Follow Dr. Nick Weaver’s reddit account - you’ll get the latest from him. CS70 is core point, along with an excess of people trying to get into that major from L&S. I’m pretty sure that most top CS programs are direct admit and Cal is the exception. That will probably change in the next 2-3 years for sure but it’s still up in the air or maybe even unlikely to affect the class of 2026. Personally, I think direct admit to EECS is the way to go - solves the overcrowding issue immediately
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My daughter was accepted at UCSD/Davis/Riverside. I wonder if the Letter of recommendation is enough to take her over the hump. We will see. Fingers crossed.
UC’s don’t take letters of recommendation
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they ask for one if they feel that you’re a borderline applicant
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They can request a LOR as part of “Augmented Review” — which they can use for up to 15% of applicants. Our son was asked for one last year (he’s HS class of 2021) and in the end he was waitlisted at Cal, not accepted. I think most UCs take advantage of AR, but it looks different at different campuses (supplemental statements, etc.). Cal uses LOR more than any other campus, in my experience.
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My daughter was asked to send 2 LORs for Cal back in December I believe. It was a surprise for us too. I read they sometimes ask when 1 of the 2 readers can’t come to an agreement. We don’t expect to get in. Cal is a reach. But we complied and had them sent.
@bongbong2: UCB is the only UC that will ask for LOR’s from a small percentage of applicants. The augmented review will also ask for LOR’s but these are always submitted prior to decisions so did she get a request from UCD, UCSD and UCR for an augmented review. Answering the question will help future applicants.
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Son is accepted to UCLA CS, waiting for Cal EECS and USC CS. He’s about 80% sure he wants UCLA knowing Cal EECS is better but considering overall. I’ve read posts about Cal EECS>UCLA CS> Cal L&S. We will visit all 3 if accepted, won’t need to decide if rejected. We’ll need to wait until later as he’s not available at 3 today.
Before this forum goes crazy around 3pm, just wondering if anyone has strong thoughts for either and why. A family member who went to Cal EECS and UCLA masters rec Cal. Friends that went to UCLA or Cal rec UCLA.
The letter of recommendation was requested by UC Berkeley only. No other augmented reviews from Davis, UCSD and Riverside.
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In the category of wishful (but hopefully accurate) thinking: my D, who had her heart broken by a UCSB WL earlier this week and is now praying for a Berkeley Miracle, sent me a TikTok video from someone named “Iris Berkley, PhD” who said due to over-enrollment last year at the UCs (she wasn’t specific as to which campuses), the UCs have “over waitlisted” this year to be conservative. If true, there may still be real hope for all UC WL students at Cal and elsewhere … food for thought as, undoubtedly, many of the kids on this site receive their Cal WL decisions later today.
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Good luck to everyone today. Remember, Cal is the most holistic of them all! You may be surprised with an acceptance even if you got waitlisted/rejected by the others. My D’s happy experience in 2020. Her stats were high, 4.3 capped, 1470 sat, blah blah, and got waitlisted everywhere but Davis. So depressed until 3pm that afternoon. What got her in? super EC’s I think. Very well rounded, and her essays. Never did get off the waitlist for UCI. Now a sophomore there, I met her friends and sure enough, a super smart eclectic bunch. I think some UCs value GPAs more than others, but I read Cal starts their application review process much earlier than the others and it is more in depth.
Yes, I cried.
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Ahh yes. She’s the “admissions maven” on TikTok. She’s awesome.
So you think she is credible?
I sure hope you’re right!!! 
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Absolutely. She is a paid admissions counselor with a fantastic track record and she’s located in California so she knows a lot about the UCs. I follow her there. She’s legit.
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Hoping this may be true - my daughter has been waitlisted at 5 schools, 3 are UCs!
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When admissions are announced, please include
- Admitted/Waitlist/Rejected
- In-state vs OOS
- Major and college
- If you share your GPA, please make sure it is your UC GPA. UC GPAs can be calculated here. GPA Calculator for the University of California – RogerHub
- Other acceptances/wait-lists/rejections.
Good luck to everyone!
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I don’t have reddit. I learn more everyday here. So, if prospective CS students apply under L & S vs. engineering, and L&S decisions are based at the college level/not considering major…does that mean all the other applicants are competing with every CS application?
ok, so i am slow, how does that work? i read “over waitlisted” to mean there are more kids on the waitlist than before. thus, your chance of getting off the waitlist is lower since the pool is so much bigger.
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Perhaps also include if UCB requested LOR (Letter of Recommendation). Curious to know how they may impact applications 
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