Vent about UC decisions

Looks/ superficial appearances and inherent biases will wreck havoc. The UCs hide name and race info for this purpose but if the UK schools are indeed going to use videos, then I can’t imagine how equitable that process will be. Even the quality of the webcam can make a noticeable difference…

Right? How many studies have been done demonstrating that things like weight, hair color, and general attractiveness are positively correlated with greater success in things like job interviews. Then there’s timbre of voice and regional accent. And that’s not even factoring in race and implicit bias which is also…well.

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A reminder that the only place to discuss race and college admissions is tougher n the following thread

http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/t/race-in-college-applications-faq-discussion-14/3627043

In one year they changed the admission process and removed SAT/ACT test scores, it as switft process, everybody witnessed it.

why cannot admission process for giving priority for in-state students change at the same speed.

If they are taking right steps, can you tell me what happens to seats which people give up after 1st May, are all those California seats offered back to California students, how much of it goes to OOS/International.

Why cannot CA implement direct admit process early in the admission season and entice high achieving students ?

This thread is about venting, and since my child did not get admitted to my stated top public schools though he is a high achiever is the reason I am venting. What more can you expect the child to do, why is the process not as straight forward as in other states.

Do you really think everything in UC process is right and we should not vent ? If that is the case then why is senator mentioning that he is trying improve the acceptance for in state students.

UCs decided to ignore SAT/ACT in a blink of eye then why cannot they fix the other parts of admission process.

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Being a high achiever does not guarantee you a spot at your chosen UC.

There are too many ‘high achievers’ for spaces available. Even if they gave 100% admission to CA students, there would still be too many applicants.

Your child has received some offers from some great UCs. I know of several kids (including those in line for Valedictorian at my daughter’s competitive high school) that have not received an offer from any of the campuses you have mentioned.

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For my mechanical engineering daughter:
Rejected: UCLA, UCI, UCD, UCSB, UCSD
Accepted: UCSC (robotics), UCR, UCM
UCB hasn’t said anything yet…
She’s probably going to go to either UCR, CSU Long Beach, or LMU…Tough deciding, trying to make herself excited about one of the three, but it’s hard getting there. She really wanted UCLA, UCSB, UCI, or UCSD the most.

That is an outrage.

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There is a CA law passed a while back called AB104 that permits students to change any grade during 2020-2021 school year with a grade of Pass/No Pass. It’s also called grade recovery act. It allows changing Bs, Cs to P. The end result is a very inflated GPA across the board. Without SAT and with an inflated GPA, I don’t know how UCs actually evaluate academics performance between schools or states.

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I was wondering how much AB 104 would affect gpas for UC admissions. I’ve regretted sometimes not getting D24’s freshman grades made pass/no pass because I knew it would affect her chances at Cal Poly SLO. At this point I’ve written off her chances for SLO next year. Thankfully her grades shot up once online school stopped, so she should be ok for other CSUs and UCs.

I have to believe that, outside of timelines right around the time of early Covid, having grades of “Pass” is not looked upon positively by the UCs. It’s an obvious ploy.

How is it an obvious ploy?

There is a naivete by parents on how the admission process works.

When UC’s have a reputation for applicants with academic excellence coupled with terrific EC’s in their communities while a new shift of numerous examples of students as of late that have chosen not to do the work that the standard has been, and take spots from stellar candidates in state and out over the years, yeah it is sub par.

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Because high achievers is not the only institutional priority.

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This is a page regarding statewide index, but it mentions how they calculate pass/no pass.

Those classes are not included in the UC gpa calculation and you cannot earn any extra points for a pass/no pass in an honors class.

https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/admission-requirements/freshman-requirements/california-residents/statewide-guarantee/admissions-index-instructions.html

It’s an obvious ploy to have low grades erased. Admissions can see right through this.

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I guess I don’t see it that way, as someone who has worked in CA public higher education. I cannot see a UC or CSU going against CA state legislation.

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An example. A student has straight A’s and a 4.0. But also has AP Chem listed as a pass/no pass. You don’t think that looks like they are trying to hide the grade when all other classes in that school received a grade?

High school is not like college where pass/no pass is more common.

UC’s don’t include the class in your gpa or give you any extra points for using pass/no pass - is that because it offers no real information to the AO’s? Probably.

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No, since the whole point of the legislation was to help kids that went through heck with online learning, I don’t think one pass/no pass AP Chem class is going to make a difference to UC AOs. They know that not every kid had parents available to answer questions at home and some teachers were barely available by zoom.

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I’m sorry, but whatever particular situation you are referring to in which you think some “subpar” students have been offered spots over your own child or others (and I’m skeptical that you are in a position to judge the applications of others), this doesn’t seem to be a broad concern. The UCs have gotten more competitive for many reasons enumerated above and elsewhere, but there’s nothing to indicate that less-qualified students are getting admitted now than would have under some mythical more “meritocratic” system of old. High grades are pretty much necessary. But they are no longer sufficient.

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