***uc merced class of 2023 decision thread (stats only***

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Merced
1

**Please Post only Stats in this thread. For questions and discussions, please refer to the following threads: **

http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-merced/2128652-uc-merced-class-of-2023-applicant-and-discussion-thread.html#latest

Remove the “a” in the bold, size, and color of your decision.

[aB][asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted[/color][/size]**
[aB][asize=4][acolor=#FF0000]Decision: Rejected[/color][/size]**

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II:
Capped Weighted UC GPA:
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parenthesis):
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load:
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service:
Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Supplemental Review or LOR submission:

Applied for Financial Aid?:
Intended Major:
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant):
School Type:
Gender:
Income Bracket:
ELC Eligibility:
First Generation:

Reflection

Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:

General Comments:

2

Accepted!

SAT I (breakdown): 1360 (700 English, 660 Math)
Capped Weighted UC GPA: 3.57
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): APUSH (4), APES (3), WHAP (3)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Eng Lit, AP Gov, AP Microecon, AP Psych, Forensic Science, Finite Math

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): 2 political internships, founder of online magazine, junior captain of debate team, 300+ volunteer hours.
Job/Work Experience: 2 internships
Volunteer/Community service: 300+ hours

Essays (rating 1-10, details): All essays were about 8-9.

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Political Science
State (if domestic applicant): CA
School Type: Public
Gender: M
Income Bracket: 100K+
First Generation: Yes

3

Decision: Accepted

Objective:

SAT I:
1040 (560 RW, 480 Math)
ACT: Not Taken
SAT II: Not Taken
Capped Weighted UC GPA: 3.72
Rank: 27/197 when applying, 20/191 now
AP: English (3) no others offered 11th Grade
IB: None
Senior Year Course Load:
AP Stats, AP English, Advanced Dance, Strength/Conditioning, Government, Economics, Child Development, Physics
Major Awards: None

Subjective:

Extracurriculars:
4 Years Field Hockey (Team Captain)
4 Years Track & Field (Team Captain)
4 Years Drill Team (Team Captain)
Job/Work Experience:
Interned for large Labor Union (IBEW 340) for two years.
Volunteer/Community service:
4 Years Youth Cheer Coach
4 Years Field Hockey Camp Counselor
Summer Activities:
Pole Vault, Wrestling, Camping, Reading
Essays: 9/10
The several teachers from neighboring HS campuses she sent her essays to after submission thought they were stellar. One thought they looked a little too edited, though. Covered her participation in HS Girls Wrestling, her challenge in coming from rural school with little AP/Honors class offerings, her leadership roles in dance choreography, etc.
Supplemental Review/LOR: No

Applied for Financial Aid:
Middle Class Scholarship, CalVet Fed Waiver
Intended Major: Sociology
State: CA (Tehama County)
School Type: Small, Rural, Public
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 100k
ELC Eligibility: Yes
First Generation: Yes

Reflection

Strengths:
ELC Eligible, one of just three in her class applying to UC system, essays, senior class load, took all available AP/Honors classes
Weaknesses:
Small school, low SAT score
Why you think you were accepted: All the reasons listed under ‘strengths’ above.
Where else were you accepted:
Accepted at SJSU, SSU, CSUMB

General Comments:
Thankful for all the help we received from this forum. With not much assistance from the Counseling staff at her HS, this info turned out to be invaluable.

4

Accepted

Objective:
SAT I: 1370 (650 English, 720 Math)
ACT: 30 (Reading: 32, English: 30, Math: 34, Science: 24)
SAT II: Math 2: 690 Chemistry: 630
Capped Weighted UC GPA: 4.1
Rank: Top 30%
AP: Statistics: 4
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus AB, Honors Literature, Honors Spanish 3, Honors Economics (1st semester), Honors Government (2nd semester), Honors Physics, Graphic Design

Subjective:
Extracurriculars: 3 years in an Environmental Club (Treasurer Senior Year), 1 year in a Math Club, 1 year in a Cultural Club, 1 year in a Political Club, 1 year in a Debate Club
Volunteer/Community service: volunteering at my school garden and going to beach clean ups
Summer Activities: volunteering at my school garden
Essays: 9/10 I wrote about my experience in my environmental club, my love of mathematics, ADHD, and moving to a new home freshman year. My cousin, who is a lawyer, helped me write and correct my essays.

