***uc santa cruz class of 2023 decision thread***

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Santa Cruz
1

Yes I got caught off guard as the New UC Forum Champion so I am starting this thread in the hopes there are more decisions coming out in the next few weeks. I will try to move the decisions already posted into this thread if possible.

**Please Post your decision in this thread. For questions and discussions, please refer to the following thread: **

http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-santa-cruz/2114047-uc-santa-cruz-2023-applicant-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=#FFA500]Decision: Waitlisted[/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

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1590 (800 math, 790 reading/writing)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: Math 2 – 750, Physics – 720
Capped Weighted UC GPA: 4.13
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A (but probably valedictorian)
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Bio (4), AP Chem (3), AP Lang (5), AP Physics 1 (4), AP Calc AB (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: Modern History II, Modern Lit II, Organic Chemistry, Calculus II, Spanish III, Senior Thesis
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): N/A

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Mentoring and moderating at school (head moderator and mentor, student representative, founding member), Piano (finished CM testing), Voice (Western and Carnatic), Speech and Debate (club captain, nationally ranked in top 10)
Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community service: Worship team at church (lead vocalist and pianist), tutoring at low-income public elementary school
Summer Activities: Taught at speech camps
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Essay #1 about mentoring new students at school – 8
Essay #2 about piano and how it transformed me as a person – 9
Essay #3 about tutoring low-income students – 7
Essay #4 about women in stem – 8
Supplemental Review or LOR submission: N/A

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Electrical Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): California
Country (if international applicant): N/A
School Type: Private (homeschool online)
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: high
ELC Eligibility: No
First Generation: No

Reflection

Strengths: Scores, grades, essays
Weaknesses: Work experience
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I have good scores and a loaded transcript. Essays were good, too.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted to Biola, LeTourneau, UC Davis, University of the Pacific. Rejected by Stanford.

General Comments: Congratulations to all!

3

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1230 (670 reading/writing, 560 math)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: N/A
Capped Weighted UC GPA: 3.9
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): APUSH (5) English Language (4) Psych (4) World History (3)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: 3 APs (Gov/Macroecon, Literature), no math, Forensic Science, Philosophy, Photography
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): 4 years of varsity volleyball (captain 2 years), 1 year of frosh swim, Debate Club, Young Activists Club, Athletic Council, Photography Club
Job/Work Experience: 1 year as hostess at pizza place (it was horrible), math tutor, babysitter, youth volleyball coach
Volunteer/Community service: Organized a fundraiser that raised over $4,000 for Heifer International, apart of a program dedicated to civil service in my community, volunteered at several homeless shelters
Summer Activities: Volleyball camps/training
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Essay #1 about my life growing up with ADHD - 8
Essay #2 about my fundraising project - 7
Essay #3 about how several teachers have impacted my learning/life - 9
Essay #4 the creativity I express through debate - 9
Supplemental Review or LOR submission: N/A

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Cognitive Science
State (if domestic applicant): California
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: Upper middle class (170,000)
ELC Eligibility: Yes
First Generation: No

Reflection

Strengths: My essays were definitely my strength. I started working on them the summer before Senior year so about 3-4 months before we had to submit and that really gave me the time to make all the changes I needed and feel like my essays were a true representation of who I am both as a student and as a person. Get as many people to read/edit them as you can!!
Weaknesses: My SAT score. I only took it once because I felt like if I got a ‘good enough’ score then I wouldn’t need to try again. 1230 is like the bare minimum I think for a UC. At the time I was mainly considering Cal States. I feel like taking it once your Junior year and then again about 6+ months later is the best bet.
Why you think you were accepted: I think I’m pretty well rounded and am not one of those kids who spends their time just on school (no offense if you do though, to each their own). My essays represented my personality and story as well.
Where else were you accepted: I only applied to 3 schools, UC Santa Barbara, UCSC and Cal State Long Beach (my hometown), so I was accepted at CSULB but that doesn’t really mean anything since we get automatic admission for being in the Long Beach School District. My school generally isn’t very competitive with colleges. We have like 10-15 kids maybe who try for the big schools, but most of us just end up at SLO or CSULB.

General Comments: Congrats to everyone who got in and for the future applicant: get as many people as you can to read your essays and make sure your personality really shines through, thats the most important part.

4

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1200 (700 reading/writing, 500 math)
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II: N/A
Capped Weighted UC GPA: 3.86
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top ten
AP (place score in parenthesis): US History (3), Psych (4), AP Lang (3)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: Ethnic Studies, AP Literature, AP Gov, Aerobics, Choir, Stats
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): N/A

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Black Student Union (former president and treasurer), choir volunteer (football concessions), coded my own website using html in order to provide a voice for minorites in the music industry, analog photographer, choir member
Job/Work Experience: Doordash assistant to my mom teehee
Volunteer/Community service: Football concessions for choir (around 60- 70 hours)
Summer Activities: nothing too major except for visiting family haha
Essays (rating 1-10, details): wrote about my involvement in my school’s Black Student Union, being from an eastbound state and how I appreciate and utilize the cultural differences between the two coasts, my HTML blog dedicated to minorities and women in the music industry, and learning to ask for help when needed. I was nervous about these as they were the first few essays that I submitted in my application process. Thankfully, it worked out well :slight_smile: I feel weird about rating my essays (so I decline), but I did enjoy writing them and feel as if they reflected my values and leadership in my community.

