Please post your stats, ask any questions and discuss your waitlisted status.
2018 Waitlist stats:
FAQ’s regarding UC Davis Waitlist: https://www.ucdavis.edu/admissions/undergraduate/freshman/waitlist/
Those numbers are way different from what is posted on last years wait list thread which says in the prior year more than 2/3 were admitted. You are showing less than 1% admitted?
@TheFrenchChef: The data is from the common dataset 2018. Each year is different so you cannot go by the prior year’s data. The # of Waitlist admits depends upon how many applicants SIR by May 1.
See section C2: https://aggiedata.ucdavis.edu/sites/g/files/dgvnsk1841/files/files/page/2018-2019CDSinprogress.pdf
Edited: 2015 and 2016 saw many waitlisted admits. 2017 data unable to find.
waitlisted 1190 3.96 managerial econ
waitlisted 1280 4.14 Environmental Sciences and Management
Waitlisted
GPA: 3.8 (Capped: 3.85) with no honors or AP classes (my high school is small and doesn’t offer them)
SAT: 1150
EC: Camp Counselor, Various Leadership and Volunteer Work
(I Think) Good Essays
Major: Cinema and Digital Media
I was almost certain I would be rejected so this is actually better than I thought. I want to go to UC Santa Cruz (which is less compettive) so this has eased anxiety a little bit.
Accepted: UC Riverside, Colorado State, Cal State Northridge, Cal State Monterey Bay, San Francisco State, Northern Arizona University
Rejected; San Diego State University
UC Davis released yesterday. Something seriously wrong!
Asked around my HS, 5 students I know get waitlisted:
CA in state status
GPA: 4.2 - 4.7
SAT: 1520 - 1580
All 5 took at lease 2 SAT ll, and all get perfect 800s
Many APs most in 5s, few 4
Many leaderships (student body leaders, etc , and impressive ECs national competition winners, hundreds hours volunteer services, many awards…
One got UC Berkeley regents, the other Stanford EA.
Looks UCD went extreme on yield protection. My view it’s 100% unethical for denying hard working students rights to choose. Not sure it’s legal?
I posted same stats under usd discussion:
Got some feed back, due to the holistic approach these students just did not standout among the rest applicants. I really do not buy in
Any thoughts and comments pls
@Afuhrman ucsb is quite a bit harder to get into over davis.
@fairadmin it’s been stated on CC numerous times to not extrapolate acceptances from other places, as the UC system is not hierchical. Getting an offer from Berkeley does not mean getting an offer from UCD and getting waitlisted by UCD doesn’t mean you’ll be rejected by Berkeley or UCLA. If UCD wants to yield protect, they have every right. I’m not saying that’s right, but if I’m an admissions person I want to be admitting people who are qualified AND want to come.
As for your students, college admissions is not trophy hunting trying to see who can get the most acceptances. College admissions is about finding the right fit. The essays often tell a lot about what a student wants.
Major: Computer Engineering
UW 10-11 GPA: 3.8 UC GPA: 4.13
SAT: 1500 - 700ERW - 800M
SATII:MathII: 800 - Physics: 690
I have been working for 2 years, have played football, and saxaphone in the band throughout hs, I know my GPA is a hindrance, however I thought my essays were good and could have pushed me through.
I know it’s impossible to say, but I was wondering if anyone has any information on how indicative this wait list is for my other UC decisions? Currently I am only in SJSU and SDSU and was really hoping to end up in a UC.
Finally, I was interested if anyone had an idea of what admissions counselors are looking for in the 200 work short essay, and if showing my senior year grades (4.66) could help me get off the wait list. Thank you all for your help. ://
@sebasHopes: UCD admissions wants to know why you want to attend UC Davis.
FAQ:
Before making our decisions, we will review your 200-word statement, as well as the fall grades and spring coursework-in-progress that must be submitted as part of your waitlist acceptance.
So yes, finishing with a strong Senior year will help get you off the waitlist if spots are available.
@fairadmin What majors did they apply under?
@ProfessorPlum168 I would not call it trophy hunting if I know the other three equally good students were stunned to know their first College notifications was waiting list, while saw others less qualified get accepted into the same majors they applied.
Agree with your other points.
College admission is an art, but is science as well. Hope in the end common sense still works.
@fairadmin I went though this last year with my kid. I could understand why he got waitlisted for CMU but had a hard time understanding why my kid got waitlisted to Northeastern and UCSD and UCI. As I read more and more info I finally realized that since my kid got into his #1, it didn’t really matter that much about the waitlists and/or the rhyme or reason. Every school has different criteria and stats is generally only about 2/3 of the story, maybe even less. Furthermore, what are considered god ECs and the essays vary greatly in value.
Nope.
The adcoms are looking holistically at each student. Students with above 1500 SATs are now typically applying to 20+ schools. If your essay for Davis doesn’t personalize ** WHY DAVIS?** then you have a strong chance of being rejected. Do they look at touring, no, but it helps the student understand the campus.
I say this as the parent of a DAVIS graduate. My dd didn’t have a top SAT, but it was strong. She researched Davis’s opportunities after graduation. She mentioned that Davis had a great record of preparation: placing students in top grad schools/med schools for her intended program and the local populations she hoped to target. Almost three years post graduation, she’s in a top grad school and will be in her Hospital rotations in 1 year. Davis does a GREAT job of preparation, if you follow their advice.
They want students who really want to be there, who don’t mind and LIKE the cows and the agricultural setting.
Just to play devil’s advocate here, it’s hard, perhaps even impossible, to personalize the essay prompts because unlike the Common App, the UC app for each university doesn’t have their own section. So applicants are more or less forced to write something generic, or in the case if my kid, it definitely had more of a Northern Cal/Berkeley bend to it. Which was good for Berkeley and Davis but not so good for the Southern California UCs.
@“aunt bea” what do you mean personalize your essay for Davis? There is no specific essay for Davis and they do not ask “why Davis”. There is only one application for all the UCs.
@TheFrenchChef: You are correct but can infer your interest in some of the specific programs at several of the UC’s. My son was an Environmental science major and UCD has a well ranked and respected ES program. You do not have say outright that this program or school is your top choice but admissions can read between the lines.
@“aunt bea” that’s what exactly I’m afraid of. Just because you have 1500+ SAT score, you are automatically assumed you will apply 20+ colleges, and you are not in love with UCD, then you should be waitlisted.
Actually these kids are California kids, they like to stay in CA, they love the quality of education and future career advancement provided by UC. Some of them even did not apply any schools outside California.
Overplaying yield protection game could seriously hurt these kids