****UCB Freshman Class of 2024 Appeal Thread****

Keep in mind that it is stated in the FAQs that you cannot appeal to be on the waitlist. Is it possible that they are bending this due to the situation?

There are, interestingly enough, no changes on the portal. Whack !

@sparkplug343 Okay, yeah. Makes sense.

But again, about the waitlist status thing-- I don’t think we’ve actually been moved to the waitlist. There are so many other students still on the waitlist. They don’t need us to fill those spots because they already have plenty on the waitlist. Let’s not forget: they rejected us. They chose the people on the waitlist over us because they believed they were better candidates. It would make sense if they moved some appealers over to the waitlist based on new information in their appeal letters, but not all of us. Just because we all appealed doesn’t mean we’re all qualified to be on their waitlist, as I’m sure there are some people out there (maybe myself included-- I have no idea) whose appeals simply weren’t strong enough to even be waitlisted. So then, why would they make them a part of the waitlist? Shouldn’t they simply reject them now instead? Or, more likely, they’re still a part of the appeal pool like everyone else who appealed. No, I don’t think we’ve been moved to waitlist status. I think we’re still in a separate pool, though we are connected to the waitlisters in terms of decision timing. I really think they made a mistake in saying “waitlist status”, or at the very least we weren’t meant to read into it. College’s generally say what they mean in an objective fashion, and if we were moved to the waitlist they probably would’ve just said it.

So did everyone get that same email? Or was there a rejection letter? Or is this the rejection letter?? LOL they worded this so wrong…

This isn’t a rejection letter. The waitlist people got the exact same email (only the first line was different, thanking them for remaining on the waitlist rather than appealing). A rejection email would’ve been upfront and wouldn’t leave any doors open. This email is many things, but that it is not. Cal is displaying interest in us, and I suspect, for good reason.

At this point in time, this seems like a strong hedge against severe summer melt. It’s possible that this was done in preparation for an announcement that all classes will be online, which is expected to make a lot of people unwilling to attend. It’s in Berkeley’s interest to secure a pool of applicants who would be willing to attend regardless. Speaking from a business standpoint, this is an excellent move.

Here’s what I wish they did, and what I would do in their place: be upfront about the risks, and give students an option to mark whether or not they’ll attend online-only if that happens. This would give them better data for decision-making. I for one will still attend online classes, but I know a good amount of people who wouldn’t, and having that data would allow Cal to make significantly better projections & estimates.

I also wish they were clearer about what exactly happens to the appealers—if we got lumped into a waitlist, would appreciate them being more clear about that.

Regardless, this is for the history books for sure. A waitlist for appealers and Waitlist 2: Electric Boogaloo for other waitlisters. Wild beyond recognition.

Congratulations! Are you OOS or IS?

Dude, I still haven’t received an email.

Hey guys! I think that the response is a good sign, given the covid-19 pandemic the 16% of international students will not be able to get their student visas and uc Berkeley will have to fill those spots some how. Stay hopeful!!! And if we don’t get in at least we tried and were waitlisted.

Have there been any appeal rejections? I’m the guy who used up all 500 characters to write “Go Bears!” and I received the same email y’all received.

I got that email too btw. I really hope we got waitlisted and soon hopefully get accepted. I really don’t want to believe that we are rejected unless they directly tell us without giving us any new information about spots opening up. I’m still hopeful at this point. There was an appeal acceptance while there are still people in waitlist so I’m not going to drop it until they do so.

I’m Dead @thianos

Also, would someone like to volunteer asking if it was a mistake by the wording, or are we waitlisted?

It was definitely a mistake in the wording. There’s no way that they put every single person who appealed on the waitlist. Appeals were rejected for a reason, and waitlists were waitlisted for a reason.

I feel like these might be separate waitlists. Berkeley is probably low-key desperate tho is they’re keeping all of us on some form of a waitlist tho.

I hope that it was not a typo and they actually mean it that we are on some sort of waitlist. I would love to have chance to get into Berkeley.

If it was wording error, there would’ve been a corrective email sent out. Universities don’t mess around with these types of things.

It’s clear that this is a hedging strategy like I outlined in my long reply above.

I appealed to Uw and actually got put on the waitlist from my appeal, so I have reason to believe that Cal did something similar but it is suspicious that nobody has been rejected yet.

My friend appealed UCLA, and got clear rejected last week. Is this the same as last year? Berk last year 925 vs 24 (Appealer vs got in).

Did u check the portal? any updates there?

Can we get a count on who has gotten what response? Either accepted from appeal, waitlist email, or nothing yet. I got the waitlist email.