worth while to write many appeals to the UCs due to the ridiculous competitiveness this year.
A quick overview of what happened is that I’m quite devastated on how I got rejected essentially by every UC except for UCSC (didn’t apply to UCR or UCM). I applied to computer science for UCSC, UCD and UCSB, and “indirectly” computer science under the mathematics department for UCSD. For UCB, UCLA and UCI I chose undeclared under engineering departments, same thing with the other “lower tier” UC’s for the alternative majors. I’m thoroughly disappointed how I got rejected by even school’s with higher acceptance rates, especially when my classmates that I know have very similar or lower stats compared to mine got into my majors, or even more competitive majors. Ironically I managed to get waitlisted by Purdue and UW for computer science when that major at those schools are ranked higher than the majority of the UCs.
My GPA is between 4.2 and 4.3 based on UC calculations. I’ve taken 9 AP exams and passed them. I finished Chinese 4, Chem 1A and Bio 1 early at community colleges before junior year and was able to take other AP classes to challenge myself and excelled in math too, finishing AP Calc BC junior year. I’ve also been on volleyball varsity as a captain for the 3rd year now and am board members of Chinese school and senior center institutions, showing my bilingual skills. My SAT is around 1400 for the different SATs I submitted. Furthermore I’ve been recognized nationally at academic decathlons with gold and silver medals as well.
These are my few, what I believe is my outstanding qualities which often excels most people, even those of my classmates who got accepted to the “mid-tier” UCs like SB, SD and Davis. It genuinely confuses me and with the overwhelming competitiveness in the UCs, legit they can be called California Ivy Leagues, if appeals are even worth at this stage. What should I talk about? I’m low income and I’ve heard countless controversial theories of UCs accepting international and out of state students since they pay full tuition rather than give financial aids to the poor students.
Any advice and help would be appreciated. I try not to sound arrogant and gave my honest opinion in this situation I’m in right now.
For an appeal to have merit, you need to present with documentation some new and compelling information not originally mentioned on your UC application.
I’m also in a similar situation and I wasn’t sure exactly how I should relate compelling/new information to why the admissions office should reconsider my application. I read that better grades in senior year or achievements/awards are not a good basis, but if I have a good basis should I also make it a point to include new awards in my appeal?
Also, If I were to write about a personal issue that has led to a new change that is not apparent in my UC application, does it have to have a direct connection to my academics etc? What I’m trying to say is how can a personal issue be a reason for them to reevaluate my application if it is just something—well, personal? If it makes me stronger as an individual does that count as a basis for an appeal? (I’m sorry if this second half of my question doesn’t make sense.)
I’m planning on appealing to UC Irvine (rejected) for business information management and possibly UCSB (pre econ) (waitlisted).
These are some of my stats:
SAT 1350 ACT 31, weighted GPA somewhere between 4.0 and 4.1
Passed all my 3 AP exams (3,4,5). counting senior year I’ve taken 7 ap classes. I was on my school tennis team for all 4 years, varsity since sophomore year, tennis co-captain senior year.
I’ve been learning Japanese on my own for the last five years and so I received foreign language credit from the Japanese SAT I took freshman year. I also did a self-organized homestay in Japan last summer.
I’ve been able to open a lot of doors by using Japanese and it really changed who I was as a person, so I wrote about it in one of my essays.
Since my application, I recently hosted two students from Japan (once again self-organized) and last week I participated in a Japanese Speech contest and won one of the special Judge’s awards.
I’ve been an officer for Key club for 3 years, a member for 4. President of Art club for the last two years.
I organized an artwork exchange project with my city’s sister city in Japan and we displayed the artwork we received from high schoolers in that city in our local library.
I was a committee leader for an entrepreneurship competition and helped create the first silicon valley competition event. Over 150 hours of community service, and worked part-time before at a sushi place.
Looking back I see that I could’ve eased off of extracurriculars and focused more on having better grades and as disappointing as it is, I’m staying optimistic and giving it one last shot to see if I can appeal.
Any advice?
@Gumbymom I have different basis for appeals such as UCI being close to my home or UCB being close to where I grew up which makes them my dream to go there. I have had struggles with being low income, unique relationships I’ve established with different people (long story) and others but I’m not sure about mentioning those since I kind of covered them already in my original essays.
@Xavien:
You need new information not previously stated on your application. If you have mentioned the above factors, then you need something else to base your appeal on.
UCI does consider an applicants level of interest but you need to specify why they are your top choice and I would not state “dream college”. Is there a reason you need to be close to home such as an ill parent?
UCB does not consider an applicants level of interest, so UCB being another “dream” college will make no difference. You need again to try and specify why UCB should accept you over another just as deserving and qualifed applicant. What makes you special and what you can contribute to UCB as a student.
Again, remove “dream” college from your vocabulary and I think you need to decide between the 2 which is really your top choice.
@Gumbymom
UCI seems like my highest hopes out of any appeal, despite all of the chances being low. Because of my low income and me being only accepted to UCSC, its campus has the most expensive dorms. I would like to stay home since it’s only a 10min drive to UCI from where I live currently and I know that many UC’s dorms are quite crowded right now.
Would something like that work? My mom does have OCD and every once in a while I’ll need to check up on her.
@Gumbymom Yes I did receive it from UCSC, they were pretty generous about it. I read somewhere that some people who went to schools like USC had scholarship then was canceled for no reason after their freshmen year? It’s like the colleges’ plan to get students in then trick them to eventually pay full tuition? Is that even allowed?
USC may offer more merit scholarships that has a GPA requirement, so you fall below the required GPA to keep the scholarship, then there is a possibility of losing it in subsequent years. UC’s offer little merit aid and most of their aid is need-based which does not have these requirements.
You still have to file the FASFA each year and if your “need” changes, then your aid will also change.