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Environmental Engineering
State: California
School Type: Public
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 35k - 50k
Top 9% by Statewide Path
First Generation: Yes

Reflection

Strengths: ELC, First Generation, my grades had an upward trend, heavy envolvement in my environmental club, essays, grades and standardized test scores well above the average at UC Merced
Weaknesses: bad grades freshman year, no honors courses until my junior year, not that many AP courses
Why I think I was accepted: All the reasons listed in my strengths.
Acceptances: Cal Poly SLO, Cal Poly Pomona, CSULB, LSU, SDSU, SJSU, University of Arizona, UC Riverside
Rejections: Colorado School of Mines
General Comments: I declined admission because I was offered admission to universities I prefer over UC Merced.

5

Accepted

Objective:
SAT: 1430 Essay 23/24
Capped Weighted UC GPA: 3.21
AP (place score in parenthesis): Lang (5), World History (3), Spanish (4), Cal AB (4), Comp Sci (3),
Senior Year Course Load: AP Stat, AP Human Geo, AP Literature, Hon Human Body systems,
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

Subjective:
Strong writer

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Marching Band 4 years, Symphonic 3 years
Job/Work Experience: Contributing writer at our local newspaper in SF Bay Area
Volunteer/Community service: NHS
Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Supplemental Review or LOR submission:

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: English (UCs) Communications (everywhere else)
State (if domestic applicant): CA
First Generation: Y

Reflection
Weaknesses: GPA

Why you think you were accepted: Strong SAT and extracurriculars

Where else were you accepted: UC Riverside, Seattle U, University of Oregon, Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at ASU,
SJSU, Chico state, Cal Poly Pomona, CSU Fullerton, CSUEB, SFSU

Waitlisted: CSULB

Denied: UC Davis, Chapman, LMU, SDSU

General Comments:

6

Decision: Accepted

Objective: Comp Sci
SAT I (breakdown): 1150
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II:
Capped Weighted UC GPA: 3.55
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 56/384
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calculus AB(4), English Language and Composition (2)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: Mainly regular besides APUSH
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Audio Manager or 2 Dance Teams, President of Leadership Council
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service: Educating mathematics at the library.
Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details): ehh 7? Had grammatical and spelling errors. Made sob stories
Supplemental Review or LOR submission:

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: comp sci
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Somewhat Competitive
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 6000 a year
ELC Eligibility: 6050?
First Generation: yes

Reflection

Strengths: GPA upward trends
Weaknesses: Low GPA
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: idek honestly
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: UC Davis, SFSU, CSU San Marcos

7

Accepted! ?

UC GPA: 3.36
Weighted high school GPA: 3.63
SAT: 1250
ACT: 28

AP Tests Taken:
-Psychology (4)
-English Language (3)
-World History (4)
-Environmental Science (2)

Senior Year Schedule:
-AP Statistics
-Graphic Arts 1
-AP Microeconomics/U.S. Government and Politics
-Spanish 3
-AP English Literature
-Journalism 4

Major Awards:
-Los Angeles County Academic Decathlon, 2 silver, 2 bronze medals junior year
-4 medals senior year but wasn’t able to put this in my application
-National Journalism Education Association Conference, won 3rd place in poetry writing
-AP Scholar
-Principal’s Honor Roll (3.8+ GPA) for 2 semesters
-Honor Roll (3.25-3.79 GPA) for 2 semesters

Extracurriculars:
-School newspaper opinions editor (9th, 10th grade), soundcheck/opinions editor (11th grade), editor-in-chief, opinions, soundcheck editor (12th grade)
-Protect Animal Welfare club PR officer (11 grade)
-Link Crew club: help transition of freshmen into high school (11th grade)
-Class council, student government promotion class unity and spirit (9-11th grade)
-Global Exchange Organization, “club that promotes cultural and global awareness, exploring nature, appreciation of foreign and classical cinema” -from my application (9th-12th grade)

I had pretty strong essays, both of my college advisors and AP Lit teacher really liked them and said they were interesting and gave a lot of insight about me.

8

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1520 (730R&W, 790M)
ACT (breakdown): Did not submit
SAT II: Math II 790, Physics 700
Capped Weighted UC GPA: Don’t know, my high school WGPA is 4.37
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): maybe 80th percentile? ballparking it
AP (place score in parenthesis): Computer Science (5), Physics (3), Chinese Language (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, Statistics, AP Literature, Chinese 5, AP Economics, American Government
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): PSAT Letter of Commendation, Junior Book Award, Presidential Service Awards, CFC Service Awards, Certificate of Regonition from the House of Representatives

Subjective:

