@coriander23 Do they not allow that anymore?
@heybluebear Your interviewer probably didn’t spend that much time reading your app, so if you want to stress certain things, it shouldn’t be an issue. I don’t think there would be anything wrong with not being decided. How you present that is what matters.
Thank you for your advice! I actually had my interview before I saw your comment, but that is exactly what I did. Thanks again!!
I’m confused on the Regents’ Scholars program as a whole. I received a Regents’ Scholarship to UCSB, but when I was reading about it online, it said the program was evaluated by the Regents of the whole UC system. Does this mean the scholarship applies to all the UCs I get accepted to, or just UCSB? I haven’t found a straight answer either from UCSB or the general UC system.
@ricflairfan The scholarship is independent for each institution. Getting it at one has no bearing on whether you get it at another.
Hello!
In early February, I was invited to interview for the Regents’ and Chancellors’ Scholarship at UC Berkeley. I interviewed but received news last Thursday that I didn’t receive it. As UC Berkeley is one of my top choices, I’m drafting an appeal letter to the financial aid office, but was wondering if you knew anything appealing a Regents decision?
@happyface10101 I have never heard of anyone appealing a Regents’ decision, so I don’t think I can help you there. If Cal is your top school, I wouldn’t sweat about whether or not you have Regents’. It really doesn’t change the experience that much, and you can always gun for outside scholarships.
Would you consider Applied Mathematics at UC Berkeley to be competitive/viable?
As most of my courses and extra curriculars are related to math, I think I will be choosing Applied Mathematics instead of other engineering majors for next year (currently a junior).
@bboyinmartin What do you mean by competitive and viable? It is not competitive in the pre-med/pre-haas sense of the word, but everyone works very hard and the material can be extremely challenging. Applied math is great in that it’s so versatile, but you definitely want to choose where you want to apply it to, whether it be CS, Econ, Stats, or another subject.
@“light shining” Well, you should admit that some majors are relatively “easier” to get into then some other majors, such as Engineering majors (EECS, Mech. Engineering, etc.) compared to, let’s say, Biology/Social Sciences.
Although I am interested in both engineering and mathematics, I like engineering, in a sense that, it has great income potentials (it is also very fun); but I also like applied mathematics, in a sense that, it will be easier to get into UCB, if I choose Applied Mathematics as my major instead of engineering majors.
But will choosing Applied Mathematics over engineering be worth it?
How much of an impact will choosing Applied Mathematics over, let’s say, Aerospace Engineering on my application?
@bboyinmartin It’s honestly up to whatever you want to do. I cannot guarantee that choosing L&S over CoE would necessarily give you a better change at getting in, and it certainly won’t give you a better shot at Regents’, but if you want to pursue both engineering and math, Cal has a major called Engineering Math and Stats.
Hi! I was recently selected as a Regents Scholar, and I was curious what sort of benefits it actually provides. Is the faculty advisor actually useful? Do you get “first dibs” when big employers come looking to Cal to hire? Is there a greater increased interaction with faculty? Is it easier to get undergraduate research experiences as a regents? How many Regents scholars are there, and is there a sense of community between them?
@veryconfused55 Great questions!
“Is the faculty advisor useful?”
It wasn’t for me, but RCSA and the Scholarship Office are working on making it more relevant to scholars. It’s a lot better in my opinion to get close to a professor by going to their office hours.
“Do you get first dibs on employers?”
Not exactly, but RCSA co-hosts Cal’s largest career fair and there are career fairs solely for Regents’ Scholars.
“Is there greater interaction with faculty?”
Again, not really. You can get to know faculty a lot better by putting yourself in front of them, rather than waiting for the opportunity for them to come to you. RCSA does organize some events with professors (game nights, dinners, and hikes).
“Is it easier to get research?”
Regents’ is nice to have on your resume, but since there are so many research opportunities on campus, no one really has trouble finding a position if they’re looking, regardless of whether or not they have Regents’.
“How many Regents’ Scholars are there and is there a sense of community?”
There are about 150-200 per class. All Regents’ Scholars are invited to participate in RCSA, but most people do not. There is a sense of camaraderie among Regents’ Scholars to some extent, but not enough that would supersede any bonds that you build among students in other organizations you might join.
My D hasn’t decided to enroll at Cal yet but she has the Regent’s Scholarship. How would the Regent’s apply to her as a first semester and having priority enrollment? Does she meet with an advisor before enrolling in classes? She’s very undecided on her major. How about housing? Does she get priority on the housing? It’s funny how there isn’t a webpage for Regents at Berkeley, except for the RCSA which is a student run organization, and I couldn’t find a number to call.
Enrollment is in two passes. For incoming freshmen the first pass is done during orientation. During orientation they will go over what she should take. She will have a priority time for the second pass. For housing likely she will get her first choice (at least my son did). For future semesters she will have priority enrollment for both passes.
Thank you tx5athome! You were on my other thread. We just got back from visiting Tufts, WashU, Brandeis and UCLA. She’ll be spending the day at Berkeley on Monday and then hopefully she’ll decide where she wants to go. And hopefully it will be Berkeley 
Despite my name, we are from Southern California. My kids ended up at SDSU, UCLA and Berkeley. All had a great experience and couldn’t imagine going anywhere else. Making a decision is hard, but in the end, at least for us, everything works out.
@“light shining” your comments that if one gets Regents one gets into an Ivy is incorrect. My D received the Regent’s Scholarship and didn’t get into an Ivy, and not because she doesn’t have the stats or the resume to do so, but because all the Ivys took only the rowers from her school. One coxswain to Yale, one coxswain to Princeton, 5 rowers to Penn, and so on… Statements like that raises kids expectations of acceptance which are unrealistic. When she interviewed for Penn, her interviewer said to her point blank, “I think you’re wasting your time because we already took 5 kids (ED rowers) and we normally only take 3.” The reality is that if a kid goes to a public school that is one of the strongest in athletics in the country, the odds that the smart ones will get into an Ivy school are very slim.
@proudworriedmom What I said was that every Scholar I know personally has gotten into one of those universities. Of course, there are plenty of people who get the scholarship who did not. It astounds me that students and parents care that much about getting into so called “prestigious” colleges that in fact have very few notable programs in employable fields (though I admit I was caught up in that when I was a senior in high school too).
As for your question, your daughter will have the option to meet with an advisor from whatever college she is in, but the faculty advisor she gets assigned for Regents will have very little bearing on her academic career and is instead, part of an effort to connect faculty with scholars. @tx5athome basically covered the rest.
I’m happy to report that my D decided to go to Cal. She’s very happy and excited about it!
Reviving this thread rather than starting a new discussion. My daughter just got her first acceptance or rejection letter from any college. The great news is, it is an acceptance to Berkeley with an invitation to interview for the RCS. I wanted to ask the OP and others whether anything has changed in terms of the faculty mentor role. Other than that, it seems the program is pretty much as described. If anyone has more recent tips about the interview, please share. I think the priority class enrollment and guaranteed housing are the best benefits of the program!
Now we don’t have to worry about her getting admitted to a four-year college.