Another posters son also got off the waitlist today and in a similar dilemma. Here was some advice given regarding UCB this late into the process. Posted by @tamagotchi
But if he is still thinking about UCB, here are some practical details, given that it’s already July 24. He should know that class registration for first year students has already happened. Many first-year classes are already full with waitlists (for some classes, even the waitlists are full). I’m sure he could make it work if he REALLY wanted to attend UCB, but he may not be able to get everything that he wants in his first semester.
To find out, he could look at the 4-year plan for his degree, figure out what classes he needs, and then look at Berkeleytime to see what is still available and what he might be able to take.
Berkeleytime: Berkeleytime
Looking at this… Chem 1A and Engin 26 are full, with large waitlists. I don’t know how much math he’s coming in with, but Math 1A is full with a small waitlist, 1B and 53 still have some space in the early morning lectures. Engin 7 still has space. Physics 7A is full with a small waitlist. If he is coming in with AP physics credit, Physics 7B has some space, but only in the 8 AM lecture, which makes it difficult to combine with an 8 AM math lecture.
If you are in-state and Cal is your first choice, I would agree with @ucscuuw that it’s worth seriously considering! There would just be a lot of details to work out quickly.
Your first semester’s class selection will be tricky (see @Gumbymom’s message above) and you may not get all the classes you want, but you can make it work.
Even with a non-optimal first semester, it shouldn’t affect your ability to graduate on time, especially if you are coming in with some APs and/or prior college credit. The engineering advisors are very helpful and there’s a healthy amount of flexibility built into the curriculum.
thank u guys this is so helpful! i’m OOS for both cornell and berkeley. i already have the perfect schedule at cornell and great housing which is why i’m torn! i’ll be coming in with 20 AP credits but i think i’m gonna tour berkeley this weekend to help make up my mind thank you again!
@Gumbymom shares practically useful info but fall enrollment is not a legitimate factor and will have no effect on degree progression or the overall MechE experience.
There are no declaration requirements and the advisors can easily guide the student through the course selection process.
Berkeley has always been my top UC choice, but a few days ago I was informed that I was not admitted off the waitlist. I’ve seen multiple posts of people getting off the waitlist the same day I got rejected from Berkeley (even UCLA students), so I contacted admissions to try to appeal my decision. They informed me that they do not have an appeals process for waitlisted students.
I have already committed to UCLA for the fall, but Berkeley still lingers in my mind, and I don’t know what to do. I don’t know if it’s Berkeley’s competitive, startup culture environment that draws me in, or it’s higher prestige (from my experience as an intl student, I’ve noticed that Berkeley is more academically recognized internationally than UCLA). Do you think transferring to Berkeley in junior year is worth it?
I plan to pursue law, and I heard that Berkeley sends more students to higher ranked law schools as well. I recognize that UCLA is a great school and I’m incredibly privileged, but I just can’t shake Berkeley from my mind. What should I do?
You will be fine at UCLA. Just get good grades and do well on LSAT. At this point it’s better to move on. The unattainable always looks more attractive but in a year it will be a forgotten memory.
FYI. Berkeley is great school, but a huge UC with a staff/bureaucracy that doesn’t care if you make it. When my son registered for classes a system glitch occurred and all the engineering classes where erroneously closed. Got on line with the advisor and the information was pretty useless. My son has asked several questions, and the response from the advisor was to check the MechE website. He hasn’t even set foot on campus and already facing the faceless UC bureaucracy machine. My niece is a rising senior at Cornell and has not mentioned similar issues. Just something to consider. As a graduate of Cal myself and dealing with the “UC machine” as a student, Cal offers an educational opportunity second to none, but you really have to be a strong advocate for yourself to fully experience all that Cal has to offer.
Daugther was admitted off the waitlist but already committed to UCLA. She would very much prefer Berkeley’s semester system over UCLA quarters. However this year Berkeley is piloting a direct admit to major program for several impacted majors, which is a double edged sword. For those who know for sure of what they want to major it, they dont have to compete to declare their major in their junior year. However students who come in undeclared and then decide they want to get into an impacted major will have little to no chance of doing so, because students in that major are now directly admitted as freshmen, so spots only open if someone drops.
My daughter is interested in majoring in one of the impacted majors but was undecided at the time of her application, so it is unlikely she would ever be able to do so at Berkeley.
Just wonder how would it be different at UCLA (or any college), if you daughter wants to switch to an(other) impacted major later, she would need to go through the “Change of Major procedure”, probably similar in both UCLA and UCB. Unless Berkeley specifically saying “Change of major is not allowed”, I think her chance is the same in both schools.
In fact, “change of major” is banned for Junior transfer student in most UCs (normally, mentioned as part of the admission condition) because of obvious reasons. I don’t think they would do that to Freshman.
Impated majors have always been competitive to declare at both UCLA and UCB, however at UCLA no one can declare their major before they meet the pre major requirements (which usually is sometime in their sophomore year, and if they meet them before their junior year with a 3.9 GPA they are guaranteed a spot in the major (not so easy to do though because several of the required pre major courses are not offered every quarter and when they are they only have one section so they fill up fast. But everyone is in the same boat so if they don’t make that deadline they just compete for the spots available.
At UCB this is different due to the direct admit pilot for the impacted majors those spots in those majors are filled from the get go. The freshmen who were directly admitted, do not have to compete for the major it is there as long as they wish to be in the program. Therefore if a Freshman would like to declare that major they could gain entry would be if spaces open due to attrition. While this direct admit is great for freshman who wish to get into the major, it diminishes the available spaces for those who are undeclared and decide later to declare that major. This is why they advise incoming students who are interested in one of the new direct admit majors to make sure to identify other majors they are interested in. If they have their heart set on one of the impacted majors which is part of this years new direct admit program, they should probably study elsewhere.
Hope that explains it.
It’s not a pilot by any means. I think new majors could get added to the high demand list and perhaps a major could move out of the list. But the high demand policy itself and the structure will persist. I’ve never heard of the policy referred to as a pilot anywhere.
Not a comment specific to you but in general I think people need to apply directly to high demand majors. Otherwise, they risk having to make apples vs oranges decision when it comes to picking the school ultimately.
Yes, it looks like Statistics already moved off the list, for example. “Statistics was a high-demand major for Fall 2023 applicants only. As of Spring 2023, Statistics is no longer a high-demand major.” L&S High-Demand Majors for First-Year Students | Letters & Science
Does she have backup major possibilities that she would be happy with? For example, CogSci isn’t on the high demand major list at UCB (I don’t know much about UCLA).
UCLA offers a wider range of majors, and though all of the ones that interest her are going to be challenging to get into she will do her best. I think Berkeleys offer just came too late for her to consider it. Also other than offering a Semester syster, coming in undeclared UCLA was a more attractive choice anyway. UCLA guarantees housing for 4 years, has a smaller campus, is in a safe area, only a 2 hour drive from home, and better weather. So a Bruin she will be.
Great! They are both wonderful schools, and it’s fortunate that your D can attend the school she likes best!
Truly a matter of personal preference. I can’t imagine giving up the lovely cool weather we have here in Berkeley… it’s 60 degrees and cloudy right now, just how I like it
thank you again!
