Each campus will complete their own individual review of the application independently of one another, which means that they’re going to review the information in the application and select students without asking what the other campuses have decided. Getting waitlisted at one campus does not predict an applicants chances at other campuses.
UC’s have historical data on their enrollment yields and are familiar with what kind of students that will accept their admission offer. The UC’s are transparent in what they consider during their application review but are not transparent on how they weight each item of criteria.
UC’s are trying to form a diverse class with students that have different ideas, backgrounds and perspectives. There are so many factors involved in these decisions, that predictability is not possible. California has a highly competitive pool of students and the UC’s cannot admit all that qualify. Your student can only go to one school, so hopefully they applied to a variety of schools and will several options from which to choose.
I have no first hand experience when it comes to the inner workings of admissions but I am good with research and have listened to several UC counselor conference topics.
“Comprehensive Review” from the UC Counselor Conference::
All admission application readers undergo extensive professional training before reading a “real” application; Continuing training may also be conducted during the read-cycle.
Internal readers are those individuals within the admissions office such as evaluators, recruitment and outreach specialists, and other admissions team members.
External readers are those individuals outside of the admissions office. These individuals are often high school counselors, teachers, or leadership; campus outreach staff such as EAOP staff; independent counselors, graduate students, department staff, alumni, etc.
All applications are reviewed regardless of whether the student meets all of the minimum admissions requirements.
Multiple reads often occur as part of various quality control measures instituted by the campuses. Each campus may have different requirements on the number of times an application is read.
The admission rates and enrollment targets vary from campus to campus, and can even vary within each campus’s colleges, divisions, or majors.
Students with slightly lower-than-expected grades can utilize the Additional Comments section of the application to provide context for admissions readers.
UC Comprehensive Review policy ensures that the full extent of each applicant’s academic and personal accomplishments is taken into consideration within the context of the opportunities that were available to that student. No single factor plays a deciding role in how an applicant is evaluated. Campuses will continue to review and consider every piece of information shared via the UC application. As such, grades alone do not form the basis of an admission decision.
Do they mean their actual UCSC email address or an email sent to their application email address?
On the admissions site, they clearly mention prioritizing admitted students for in-person tours but then again they’re planning a virtual day on 04/16. So, who knows?
My Daughter was also waitlisted at UCSC, shocked that your daughter was as well with those grades. My D has 3.67 UW, 4.11W (I think).
3 APs, several other honors courses.
5 CC classes
Rejected at Davis, Accepted at SLO (1st choice). Have not heard back from San Diego State.
Was going to go CC 100% before SLO acceptance and visit/tour yesterday and she absolutely loved it. So looks like we have a mustang.
Also applied to UCSB and UCLA.
They are having guided walking tours of the campus that you can sign up for. There was an email to admitted students. It’s subject is “Ways to Connect with UCSC This Week” - if you scroll down you will see the button to register for a tour.
How long did he have to wait to get off the waitlist? I know it is different every year but I am just curious??? My son is on it for CS this year…4.19 weighted and even took UCSC CS class last summer and received an A
Our son did not get that email. Did it go to your personal email or did UCSC assign you a school email that came to? He would love to sign up for a tour.
I know that last year many of my son’s friends started to get off the UCSC waitlist around early May – so it was pretty soon after the SIR deadline of May 1, 2021. Not sure if the SIR deadline this year is the same (I’m in between application cycles with my two oldest – had one last year, have his younger sister applying next year). My sense is that it varies a bit year to year, but I know for sure that LOTS of kids got off UCSC’s waitlist in 2021 when there was very little movement on the rest of the UC waitlists. His best friend from HS got off the waitlist into CS and is currently attending UCSC. Good luck to your family! It will all be okay. I was such a basket case this time last year, and I’m sure I’ll be back here next year doing the same with my middle kid.
Gotcha – good to know. It really did feel like a lot got off the waitlist last year even when the other UC waitlists felt like a trickle. Good to see that confirmed! But tough for those who have to wait. Good luck to you all. It’s a beautiful school and may end up being towards the top of my daughter’s list next year. I think she’s afraid to get too attached to the notion of joining her brother at UCLA – talk about an admissions crap shoot! Good news is that most of these young people really do seem to “grow where they are planted,” as the saying goes.
Nothing yet per S22. He isn’t planning to attend UCSC but wants to go to slug day because he has friends who go there, and who doesn’t like a day out in Santa Cruz?
I don’t find it creepy at all. They knew my daughter wouldn’t choose them so they waitlisted her. We aren’t mad. We get it. At the end of the day it’s all a game. They want to make full offers to those who will accept. If your kid is competitive enough for UCLA I guarantee UCSC knows that.
FWIW my older kid was waitlisted from Davis, rejected from UCSB and accepted to UCI and UCLA. (She didn’t apply to UCSC).
Unless you tell them explicitly, the UCs do not have complete insight into where your student wants to go nor where else they’ll get in. And I would stay away from suggesting that UCSC is focused on accepting students who aren’t likely to be accepted at UCLA or UCB.
Never said that. I said that they’re interested in accepting kids they think will more likely attend based in whatever data/algorithm they are using. If a kid is a high stat kid, they’re not getting rejected. It appears they’re getting waitlisted which gives them another opportunity to express interest.
UCSC was my daughters 1st choice for like a year. We know it’s an amazing school.
It is same here. My D was Waitlisted at UCSC rejected at UCD and accepted at SLO and SDSU and GPA UCW 4.1. Looks like a pattern and I see few similar cases.
