UC explains admissions decisions in a record application year of much heartbreak, some joy
The Burbank mother knew her high school senior would have a tough time competing for a freshman seat at a University of California campus in a year of record-shattering applications — more than 200,000 students were vying for about 46,000 spots. Still, she thought her daughter — with a 4.3 GPA, eight AP and honors courses and a host of extracurricular activities — would have a shot.
She was floored in March when the campus notifications began rolling in. Out of seven UC campuses, her daughter was denied or wait-listed at all but UC Merced.
"It was heartbreaking," said the parent, who asked for anonymity to protect her daughter's privacy at a time of great disappointment. "And I got really angry. We just got the rug pulled out from under us. What more could our kids possibly have done?"
That's the question thousands of families and high school seniors are asking themselves in a college admissions season like no other — one marked by pandemic isolation, remote learning, disrupted activities and the elimination of standardized testing requirements at most universities across the country.
Surging college applications have been hailed as a sign that the dropping of testing requirements has lowered entry barriers for many students. But the flip side of more applications is more rejections and heartbreak — as well as widespread confusion over what it takes to get that coveted acceptance letter.
"I hate that im crying on camera but i just got rejected from 3 of my top UC's," @nicolesmangos said on a TikTok video. "Nothing just make sense to me right now."
Although UC campuses will not release their admissions data until the summer, several private universities are reporting some of their lowest acceptance rates ever. USC dropped to 12% from 16% last year, admitting only 8,800 students among a record-high 71,000 applicants for fall 2021. In the Ivy League, Harvard declined to 3.4%, Columbia to 3.7% and Yale to 4.6%.
But many California parents expected that, unlike private universities, UC campuses supported by their taxes would have more room for their children who had toiled to earn top grades, challenge themselves in multiple college-level courses and engage in sports, student clubs and community service.
Claudia Boles, a Los Angeles clinical social worker, was disappointed that her son, Philip, was wait-listed at UC Santa Cruz, his top choice.
The campus seemed a perfect fit, offering the natural beauty and strong science courses that feed his passions. He seemed well qualified, meeting the mean 3.9 GPA for admitted Santa Cruz freshmen. His hobby of creating complex biospheres of plants and ponds for crustaceans, reptiles, fish and microorganisms, Boles thought, demonstrated her son's talents.
He was accepted to two other UC campuses, but his heart is set on Santa Cruz, and he's appealing for reconsideration. Like many students, he applied to multiple UC campuses.
"It's frustrating because we know he's qualified, and we know it's the best fit for his interests and personality," Boles said of Santa Cruz. "But he has two other options we're all grateful for. We know it's what you make of your experiences."
UC admissions officers say the unusual year has presented myriad challenges. But some decision-making insights emerged.
Majors matter, they say. At UC Irvine, admissions officers had to review a record 108,000 applications for freshmen spots. Almost half of the students applied to just six of 85 majors — with biological sciences the top choice, selected by nearly 12,000 applicants. Other popular majors were business administration, nursing science, computer science and psychology.
Dale Leaman, UC Irvine's executive director of undergraduate admissions, said Irvine probably couldn't accommodate more than 10% of biological sciences applicants. Less popular majors would probably have a higher admission rate, he said. He added, however, that students shouldn't try to game the system by applying to less selective majors, because they might not be able to change them under the strict rules for doing so.
Chloe Wilson, a San Marino High senior, said none of her friends were accepted to UC Irvine. She was, which excited but surprised her. Although her 4.2 GPA and eight Advanced Placement and honors classes were impressive, she said she felt "kind of underqualified" compared with friends who were wait-listed or denied despite stronger high school records.
But Chloe's friends intend to major in science and psychology while she applied as undeclared and expects to major in a humanities field.
Without standardized test scores to guide selections for competitive majors requiring strong calculus and statistics skills, Leaman said, reviewers took a close look at whether students took a progression of increasingly more challenging math classes, including college-level AP courses.
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