Supplemental Review or LOR submission: N/A

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes!!!
Intended Major: Political Science
State (if domestic applicant): CA :wink:
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: $35,000-$40,000
ELC Eligibility: Yes
First Generation: Yes

Reflection

Strengths: Essays, ECs
Weaknesses: SAT (math section)
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I’m not sure. I don’t want to toot my own horn. I did have a few leadership roles and community service so maybe that made them accept me. Also, my essays were pretty good!
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Accepted into Spelman, Fordham, XULA, Whittier College

5

Decision: Accepted
UC GPA: 3.9
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: Pretty Strong Essays/Scores/ELC
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted: UIUC, Purdue, UW, UMass, Amherst, SJSU, ASU, Univ of Arizona. Rejected: UC Davis, CalTech. WaitListed: SantaClara

6

**Decision: Accepted

SAT 1300 (670 reading/writing, 630 math)
Capped Weighted UC GPA: 3.91

Senior Year Course Load:
AP Literature
Spanish 4 honors
Physiology honors
Gov/Econ
Broadcast III

Extracurriculars: film club (festival director), hygiene helpers club, 1 year of school sport
Job/Work Experience: 4 jobs (2 food service, hostess, & babysitting)
Volunteer/Community service: 3 different volunteer programs, (4 years of one, 2 years of other two)
Summer Activities: None
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Essay #1 about my creativity, photography specifically – 7
Essay #2 about english class and how it shaped me creatively – 8
Essay #3 about my volunteer program with special needs children – 9
Essay #4 about broadcasting class and how it changed/taught me – 8.5

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Film (Production)
State: California
School Type: Public
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 130,000
First Generation: No

Strengths: work experience, essays that centered on personal creativity
Weaknesses: lack of extracurriculars
Why you think you were accepted: good GPA, good SAT [stats match with average accepted students I think]
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted - San Diego State, CSU Long Beach, CSU Northridge, Cal State LA, San Francisco State; no rejections or waitlists SO FAR

7

Decision: Waitlisted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 35 Composite (35 Math, 35 Reading, 35 English, 36 Science, also a 10/12 in writing)
SAT II: (800 Math 2, 720 Physics, 680 Chem, 740 Bio Molecular)
Capped Weighted UC GPA: 3.91
https://rogerhub.com/gpa-calculator-uc/
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): school doesnt report either, I am probably top 20 in my class though
AP (place score in parenthesis): Bio(3) Apush(3) Chem(4) Physics(4) Stats(4) Lang(4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load:
AP Calc BC, AP Physics 2, ROP Mechatronics Lab Honors, AP Psychology, AP Literature & Composition, CP Economics, CP Government
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
1st Place Odyssey of the Mind State Competiton (2018), 27th place Odyssey of the Mind World Finals (2018), AP+PLTW Award, National Merit Letter of Commendation

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Odyssey of the Mind 2016-present
Calabasas Online Tutoring (Vice President)
CTeen (Leadership Board)
Swimming

Job/Work Experience: Iacocca Global Entrepreneurship Intensive(IGEI). 5-week precollege program at Lehigh where we worked with real companies on actual solutions to problems they were having

Volunteer/Community service: Calabasas Online tutoring is a Khan-Academy style website covering topics from math to history to hebrew. I am a tutor, video producer, and helped design our camera rig.

CTeen is a jewish youth group that focuses on having fun events and also community service. We have helped feed homeless at Santa Monica Pier, worked with the Friendship Circle, worked with Habitat for Humanity, and help build sukkah’s for people during Sukkot and many more service activities throughout the year.

Summer Activities: Spanish III AB at CSUN (after 10th grade)

IGEI (mentioned above)(after 11th grade)

Essays (rating 1-10, details): 8.5 for each, solid essays detailing my desire to diverge from the religion I was born into, also talked about my scoliosis, talked about my love for engineering and my creation of homemade puzzle boxes.
Supplemental Review or LOR submission:
Did not submit LOR

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: Biomolecular engineering
State (if domestic applicant): California
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: public
Gender: male
Income Bracket: 200k+
ELC Eligibility:
First Generation: no

Reflection

Strengths: ACT, displayed passion for engineering, EC’s
Weaknesses: GPA
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I have absolutely no idea.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Accepted UW, Waitlisted Cal poly SLO, Illinois at Urbana Champaign, rejected from Purdue and MIT

8

**[size=4][color=#008000]Decision
Accepted [\color][\size]

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):1210 (630 reading/writing 580 math)
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II:
Capped Weighted UC GPA: 3.83
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parenthesis)BIO (2) Ap world history (4) APUSH (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: APES, MUN4, AP LIt, Pre-Calculus, AP gov, AP microecon
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):Best Delegate frosh and junior years MUN. don’t know if that’s major but highest honor for MUN.

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):MUN secretariat (leadership), 3 years varsity wrestling, one year STEM, 4 years MUN with national and international travel to Europe.
Job/Work Experience:cashier 1year, trading Forex with own account.
Volunteer/Community service:280 hours. Church bout tree. Homeless outreach program, sports tournament volunteer
Summer Activities:summer school, work (cashier), summer wrestling program
Essays (rating 1-10, details):8-9
Supplemental Review or LOR submission: no

Applied for Financial Aid?:yes
Intended Major: Economics
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: public
Gender: M
Income Bracket:
ELC Eligibility:
First Generation: no

Reflection

Strengths:essays and EC’s plus Course rigor.I don’t think my GPA was bad for the school but below average.
Weaknesses:SAT (especially math), Gpa?
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: IThink my essays were solid. Talked about my trading and the mentorshio with my Econ teacher think that helped support my major choice. Also talked about my work in the community esp with homeless and foster kids. I think my gpa also fell in the norms of average student along with verbal score SAT. They probably thought I was a good candidate to SIR.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:accepted CSUF, waitlisted CSULB, rejected, SDSU, SLO, NYU, USC, UCB, UCLA, UCD, UCSD, UCSB, UCI.

General Comments: