UCLA Class of 2018 Official Decisions/Discussion

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Los Angeles
1041

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Major: Biology</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT: 2320 (800 Math, 800 Reading, 720 Writing)
SAT II: 800 Math 2, 700 Biology
ACT: 36 (35 Math, 36 Science, 36 Reading, 10 Writing)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.88
AP: 5 BC Calculus, 5 APUSH, 4 Biology, 4 Environmental Science</p>

<p>Subjective
School: Math and Science Magnet School
Extracurriculars: President of 3 Clubs, FPS State Finalist
Work Experience: Student Researcher at Fermilab
Community service: 800+ hours on and off campus
Essays: Excellent</p>

<p>Other:
State (if domestic applicant): Illinois
Ethnicity: Chinese
Gender: M
Where else were you accepted: UCSD, WashU, Northwestern </p>

1042

<p>@jwen556 - Thanks for sharing the detail - I am sure the immediate decision is inconsequential for you.
But I know and heard of more such cases - both admissions and scholarship awards cases, where rationalizing the known decisions was impossible.</p>

<br>

<br>

<p>Nothing comes up as a red flag, but more questions:</p>

<p>1) Did the adcom have additional info which made the student not a good fit for the UCLA campus?
If not, What would UCLA lose by offering admission?
2) Did UCLA have “yield” in mind while declining?</p>

<p>All this probably begs for more transparency to the “holistic” process.</p>

1043

<p>There is definitely some pattern going on here- overqualified students with high stats getting wait listed/rejected while barely qualified students getting accepted. I think UCLA really cares about its yield this year, which is kinda dumb. </p>

1044

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Major: Civil Engineering</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT: 2220 (800 Math, 720 Writing, 700 Reading)
SAT II: 790 Math 2, 740 Chemistry, 700 Physics
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.83
AP: 5 Calc AB, 5 Chemistry, 5 Physics, 4 AP Lang
Senior Year Course Load: AP Literature, AP Biology, AP Economics/Gov, AP Calc B/C, AP Stats</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars: stuff, archery, math, engineering, robots, yay
Work Experience: Server
Community service: minimum
Essays: Talked about how I was robin hood </p>

<p>Other:
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian (Korean)
Gender: M</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: not much
Weaknesses: a lot
Why you think you were accepted: took a summer program for robotics at ucla
Where else were you accepted: UCI UCSD UOP (Pre-Dental) UIUC </p>

1045

<p>@classof2018app, I see the trend at other UC campuses too. I have seen this for regents awards too. On website it is claimed as merit only award, but we are unable to rationalize even within one high school - a dozen students get the award and the val is shut out. Blame it on “holistic” dice. :)</p>

1046

<p>I read on the Cal Poly site that out of state applicants don’t compete with the in state applicant pool. I suppose they mean there is a certain amount of OOS students that get in and they only compete with other OOS for those spots. If true, does the same thing apply at the UCs? Anyone have any info on this? Just curious, I didn’t realize that if so.</p>

1047

<p>@cadreamin OOS are placed above in-states imo for UCLA, since there is a 33% acceptance for oos kids while an 18% for in-state, based on last year’s stats. </p>

1048

<p>ACCEPTED! </p>

<p>ACT: 25 composite
GPA: 3.93
AP Courses: AP Lang (2), AP Physics (2), AP Calc BC (n/a), AP Psych (n/a)</p>

<p>Extracurricular:
Multicultural Leadership Council President
Forensics Captain
Site Council Rep
Cheerleading
Vocal Jazz
Theatre and Drama</p>

<p>Work Experience:
Frozen Yogurt shop</p>

<p>School type:
Wisconsin
medium-sized public school
moderately competitive
(first generation + low income)</p>

<p>Reflection:
Strengths: my essays were anecdotes about the Vietnam war experience, OOS, GPA, extracurriculars
Weaknesses: ACT score, AP courseload, </p>

1049

<p>I’m not quite sure how UCLA approached decisions this year… a lot of incredible peers of mine didn’t get the nod :(</p>

<p>Decision: Accepted in-state (+engineering “likely” email), Bioengineering</p>

<p>Objective:
UC GPA (uncapped): around 4.6
SAT: 2400 single sitting
AP Exams: 9 APs - 5’s on all
Senior Year Course Load: AP US Gov and Pol, AP Macroeconomics, AP Chemistry, Business, AP Literature
Major Awards: Intel STS Semifinalist, Siemens Semifinalist, National Merit Finalist, Presidential Scholars Candidate, Some science olympiad and piano awards, nominated for some humanitarian awards and invited to speak as an expert panelist at a United Nations conference, published author</p>

