<p>Just wanted to jump onto this thread to give a little reassurance to you all. I’m a current UCSD student and last year, I never got a call, and only found out I was accepted on the day that it was announced, so definitely don’t freak out if you never get one. It’s not the end of the world, promise! (I’m not a URM, though, so maybe that explains why I never got a call. )</p>
<p>Also, just a quick hint when you guys check your admissions status this weekend: use the RIGHT browser–“right” as in widely used (e.g., Internet Explorer–I know!–or Firefox). I hope UCSD fixed whatever problem they had last year with browsers, but, long story short, I was freaking out Saturday afternoon last year when I was trying to find out whether I got accepted or not…turns out, all the problems I was having didn’t have to do with heavy traffic (as I had first thought), but just because of my browser (can’t remember exactly, but I think I used either Safari or Chrome). So save yourself some trouble unlike how I did and use a “good” browser. :P</p>
<p>Not to freak anyone out though…but contrary to what Doener said, I would DEFINITELY say race is going to be a big factor, especially with UCSD’s switch to the holistic system this year. Case example: again, I’m not a URM, had pretty good stats, rejected from UCLA. My friend was a URM, had an SAT score about 200 points lower than mine and lower GPA, and is currently going there (to UCLA, that is). So…non-URMs be forewarned. :(</p>
<p>All in all…good luck! I know what a crazy time of year it is right now for you all, but everything will sort itself right in the end, no matter what. :)</p>
<p>Wait so does this mean that UCSD CAN see your race on your application and/or take that into consideration when reviewing? I was under the impression that due to the Affirmative Action ban, schools can’t even see your race, it’s blacked out. But can they see that now? Any other UC’s or CSU’s doing this?</p>
<p>Does that mean that “holistic” equates to “affirmative action?” Is holistic a workaround? My understanding is that the UCs are not to take race into account.</p>
<p>Sorry to hear about UCLA! UCSD is an amazing school though! Congrats, haha. Even though your URM friend got into UCLA with lower stats than you, she may have written really amazing essays or something on her app may have really grabbed their attention. I’m sure you had an amazing app and definitely deserved to get in, but a lot of decisions are based on luck too. I’m sure it wasn’t because of race.</p>
<p>No. Just no. They don’t consider race. Holistic just means they don’t stick 100% to statistical data like grades and test scores and take other things into consideration. Race NOT being one of them.</p>
<p>Simply because your race is blacked out on the application does not mean the admission officer can not take a simple guess on your ethnicity based on your name. Although they’re not “suppose” to, URM applicants are given extra points as the campuses seek to diversify their student bodies. If you seek proof, spend your time looking through stat profiles of admitted students 1-3 years back. The number of minorities being admitted is definitely increasing.</p>
<p>on the whole race issue: schools are allowed to consider race in the application process as one element of the application. it is not allowed, however, to use it to give people more of an advantage than others (accepting people with less merit than others because of this factor). for example, if there are 15 spots left, and there are 30 students left with similar stats, half being URM, half being not, the URM students will get in. (this is in california). i’m an asian who is also waiting on a phone call.</p>
<p>Come to think of it, if Asians aren’t considered URM, then that can’t be true. Could it? Some of the people I know who got the call are Asian. Unless they’re breaking it down to ethnicity? Anyone here chinese who have not got a call? Most of the Asians i know who gotten the call are vietnamese, thai, etc.
:/</p>
<p>Tamtastic, you’re correct in that, but to say that they’re ‘consider[ing] race’ would be to parse words. 209 says they can’t consider it (if you define consideration as allowing said information to affect the decision-making process). Holistic admissions allows admissions boards to create the appearance of a ‘black box,’ rendering any favoritism to URMs a bit more opaque. Your example of choosing the URM student would qualify pretty clearly as activity that would be in violation of 209. </p>
<p>One’s agreements/disagreements with AA and 209 are probably things that should be left out of this thread (as they generally get ugly). Congratulations to all those who have been admitted thus far, and good luck to those still waiting. You’ll find out soon enough if 80 degree ‘winters’ are in your future, so no need to speculate on the demographics of the calls. :)</p>
<p>Anyone here taking AP United States Government would know about the UC vs. Bakke case that prohibited race as a direct factor of admissions. </p>
<p>Affirmative action is like reverse discrimination, so instead of favoring the majority, the minority is favored. It (in college admissions) was first considered in University of California Regents v. Bakke (1978) Supreme Court case that declared such affirmative action unconstitutional when UC Davis reserved about 10-20 slots exclusively for URMs.</p>
<p>In a later 2003 case called Grutter v. Bollinger the Court upheld the use of race as one of many factors.</p>
<p>So UCs can use race one of many factors, if they choose to.</p>
(I’m not a URM, though, so maybe that explains why I never got a call. 
)</p>