<p>Decisions are coming out next Friday and I'm already getting very anxious :( I applied as an Art major, but I was wondering if UCLA admits freshmen art students solely based on the supplemental materials including the portfolio, or is it balanced evenly with grades and SAT scores? Because while my portfolio and SAT scores are decent, my GPA is far below UCLA's average and that's what's worrying me..</p>
<p>I applied as an art major as wellā¦ Completely terrified for Friday. :((
This is what it says on the admission website. </p>
<p>āThe School of the Arts and Architecture and the School of Theater, Film, and Television admits students by declared major (within the school), and put more emphasis on special talents through a review of portfolios and/or auditions, which are the most significant admission factors for these schools.ā</p>
<p>I think itās a prominent part of the admission, but not the sole factor. </p>
<p>Ahh thatās what Iām afraid of because my GPA is terribleā¦ but good luck to you as well! </p>
<p>@Jaehjlee did you submit your transcript with your application? I applied to a different non-Letters-of-Science school, but they didnāt ask me for a transcript. Iām just wondering how theyāre going to see my grades</p>
<p>I had to scan and submit my unofficial transcript along with my portfolio. There should be a list of steps and materials on the official UCLA page for the major youāre applying to. </p>
<p>From what Iāve heard, when applying to the art major your application first goes the School of Art, where your portfolio and artist statement are reviewed specifically by the School of Art faculty and administration, and the School of Art then sends a list of the applicants they would like to admit to General Admissions, who reviews the rest of your application (GPA, test scores, etc.) to insure that you meet the minimum UC standards.</p>
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<p>@Jaehjlee @selavy I applied to the School of Nursing; they specifically said that transcripts arenāt needed but Iām guessing my application is being reviewed by two adcoms. That doesnāt make me feel any better LOL. Ah well, weāll see how it goes. Unfortunately, the nursing school is really under the radar. </p>
<p>@selavy So as long as you make it through the School of Art admissions and have the minimum 3.0 GPA thatās required for all UC schools, youāre guaranteed acceptance? </p>
<p>Hey guys Iām also an art applicant can we possibly share out portfolios?</p>
<p>I applied as an art major as well! Really the only strength Iāve got is my portfolioā¦but I thought UCLA kinda looks at the academic part more though (like compared to NYU and CMU)ā¦thatās because the maximum number of drawings they require is 10 while other unis require up to 20 pieces.
I really canāt wait to hear good news from UCLA! Hope we all get in and best of luck to everyone! </p>
<p>@semivamp You have a point 
but Iāve read from different sources that the portfolio is supposedly the primary factor in art decisions. If you have an exceptional portfolio, then you are pretty much accepted whereas a decent portfolio would be weighted evenly with grades/test scores/essaysā¦</p>
<p>@Jaehjlee That makes me feel betterā¦Iām just hoping that my portfolio is good enough:( Now Iām so desperate to get inā¦ Ughā¦</p>
<p>@semivamp Same! If only Friday could be here faster :(</p>
<p>I have two daughters both in the UCLA School of Art right now so I have some experience in this department. </p>
<p>First and foremost is your portfolio. It has to be killer. Not just best in your high school, it has to be best of the best. UCLAās undergrad and grad art programs are the very best university programs in the country. UCLA Art attracts the very best talent and the competition is at the top level. This year there will be over 1,000 applicants to the art programs with seats for about 45 - 50 incoming freshmen. Sorry, I know this is not what you want to hear right now but these are the facts.</p>
<p>As mentioned, the School of Art goes over applications and portfolios first, they select their choice candidates and then submit that group to the main admissions office for final review.</p>
<p>To answer the unspoken question above, no the UC minimum GPA of 3.0 does not come into play here. You have to be significantly higher than that for realistic chances. UCLA used to publish the exact averages but I havenāt seen that in a few years. The average GPA for admitted School of Art freshmen was about 3.7 (UC method of GPA) but that was a few years ago. Keep in mind this was when the campus-wide admitted student number was about 4.2. I remember that it was about a half a GPA point lower.</p>
<p>Also, donāt forget that UC schools put a very high premium on the number CP classes, the number of honors classes, and AP classes taken in high school. Quantity matters.</p>
<p>I would look at it this way, if you have the stats to get admitted to say UC Santa Cruz, and you have a killer portfolio then you have a a realistic chance to be admitted to UCLA School of Art.</p>
<p>Best of Luck,
Wheaty</p>
<p>Wheaty, I understand that you say that the portfolio must āNot just best in your high school, it has to be best of the bestā, however as the time for notifications gets closer and closer I become more afraid that my portfolio doesnāt adhere to UCLAās standards. From what Iāve seen, many of their student artists focus on conceptual and more abstract work. Does this mean that someone with a more figurative portfolio will be looked down upon in admissions? ?</p>
<p>@Wheaty Thanks for all the info! By ākillerā are you talking about a portfolio that is strong in terms of technical skills (rendering, techniques, use of colors, etc) or a portfolio that has very unique concepts/ideas? Do you by any chance happen to have any examples of what would be accepted into UCLAās art program? </p>
<p>By ākillerā I mean that the portfolio shows not just technical ability but also shows the development of concepts and ideas in art. Ideally, a great college application portfolio shows a high school student operating at a college freshman level already with the added promise of big upside potential with instruction from top professors.</p>
<p>Also remember that UCLA is a conceptual program that instills a deep understanding of the foundations of art across all mediums. Your portfolio doesnāt necessarily have to reflect that but it doesnāt hurt. When asked I generally recommend that a portfolio show a consistent thought as you are showing a concept or exploring an idea through your work. The works can look quite different but a running consistent idea is one way to display your abilities to āplay at the next levelā.</p>
<p>@pthai10, Figurative work is fine but it should ideally have an underlying concept. A message behind the art.</p>
<p>@Jaehjlee, Sorry Iām not allowed to show examples. </p>
<p>Donāt stress about any of this as you will find out on Friday. Iām writing to those that will see this for the next round of applications.</p>
<p>Best of Luck,
Wheaty</p>
<p>PS. Did any of you guys get the email in the last week to apply for the School of Art scholarship? Just curious.</p>
<p>@Wheaty No problem, thank you very much for taking the time to answer my questions! 
And I did not receive any email from the School of Art regarding scholarships. </p>
<p>@Wheaty, did they send the email re: scholarships to all admitted students or just some? Thanks!</p>
<p>My daughter also applied as an art student, and during the art tour, this topic came up, several times. The rep said that as long as you meet the UC requirements for admission, your portfolio is the determining factor. She said that if the art faculty want you, you will be admitted as long as those minimums are met. However, if it comes down to two students, then stats are going to come into play, with higher stats winning out. I highly doubt my D will be admitted-- I donāt even know why she insisted on applying as she doesnāt seem interested in attending there, but I guess we will see on Friday. Even if she gets in, I donāt expect her to attend. But that just means there is one less person competing, and more chance for everyone else who really does want to be there. </p>
<p>Best of luck to you all!</p>