<p>Extracurriculars: President of four activism-related clubs, successfully drafted and lobbied to pass a citywide environmental ordinance, editor of literary magazine, research internship, developed a humanitarian mobile app, board member of a large youth ngo, interned at a tech startup, founded a policy journal, varsity track and tennis, piano, barack obama campaign internship + another political internship, etc.
Work experience: None
Community service: Nope, the activism I pursue’s more policy-based
Essays: Both were maybe 8/10</p>

<p>Other:
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: F</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: Awards, grades, scores
Weaknesses: ECs all over the place
Why you think you were accepted: College admissions are so random nowadays, don’t like to speculate
Where else were you accepted: UChicago, Georgetown, UMich, USC, UCB (regents candidate), UCSD, UCSB (regents scholar), UCSC</p>

<p>Congratulations to everyone else who was accepted, and to those who weren’t, I’m sure that you’ll end up at the right place when all is said and done! <3</p>

1050

<p>~Deleted~</p>

1051

<p>@moderndayratpack You didn’t get Regents at UCSD?</p>

1052

<p>Is UCLA accepting applicants with lower stats this year?
My GPA isn’t great, but I was accepted and so was a friend that was waitlisted at UCSD. Is it like this every year, or is UCLA trying to increase yield or something? Hm.</p>

1053

<p>@Novulux Nope, I didn’t! It’s alright though, I’m sure they had their reasons :)</p>

1054

<p>@narcissist it’s like that every year.</p>

1055

<p>any other varsity basketball players accepted?</p>

1056

<p>to all of you wondering how qualified applicants didn’t get in: holistic approach is more than just stats.</p>

1057

<p>^^ true. the admissions office looks at if you’re a good fit for UCLA, and then accept you if they truly believe that you are. for those people who didn’t get in and are complaining that people with lower stats got in, keep in mind that UCLA is the most applied to school in the country, and that the admissions office believed that you would be a better fit for another great school. but, don’t hate UCLA because they rejected you. for me, after I got my rejection letter from upenn ed, I kind of lost all motivation to do anything, and I just hated the school for not being able to see my potential. But, during these couple of weeks, I got acceptances from other great schools who were able to see my potential, and I realized that I was probably not that great of a fit for UPenn after all. so, just keep your heads up :)</p>

1058

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT: 2270 (700 CR, 780 M, 790 W)
SAT II: 750 Math II, 700 US History
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9
Weighted GPA: 4.5
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 5%
AP (place score in parenthesis): English Language (5), US History (5), Physics C: Mechanics (3), Calculus BC (5), BC Subscore (5)
Senior Year Course Load: AP English Lit, AP Environmental, AP Statistics, AP French, AP US Gov, Sales and Marketing 3 (Student Store Mgmt)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Distinction, Presidential Volunteer Service Award, DECA ICDC Finalist</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars/Community Service:
DECA: (Chapter President), (Regional VP), 3x State Qualifier, 2x National Qualifier
Microsoft Intern: 15 hr/week, whole year, statistical/competitive analysis and marketing/branding
Merchandising Intern: sales and marketing efforts, mini-business basically
Eastside Baby Corner: 1.5 hr/week for 2 years
King County Library System IT Intern: 5 hr/week for 1 year, manage purchases/invoices for entire library system
Mountains to Sound Greenway: community service project to raise money, increase awareness and volunteer
Washington Business Week: placed 1st in Traditional BW and 2nd in Advanced a year later
Job/Work Experience: Mentioned above - Microsoft Intern and Intern at merchandising company
Essays: I don’t even remember but I know I spent a solid 4-5 months on each of all of my college essays
Teacher Recommendation: N/A UC
Counselor Rec: Pretty decent, talked to her more often than most people: 7/10
Interview: Nope!</p>

