My oldest son and myself went to a college fair back in 2015 and asked one of the UC representatives what it takes to get admitted. I think it was a representative from UCI. Lots of UC’s were there. Anyhow, the stats they gave us were high. However, they told us something that we didn’t know. They told us that your basically competing against students in your high school, your school district, nearby districts, and not the whole nation. Our area schools didn’t offer many APs or IB program so they said our kids wouldn’t stand a chance against the other schools that offer students more opportunities. Also, I found out recently, that most UCs accept by major. So if you’re applying to a capped major, hopefully you have the high stats to get in and not everyone in your school is applying.
My oldest son graduated top 13 out of 697 students with a 4.21 weighted GPA, 3.91 UW GPA and SAT score of 1710 out of 2400. He was accepted into UCSD, UCI, UCR and rejected from UCLA. A lot of students from his high school applied to UCLA and a lot had a lot higher stats than him but some with lower stats. Those students with lower stats, were first-gen students, low income, and applied to a major that wasn’t capped etc.
Last year my other son, we were sure he would get into UCI since his stats were higher than his older brother and his brother got in. However he was rejected. He was accepted into UCR, UCSD and rejected from UCLA and UCI. His stats were 4.29 weighted GPA, 3.90 UW GPA, 1310 SAT and top 7 out of 500 in his class. However, he applied to computer game science and everyone in his school applied. Lol
This year my daughter was accepted into UCSC as a cognitive science major. I believed its not a capped major. Her stats are 1220 SAT, 4.31 weighted GPA, and 3.93 UW GPA and she is top 3 in her class of 701 students. Even though her SAT is low, maybe she was an early admit because she’s was one of the “high stat” kids in our area and applied to a major that wasn’t capped?? Maybe thats the pattern? I don’t know. Two other students that i know of were also accepted to UCSC and also are top of their class.
My D was notified of UCSC acceptance 2/24, (she applied to 7 UC schools including UCLA & Berkeley).
In applying, she paid VERY close attention to the 14 UC criteria for admissions. Only 2 of the 14 considerations are stats: GPA & test scores. (They don’t disclose the criteria weighting & it appears the weightings differ by campus.) Since the UC system discloses the other 12 considerations for acceptance, my daughter addressed as many as she could in her app.
For example, criteria #8 “Outstanding performance in one or more academic subjects” she wrote in the “other comments” section of the app, how she took 5 years of math in 4 years so that she’d be in Calc BC her senior year to demonstrate outstanding academic performance.
Or criteria #9 “Outstanding work” or special projects in a field, she described how she earned an FAA license & scholarship in the field of aviation.
Her thought was she wanted to make sure she got credit for achieving as many of the other 12 criteria as possible. Whether this made the difference??? We’ll never know. Her plan was to approached the app as an interview, because the numbers would speak for themselves.
Congrats on your daughter’s acceptance. Like so many, my daughter is a very strong candidate who hasn’t yet heard back. Was your daughter accepted to Honors? Just trying to figure out (if there is any logic at all), why mine has heard crickets. She is hoping to get in and be accepted to the honors program. Thanks and congrats again.
@Megg1997: UCSC does not admit by major other than the School of Engineering. At UCSC, you are admitted into a “proposed major” so you are free to change to another major once you have completed all the requirements to declare that major.
All Cal States admit by major but there is a huge variation with the UC’s.
The School of Engineering at all the UC’s will admit by major. The School of Letters and Sciences at the UC’s do not admit by major.
Some schools like UCI and UCSD admit into the University first and then into the major, will consider alternate majors or admit you Undeclared if you do not get into your 1st or alternate major.
All UC’s are looking for students that “fit” their university so that is why you do not always see a pattern to the decisions.
All applicants should remember that where you go for Undergrad will define you, it is what you do with the opportunities you are given that will make successful.
Best of luck to all and you will end up where you were meant to be.
I don’t know anything about the Honors program, but at my daughter’s high school, with a senior class of about 650, 515 students from the Class of 2019 applied to one or more UCs and 376 were admitted. That year, 316 applied to UCSC and 172 were admitted. (18 enrolled.) My daughter only knows two other people in her Class of 2020 who are early admits; there are probably more, but she knows a lot of kids and the vast majority of those who applied have not heard yet. Yet, given last year’s results (and the years before that), it’s pretty safe to assume that most of the students at her school who applied will be accepted, so… while it’s hard figure out what the early admits are based on (we have lots of theories!), they shouldn’t be viewed as in any way discouraging to those still waiting to hear.
@Megg1997: UCSC does not admit by major other than the School of Engineering. At UCSC, you are admitted into a “proposed major” so you are free to change to another major once you have completed all the requirements to declare that major.
All Cal States admit by major but there is a huge variation with the UC’s.
The School of Engineering at all the UC’s will admit by major. The School of Letters and Sciences at the UC’s do not admit by major.
Some schools like UCI and UCSD admit into the University first and then into the major, will consider alternate majors or admit you Undeclared if you do not get into your 1st or alternate major.
@Gumbymom UCI has a unique CSI department. It accepts into the CS major. Major: Computer Science
School: Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences
It isn’t engineering but a unique CS department.
@Gumbymom. What is the likelihood that UCSC will actually release admissions decisions on a Sunday or non-business day? Sunday is technically the 15th. It seems like a common modus operandi is to release decisions on Fridays around 3 pm, because then 1) the Admissions office only has to deal with one to two hours of irate callers and 2) it gives people that the weekend to calm down before calling the Admissions. Do you think that they will send out on the Friday, 3/13, or on Monday, 3/16, instead?
Officially they have said March 15. March 15 is a Sunday. Some of think that maybe they will release Friday, May 13.
If they do not release Friday we will have our answer.