Did any UC care about the student’s family income? Will it help in being a first generation from a family with $50k income? Just curious.
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UCs do consider “academic accomplishments in light of your life experiences and special circumstances, including but not limited to: disabilities, low family income, first generation to attend college, need to work, disadvantaged social or educational environment, difficult personal and family situations or circumstances, refugee status or veteran status.”
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They have a fantastic program for Marine Biology. Excited for you and your son.
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lol. of course! No one is forcing.
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Two years ago we thought of UC Santa Cruz and UC Davis as the safety schools for our S21, and only after applying did we recognize how ludicrous that was. Once we started to dig into the numbers, we realized that neither is AT ALL a sure thing, regardless of stats. So this year with D23 we made sure to have some CSUs and other small schools that offer merit where acceptance rates are closer to 80% or 90%. Those felt like true “safeties” and we haven’t been nearly as stressed. I don’t think anyone should think of UCSC as a safety. There’s a pretty big drop off between a 90%+ acceptance rate at Merced or Riverside and Santa Cruz which hovers around 60% or something? That’s just a lot of risk in a holistic process where “fit” is a factor.
I don’t know if our son ever truly considered UCSC as a contender based on the other UCs he was lucky to be admitted to, but I’m almost positive it will be a true possibility for our daughter regardless of which other campuses she gets into. It just seems like a good fit for her, so she’ll take a very close look. The one worry for us as a family is that the housing situation there is really a challenge.
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It is not my daughter’s first choice but it is a top choice and she will happily go to UCSC if her favorite UC does not accept her. She loves the area and the vibe and has friends there, they have her specific choice of major, and she loves the hippie thing. It is not her “safety” though–I don’t think there are really any safeties within the UC anymore except maybe Merced. She picked Cal State LA for her safety. (Was admitted).
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"OOS son accepted for Marine Biology
UW GPA 3.7
unsure of capped UC GPA but think 3.9
Great EC’s including paid assistance at Science Institute
4 AP’s (small rural Colorado town)
"
Congrats. But this is puzzling. Not to demean your child’s achievements but lots of kids in CA fit his profile.
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I agree with you, hardly any UC is a safety anymore. UCSC was in the high 40’s% last year and Riverside in the 60s. That’s not a safety with holistic admissions. I know several high stat kids who were completely shut out of UCs last year. My daughter picked a high admission rate Cal State for her safety.
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OOS tends to have higher acceptance rate because of the yield factor. Also applicants are evaluated based on context of their school.
REVEdream’s student is from rural CO. This is a factor and context of what is available to them within the high school.
Yes lots of CA students will have this profile but they are not from rural CO and probably have many more opportunities then someone in rural CO. Again higher acceptances from OOS due to yield factor (OOS students pay much more then CA students)
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I believe the quality of his writing, his EC’s which include paid position in science institute as well as a competitive internship he was accepted to last summer, all helped in this holistic review. He is a very good fit for the school and perhaps they sensed that from his application? I think it adds to a campus experience to have students from different backgrounds and UCSC recognized that with my sons selection. Congrats to all of you!
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He is very excited! We visited last spring and loved the MB opportunities at UCSC😊
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For fall 2022, UCSC had an admission rate of only 43% for in state applicants, which makes it definitely not a safety! But a lot of high stat applicants still think of it that way.
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Oh gosh, I had forgotten that. It was a little higher in my son’s year the year before. But yes – exactly. That is in no way/shape/form a safety for anyone. I know I mentioned this on last year’s forum, but I have a good friend whose S22 was admitted REA to Stanford but waitlisted at UCSC – and never got off the waitlist (I think in '22, very few kids came off the UCSC waitlist; in '21 a TON of kids got in off the waitlist, including several of my son’s friends who now attend). So yeah – fit matters in holistic admissions, and best not to look at any UC other than maybe Merced as a “safety.”
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The admit rate for OOS applicants in 2022 was 71% but only 6% enrolled. Also a student is evaluated in the context of their HS.
Congratulations to your student @REVEdream.
All the UC campuses have capped OOS/International enrollment but campuses like UCSC never reach their maximum capacity for these students. They want to attract competitive applicants from all over.
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i got in 3.4/4.1w
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Congratulations, what major and when did you find out?
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Congratulations! 
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Thank you! I found out yesterday around past noon
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DD Admitted, excited to have in-state option.
Merit scholarships awarded (if any): – National Merit Finalist
Major: Electrical Engineering
Unweighted GPA: 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.6
ELC (top 9% CA HS): Yes
School doesn’t offer APs, took all Honors classes and community college classes (19 credits).
Extracurriculars: Founder of school club, Model UN Club President, played instrument at Carnegie Hall, School District Student Council Advisory student board member, works as a tutor, Varsity sport went to State championships with her team, summer research at UC school.
Supplemental/Augmented Review: No
State/location of HS: CA
Applied for need-based financial aid? No
First Generation? No
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Congratulations on your acceptance and can you post your UC GPA’s and relevant stats to help future applicants. 