<p>I was rejected from UCLA this past Friday. It came as a shock to me because this was my top choice school. I know the reason why was because my SAT score was low. Here is a breakdown of my scores/extracurriculars etc:</p>
<p>College GPA: 4.45
SAT Score: 1920 (680 CR, 600 Math, 640 Writing)
AP Spanish Language: 4
Current senior year schedule: AP English Literature and Composition, AP Spanish 6 Literature, AP Calculus AB, Physics Honors, Yearbook
Editor-In-Chief of the School Yearbook
President of the Persian Club
Varsity Soccer Captain
Club Soccer Captain
Played piano for 10 years
Volunteer at the animal shelter
Internship at a lab during the summer
Took 3 college courses, received 2 A's and one B</p>
<p>So here's my question: Should I even bother appealing? If so, what should information should I state that is NEW and COMPELLING? Any ideas/suggestions? Please let me know. Thank you so much!!!</p>
<p>Yes, SAT is low for UCLA. To be honest, I think in this competitive environment, your course load is light as well.</p>
<p>AP Calc AB as a senior when many competitive kids have AP Calc BC as a junior, Physics honors v AP Physics, not sure how many APs total, but just one AP test score of a 4 in Spanish… I know several kids that got in and typical schedule was 3-4 APs as a junior and senior, and that is who you are competing with. So your GPA while high, but is based on a lighter schedule than a lot of kids. Your ECs are good, and pretty typical (nothing extraordinary stands out for me) but they don’t mean as much as people think. I believe a computer looks through GPAs and SATs before anyone sees an EC.</p>
<p>While I don’t want to tell you not to appeal, cause who knows, you can certainly try. But I think your time would be better spent looking into your other options. Sorry to be so direct, but there isn’t much time between now and May 1st.</p>
<p>Yes you are right. I need to be realistic about my chances. I think that if my SAT score was 200 points higher, I would have for sure gotten in. Thanks for the help!</p>
<p>Honestly, 200 pts higher on the SAT wouldn’t have mattered. When applying to UCLA one must realize that most people applying to UCLA all have similar stats and any one of them would do well here. With those stats I would say that you are competitive, but (and this is without having seen your P.S.) nothing stands out to me.</p>
<p>It’s not really your SAT score completely but also your high school classes, as mentioned above by someone. I took 8 AP classes in high school and that’s still considered mediocre at UCLA. I know people who took 12 AP tests and passed them. One of my good friends also got a 1910 on his SAT and got accepted as an EE major. His score was relatively low but he’s one of the smartest guys I know. </p>
<p>I think it doesn’t hurt to try to appeal. If you have the time, then I highly suggest going for it since UCLA is a great school. Judging by your extracurriculars, you seem like a South Campus aka science/engineering major (correct me if i’m wrong!). Since you’ve worked in a lab, UCLA is a great school to go to if you’re interested in research. However, factor in that they probably will not take you if your major is an impacted major (meaning that there are many people who want that major) such as Bio Engineering, Biology, etc. </p>
<p>I have no idea what you should write in your essay, since I don’t know how the appeal process works out, sorry!</p>
<p>Sorry about the rejection. Wish you the best.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, almost 100,000 people applied to UCLA, so the school can be very picky. Not that your grades/scores/ecs were bad, they just weren’t enough to make you stand out in a field that big. I’m convinced that there is an element of luck in this whole thing; in that big of an applicant pool, students who may have completely deserved to get in could have been passed over.</p>
<p>You have around a 50/50 chance with an appeal. Your stats are actually good enough for UCLA as your EC(s) are quite good. Your course load may be a little light but that’s okay as a thousand AP classes does not equate to acceptances. Your SAT score is okay, not amazing, but okay and thus you still have a chance for an appeals. You probably gotten rejected not for your stats, but due to your UC essays as UCLA cares way too much for those. So if your appeal letter makes a good impression, you’ll probably get in. I’ve had friends who appealed with much lower SAT scores and little to no extracurricular and got their rejections revoked. Low as in the 1600 for SAT, 3-4 AP Classes, and only ec was community service at its minimum; but they were really good writers, one who is now majoring in English Lit and another in Philosophy.</p>
<p>Wow a lot of people on this thread are really harsh. You have a great GPA (slightly above average for UCLA) plus STELLAR extracurriculars with all your AP classes. The SAT is being less accounted for nowadays. I’m surprised you didn’t get in because I know a lot of people who barely touched on extracurriculars with a 2000 SAT and 4.5 GPA and got in. Obviously you have done so much more work than them and your academics are still strong.</p>
<p>My point is, appeal, but stress new, compelling information. You have a lot to say, I bet.</p>
<p>I submitted my appeal last night. I talked about a few things.</p>
<ol>
<li>How UCLA is the best school for my major (Cognitive Sciences) and I talked about the wonderful campus etc and how attending UCLA would allow me to achieve my dream of becoming a neurosurgeon.</li>
<li>The fact that I’ve lived in a small town of just 50,000 people and how living in LA would allow me to expand my horizons and how living in a metropolitan city at this point in my life is necessary to my personal development. </li>
<li>When I was 5, I tested English as a second language, so it was difficult for me to read and write, resulting in me having to work extra hard outside of school to catch up.</li>
<li>I talked about how attending UCLA would allow me to be close to my brother who goes to school at UCSD. I mentioned how I’ve only seen him twice in the past year and how it’s been difficult not seeing him on a regular basis. He also has been going through some personal trouble, so I talked about how going to LA would allow me to be there for him if he needed anything. </li>
<li>I repackaged all the info in my application (high GPA, well-balanced extracurriculars etc)</li>
<li>And finally I respectfully asked the admissions office to strongly reconsider its decision</li>
</ol>
<p>That’s about all I talked about. What do you guys think? Do I have a shot?</p>
<p>“I talked about how attending UCLA would allow me to be close to my brother who goes to school at UCSD.” :O. So you want to be further away from him to be closer to your brother? Cool contradiction. It’s up to the gods now if you got a chance.</p>
<p>Those are very good classes, especially since a lot of schools don’t really offer classes such as those unless they are in a special program, but you should definitely appeal because you have good stats and 1920 isn’t a bad score, as I know for sure kids with much lower scores get in, since my friend got in with 1500’s and her classes weren’t very good. It could’ve been your personal statement since that’s what she worked really hard on, but you should try anyways and have something new but don’t whine about it, like have something like financial situations, sickness, or having to support someone in time of need, and then describe how you prevailed.</p>