Extracurriculars: Jazz Band, Engineering Adv Projects, Broadcast Journalism (Website developer), Math Club, Martial Arts
Job/Work Experience: Summer coding instructor in Cambodia, standardised testing/math tutor
Volunteer/Community service: 9 years of service to Cambodian schools, TA at Chinese tutoring school
Summer Activities: iD Tech camps, volunteering, work, coding personal programs, political advocacy
Essays (rating 1-10, details): maybe an 8? One was about my experience introducing coding to Cambodians (leadership), another was about my passion for coding (expressing creative side), another about math (subject that inspires me), and the last about my political activism (community). I was told they were unique and ‘genuine,’ but I honestly am not satisfied with the way i wrote them.
Supplemental Review or LOR submission:

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Computer Science
State (if domestic applicant): California
Country (if international applicant): N/A
School Type: Public
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: $60-80k
ELC Eligibility: Yes
First Generation: No

Reflection

Strengths: Hard science grades and test scores, strong extracurriculars, URM
Weaknesses: grade inconsistency in English and social sciences, low number of AP courses
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Test scores, unique background
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted into Seton Hall University, rejected from UT Austin
Awaiting: UCB, UCSB, UCSD, Georgia Tech, Brown University, Stevens Institute of Technology, Barnard College

9

Decision: Accepted

UC GPA: 3.91
Weighted high school GPA: 4.2
ACT: 35 (Reading: 36, English: 36, Math: 34, Science: 34)
SAT Subject Tests: Math-II: 720, Physics: 640

AP Tests Taken: APUSH(4), World History(3),English Lit&Comp(4), Calculus AB(3)

Senior Year Schedule:
AP Calculus BC
AP English Literature & Composition
AP Microeconomics
Vocation & Discernment
AP Computer Science
From Bing Bang
AP Music Theory

Extracurriculars:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Marching Band 3 years, Robotics Club 4 years (Team Lead)
Job/Work Experience: Internship 2 summers (Sophmore (Paid)/Junior)
Volunteer/Community service: 100+ hrs
Summer Activities: 2 Internships
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 8-9
Supplemental Review or LOR submission:

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Computer Science
State (if domestic applicant): CA
First Generation: Y

Reflection

Strengths: GPA/ACT/Essays
Weaknesses: EC’s, Subject Test Scores
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: ELC and Statewide Path.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted: UIUC, Purdue, UW, UMass, Amherst, SJSU, ASU, Univ of Arizona. Rejected: UC Davis

Pretty Strong Essays, OK EC’s.

10

Decision: Accepted

SAT I (breakdown): 1380 (740 Math, 670 R&W)
SAT II: Math II (730)
Capped Weighted UC GPA: 3.33
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Unknown; school does not rank
AP (place score in parenthesis): APWH(3), Calculus AB(4), APCS(4)

Senior Year Course Load:
AP Stats
AP Calc BC
Honors Principles of Engineering
Expository Reading and Writing
Civics/Econ
PE

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None basically

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Coding Club(Leadership), Underwater Robotics, Orchestra (Going to Carnegie Hall with school and private recitals).

Job/Work Experience: None
Volunteer/Community service: volunteering at local library

Summer Activities:

Algebra 2 over the summer, SAT prep over the summer. NO INTERNSHIPS

Essays (rating 1-10, details): 6 or 7ish in my god honest opinion.

Supplemental Review or LOR submission:

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Computer Science and Engineering
State: California
School Type: Public (Super competitive though)
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 100K -108K
ELC Eligibility: No
First Generation: Yes

Reflection

Strengths: Decent SAT score (however below most at my school), and willing to keep trying to achieve no matter how much I was beat down as inferior
Weaknesses: GPA

Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
My appeal to the readers on how competitive my school/environment was. Despite having such high-achieving students peers and friends, I never stopped trying better myself and achieve the highest I could.

Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:

Waitlisted: none
Accepted: ASU, WSU, University of San Francisco, Chico State, CSULB, East Bay, SFSU, Sacramento State
Rejected: Georgia Tech, UT Austin, University of Washington, UIUC, Purdue SJSU, UC Davis, SDSU

General Comments:
I was told many times I would probably not even make it to UC Merced. But using the discouragement and talking about in my essays was definitely something I would’ve never thought to push me over the edge. It’s still a surprise I got in.

11

Decision: Admitted

Major applied to CS major
Academic stats:
UC Unweighted GPA: 3.69
UC Capped Weighted GPA: 3.96
ACT 31

12

Son got accepted into Computer Science and Engineering SAT 1490 (780 math), WGPA 3.96, average student in class. some church related activities.

13

This discussion is closed. On to the new year 2024.