UCs only care about grades and SAT tbh. If you are highly ranked in your class you will get in. They don’t care much about essays
@Collegeman89: I beg to differ. If you check the common dataset for any of the UC’s, under section Section C7, essays are considered VERY IMPORTANT in the application review.
https://ir.ucsd.edu/_files/stats-data/common-data-set/UCSD_CDS_2017-2018.pdf
@Gumbymom Eh what they say may be different from how it actually is. I do believe that if you have a knock out essay you can still get in with mediocre grades, but we do have an overwhelming amount of proof that grades are what’s really important. I’m not saying you’re wrong as we will never truly know unless we become readers, but judging from most of the people who get into the top 5 UCs we can safely assume that it’s more academically focused.
@berrymaq grades and test scores are important but each UC is different in its admissions evaluation. It’s been publicly stated that stats are 50% of the scoring at UCSB. At Berkeley it’s somewhere between 60-67%. And if you saw all the 4.2s and 1500+ people being waitlisted at UCD last week, you’ll definitely know that grades isn’t necessarily the most important factor.
I hear that if you get on the waitlist, you often have to write another essay. And then you get spring admission if you get in, at least at UCB.
@ProfessorPlum168 Yeah sure a lot of people with good stats got waitlisted or flat out rejected, but the vast majority of people who do get accepted often have very good stats.
UC doesn’t typically release decisions on weekends. Chances are we will hear from San Diego, UCLA, and Irvine on Friday, March 22 because they have historically released on a Friday.
@Berrymaq I think that GPA and Test Scores are just the foundation of a good applicant. Theres a good correlation between higher scores and quality of extracurriculars. Your essays are like the flower of your application (if the applications was a metaphorical plant, that is), and your grades are the roots. What you write in your essays will convey a few things: Your personal struggles, your personal qualities, the weight of your achievements, your social life, and your legacy at your high school. If you have a strong foundation but nothing to show admissions: rejected. If you have a very weak foundation but and a mediocre story: still rejected. Its only when possess a balance of both, if not more of both, where your application will start to bloom. By then, who wouldn’t want to have you…(◕‿◕✿)
great analogy @TheBeyonder
@Gumbymom when do each UC send notes for Regent scholarship and are they the same or different than Dean Scholarships?
I mentioned this on CPSLO forum but, based on the article written by former first level reader in admissions from UCB, UWGPA is the most highly weighted whereas WGPA, SAT/ACT and AP scores are only secondary consideration. Reason for this is not to disadvantage students from low income districts where schools may not offer AP courses and students cannot afford SAT/ACT training. Also, the writer mentioned to the effect that while the first level readers are instructed to be race-blind, at second level, they definitely do consider race. She specifically mentioned that Asian students are re-scored by second level readers in an effort to balance the racial population profile. This means Asians have to have higher stats than other races to be admitted. If UCB does this, likely other UC’s do the same. Colleges probably have no choice but to do this to be true to their diversity effort. So if you are rejected while others are admitted with similar stats, this is one reason for it and yield consideration may be another factor.
BTW someone mentioned UCSD is considered the 1st tier UC; however, based on 2019 ranking by US News, this is how it goes: UCLA-19, UCB-22, UCSB-30, UCI-33, UCD-38, UCSD-41. So, for some reason, UCSD is falling behind the rest of high ranking UC’s.
@parentworry “not to disadvantage students from low income”
I have a hard time with this colleges using their holistic/subjective approach. Kids from low income/disadvantage situations will also not be able to have the ECs as those from middle/upper class.
The only thing that can be verified are GPA and Test scores and maybe teacher recommendations(which UCs don’t even use).
Trying to understand this process is frustrating.
@gzza73 Thats why first-generation and financial struggle is considered in the application. But despite your socioeconomic background, unique ECs are a thing, meaning that regardless of your wealth, any student can have amazing ECs.
@TheBeyonder but my point is not everyone has access or the resources for ECs thus it is also a disadvantage for them. Kids also lie and fabricate knowing it will not be verified.
@parentworry I personally feel that US News ranking is somewhat “commercialized”. A lot of games were played (I guess similar to the “college application game” :). Anyway, it just happens that for the major my child is interested in, UCSD actually maybe the strongest among all UC :), that’s why it is absolutely “tier 1” in my opinion.
@parentworry Ever since 1996, due to proposition 209, California public colleges cannot legally do what you are saying they are doing. They may be able to do things that have that side-effect. For, example, value verbal score much higher than math on the SAT. However, I have not seen any evidence that they even do something like that.
Nonetheless, what you are saying is that it is done maliciously and openly with full disregard of the law.
Basically, what I am saying is, if you are going to quote an article like that, you have to cite it. Otherwise, people should not believe you.
(Incidentally, deep down, I support limited efforts at diversification in college admissions. I just don’t think it is happening in a way you say it is.)
Per US News ranking, it is the most widely followed one. However, it is the only one (of about twenty to thirty reputable ones) that ranks UCLA above UCB and ranks UCSD so far behind the others. There is some weird bias in that ranking.
For example, in a different US News ranking (by HS counselor reputation): UCB-12, UCLA-23, UCSD and UCD-40, UCI-50, and UCSB-62. I kind of feel that reputation matters more in the end. So, I would prefer this ranking over the one you are using. But, to each their own.
@parentworry honestly all UCs are quite strong public schools if compares to other public universities in other states
The UC capped GPA is a concept that I can not understand either. My child wanted to challenge herself and be true to her heart so she takes one extra course that she really likes. So basically she gets up earlier morning only to lower her UC capped GPA :). So I wonder if it is also possible that many great universities, in doing right things, might lose position in US news ranking :).
@parentworry what you said about race is basically the AOs maliciously disobey the law. It’s a big claim I hoe you have something to back it up. However I do believe such bias existed bc AOs are human and humans are full of biases. But the way you said it, it’s like a systematic approach. The UC policy makes it very clear that race is NOT considered, I can’t imagine this is a normal practice. My kids are half Asian, and I do support some type of diversity measure in college admission. I mean we already set the bar differently in some areas - OOS vs. Instate, states with more ppl applied vs. states with fewer applied vs. rural, first gen vs. second gen, etc. what difference does it make to add race into the equation? As long as it’s not the main criteria like GPA, test scores and essay, i think it’s all just a fair game.
I am only sharing what I read last year during my son’s application season. The reader said she was one of the 75 readers at UCB and she reads each application and scores 1 thru 5 (lower the better). She happened to find out that some of her scores on some students (with Asian names) were modified by second level readers (senior admissions officers) and she asked why and the second level person told her there are too many of them. She did not like the fact that she was told to be race-blind by senior people and yet she saw them doing otherwise. So, she quit after which she wrote the article. The link to that article was published by someone on one of the UC forum on CC last year but I cannot recall where it was. If you are willing to spend time, you should be able to find it somewhere if you look through all UC forums of last year. Whether you believe it or not is up to you but I am sharing this so you know what is actually going on despite what you read on papers and on websites. Colleges have dilemma dealing with large number of Asians applicants vs promoting ethnic diversity. So, this is likely what they resort to do.
Regarding the rankings, I am surprised people get pretty emotional about this. If you like the college your son or daughter wants to attend that is all that matters. There is no sense in trying to dispute these rankings as they are very subjective. Also, depending on majors, some colleges are stronger than others regardless of overall rankings. High overall ranking does not necessarily mean high ranking in all majors as all colleges have strengths and weaknesses.