Now that the UC application submission filing period has opened, I have posted a thread for discussions regarding the UC campuses. Please post any questions of interest in regards to the specific UC campuses and the UC application process.
Best of luck to all.
@Gumbymom my son just submitted his application and is having regret about the majors he chose for Davis. He is thinking he picked things “too niche” in the college of letters and sciences and that he should have chosen something more like undeclared, or sociology or anthropology that would have higher numbers admitted.
is it possible to go back into your application and switch your chosen major? Would you recommend against this?
Is it better to pick undeclared at Davis if you are interested in the letters and sciences college.
Actually he has the same sort of regret about Santa Cruz. If he has his heart set on something really specific like critical race studies should he pair it with Anthropology so as to give himself a wider cast net?
Thank you @Gumbymom
UCD does not admit by major for the College of Letters and Sciences. They admit by division within the college and it is fairly easy to change majors so your son should not have any regrets. I would leave the major as listed on the UC application.
UCSC also does not admit by major exception is for the College of Engineering. I think he is also fine in the major he listed on the UC application since it is easy to change majors. At UCSC, you are basically admitted as Undeclared and then need to take the major pre-req’s to declare his major so changing major is fairly easy early on.
Thank you @Gumbymom !
Last question- is it problematic that he chose a primary and a secondary major from two different divisions in the college of arts and sciences. One from humanities and one from social sciences?? I think he sees himself more in the social sciences division but one in the humanities appealed to him also… Now I guess we are wondering the opposite did he look like he was on a fishing expedition!
By the way the above question is for Davis sorry for going off topic on this thread
No it is not problematic that he choose 2 different majors from different divisions within the College for UCD or any other school. Switching majors within the College are not issue and this will give him time to explore all options.
does anyone know when they will send emails to set up the application portal?
@coffeecollege: It should be anytime now. I saw another poster state that they just received notification of the application being received so the portal information should follow.
Did anyone get an email from Uc Santa Cruz saying they will be having in person classes on campus this fall? My S got this from Santa Cruz but no other UCs. Anyone else receive this email? He hasn’t even been accepted yet so I find it strange.
Does his email say something like "we hope to see you on campus this fall as a new Banana Slug. "?
Yes it did. Is that just generic for everyone who applied to Santa Cruz? Did you receive that email too?
My S received the same email last week. It looks like a generic email, unless it’s a sign for some selected applicants 
Ok. thank you!
My son received that email a couple weeks ago and then I received it yesterday.
We got the “Banana Slugs are Coming Back to Campus” email yesterday at 5:06 PM. 
Yeah, I got it yesterday too. I think it’s a strange thing to send out with phrasing like “Our redwood trees and beautiful Pacific Ocean views await your student!” when they have not even sent out admissions decisions (and may have to disappoint not only us, but the trees and the ocean as well… just building up a lot of expectation there).
UCSC is not my son’s first choice, but it’s a serious contender and I would like to hear if he’s accepted. I realize this is not one, but I also think it is phrased rather carelessly and could confuse many people.
My hunch is that many universities, the UCs in particular are trying to reassure folks that they are moving towards in person instruction. The yield rates for several schools were lower than planned for in 2020 due to COVID. Lots of accepted students declined, chose other schools, took a gap year, went to JC etc. The email referenced actually went to parents of applicants. They are trying to get out ahead of this in 2021 and assure families that accepted students will be able to attend in person. I agree that it may create an unintended expectation but I also understand why they are doing it.
I agree with you. We received the email as well. Assuming it was sent to all applicants, it’s definitely a bit of a careless thing to send to the over 50% who will not receive admission.
I think it would have helped to emphasize the point that acceptance decisions have not yet been made. As a rough analogy, it’s like telling someone excitedly about a party I’m planning and not inviting them.
I was surprised to get an actual acceptable letter within less than a week from Sonoma State. Obviously, their acceptance rate is much higher, and I guess because (it’s my understanding) they’re a popular “safety school” they may be more eager to get students, not just applications.
My spouse read too much into it. I, OTOH, have been on this forum for a few years, so I cautioned her that it probably went out to everyone. The wording is misleading of course.
UCSC is not among D21’s top choices, but we would be very grateful to receive an acceptance and evaluate it along with her EA acceptance and any other potential acceptances. As a family, we love the Santa Cruz area, beaches, etc.