<p>Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Business Economics
State (if domestic applicant): WA
School Type: Medium Public
Ethnicity: Asian (Indian)
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Little over 100k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None!</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: Extracurriculars for sure! I also spent a lot of time on my essays and crafted it well.
Weaknesses: Scores and objective stuff mainly
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I have no clue. I was pretty darn happy I made it in until I saw @Jwen556 and @SATuser123 got rejected and waitlisted respectively. Now I’m just confused…and slightly worried about my other universities.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Accepted to University of Minnesota (Carlson School of Mgmt), University of Washington (Foster School of Business), Washington University in St Louis (Olin School of Business). Waitlisted at University of Chicago. Rejected ED to Penn (Wharton). Still waiting on Berkeley, Duke, Columbia, Georgetown, Harvard, Dartmouth and NYU.</p>

1059

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2320 (770 Math, 750 Reading, 800 Writing - 11 Essay)
ACT: N/A
SAT II: Math II, Physics, US History (all 800s)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.98 (got a B in english last semester d:); 4.00 at time of submitting application.
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A (private school)
AP (place score in parenthesis): World History, Comp Sci, US History, English Language, English Lit, Calc BC (all 5’s)
IB (place score in parenthesis): none
Senior Year Course Load:
AP Physics C (Mech, E&M)
America in the World since 1945 (1st sem)
Economics (2nd sem)
English IV (Honors)
Linear Algebra (Honors; 1st sem)
Partial Differential Equations (Honors; 2nd sem)
Differential Equations (Honors; 1st sem)
Multivariable Calculus (Honors; 2nd sem)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): not sure; check chance thread</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Orchestra (4 years; Lead Violist - 2 years), Quiz Bowl (team captain - 4 years), UIL Literary Criticism, XC/Track as a freshman
Job/Work Experience: Texas Quiz Bowl Alliance - part-time moderator, curriculum coordinator for summer camp
Volunteer/Community service:
Summer Activities: competed in the National All-Star Academic Tournament 3 times (quiz bowl). Summer job as the TQBA summer camp curriculum coordinator (created study materials for students)</p>

<p>Essays (rating 1-10, details): I reused one of my Stanford essays and added on to it, and wrote an entirely new one for the other prompt. I’d say 7-8/10.
Other
State (if domestic applicant): TX
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: Asian - Filipino
Gender: M
Income Bracket: would rather not post
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: academics, test scores, dedication to extracurriculars
Weaknesses: well I was accepted so I think this is kind of a moot point…
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: my strengths
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted to UT (ECE + Engineering Honors + Plan II), Texas A&M (Brown Scholar + University Honors), Rice, Georgia Tech, and UCSD. Deferred from Stanford. Currently waiting on Berkeley.
General Comments: I probably won’t be going b/c OOS tuition is ridiculous, though it would be nice if I could. I need a ton of scholarship money though.</p>

1060

<p>ACCEPTED WOOHOO!</p>

<p>GPA:
UC GPA: 4.25
UC GPA uncapped: 4.58
Unweighted GPA: 3.91
Rank: 8 of 870</p>

<p>Senior:
AP Calculus BC, AP Physics C, AP Literature and Composition, Advanced Music Honors, AP US Government, AP Economics</p>

<p>SAT:
SAT: 770 M/670 CR/770 W (2210)
SAT Chemistry: 730
SAT Math II: 800
SAT Biology: 760</p>

<p>AP:
AP Human Geography: 5
AP Chemistry: 5
AP Euro: 4
AP Biology: 5
AP USH: 4
AP Spanish: 4
AP Language and Composition: 4</p>

<p>Extracurriculars:
Marching Band all four years: began with no experience on Trumpet, awarded Most Improved freshman year, Asst. Section Leader Junior year and Section leader Senior year (one of the best bands in Southern California)
CSF (Soph, Junior, Senior) Member
Red Cross (Fresh, Soph, Junior, Senior) Vice President Senior year
Church ministry participation
Total Volunteering, 150 hours (predicted)</p>

<p>Awards:
National Merit Commended
Center for Future Global Leaders - Math Challenge Divisional Recognition
Invited to NSHSS (lol)
AP Scholar with Distinction Award</p>

<p>Other:
School type: Public (Top 1000)
Location: CA
Race: Vietnamese
Gender: Male
Field: Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology
Income: 100k+
Mom: Less than high school
Dad: 4 year college, Bachelor degree</p>

<p>I’m 80% sure I will end up going to UCLA. Got into UCI honors, and UCSD so far. Rejected from Rice but I don’t care. Still waiting for Cornell, USC, UCB, and Stanford so I will consider them if I get in. I plan on going to SEA Admit weekend too. GO BRUINS!</p>