Printable Version of Topic

Posted by: synatribe Mar 10 2010, 01:10 AM

So personally, I've been stressing over college acceptances, and I got my first rejection letter today so Im on this weird emotional trip because I keep thinking every university might think the same way.

So far,
I got accepted to UC Riverside and Cal State Long Beach (my back up schools)

the top choices im waiting on
Cal Poly Pomona
UC Davis
UC Santa Cruz
UC Irvine

My DREAM SCHOOLs (I would literally cry(jk) if I got accepted (hoping I am that 1%)
UC Berkeley
UC Santa Barbara

I currently got rejected from
San Diego State University (their Business is prestigious and impacted which is probably why I got rejected)

stat wise
high school GPA : 3.67 weighted
Passed AP USH with a 3
EC's: MUN, Key Club, ASB, ITS
office positions: Key Club webmaster / Vice President, ASB Secretary, ITS webmaster

as you can see, the only thing on my app that makes me confident is my EC section, I dont really have stellar academic records

1. Do you think I have chances to my top choices? (not my DREAM schools)
2. Share some of your acceptances with us! :)

Posted by: Janette Mar 10 2010, 03:26 AM

If you're rejected from UCB and/or UCSC, a good part of the reason is probably that they're accepting less and less students due to budget cuts (and the accepted students may have a higher GPA). I know for UCB, the average gpa is like 3.9-4.0+ for incoming freshman.
I was going to apply to UCB as a transfer student, but then chose not to since the majority of private colleges (like the UC's) aren't doing so well with the cuts.

So private school it is! I'm waiting for my acceptance letter too.

Posted by: synatribe Mar 10 2010, 09:06 AM

smart choice :) Especially since privates look for more well rounded individuals than the typical UC or CSU system. May I ask what private school did you apply too?

Posted by: iDecay Mar 10 2010, 09:28 AM

I think you have a chance, but there's no guarantee, obviously. I'm not really familiar with Santa Cruz, but I think Pomona and Davis are palpable. I'm still a junior, so no acceptance/rejection letters to talk about.

I'm totally with you on the EC. I am pretty well rounded there, but my grades aren't the best. I got a 3 on WHAP and I think I'm not going to do so well on the APUSH one too.. I'm pretty apprehensive about it because a 3 is just barely getting by with passing.

I can go on and on and rant, but I'm not going to, lol.

Oh, and Berkely is one of my dream schools too! :)

Posted by: synatribe Mar 10 2010, 09:32 AM

Thats good, at least you have WHAP under your belt. Just a word of advice, Junior year is very crucial, Im pretty sure you're doing well but just always remember to be on top of things :) Also, thanks I really want to go to Pomona for a computer field major, not sure what though and Pomona is really well known for their engineering schools. :)

Posted by: Janette Mar 11 2010, 12:29 AM

I'm applying to USF. But seriously, they accept virtually everyone haha.

I agree with Tina in that you'll probably have a good chance with UCD and Pomona though. (:

Posted by: synatribe Mar 11 2010, 12:41 AM

I just got wait listed for Pomona urghh:/ this is one of my top 3 choices. Stupid colleges and impaction! Im hoping for the UC's now. Dang this is more stressful than I expected haha :) However lets all be optimistic EVERYONE! :) Also good luck to Janette for USF! :) Judging from your modest comments I believe you're smart and will most likely get in :)

Posted by: pinacoolada Mar 26 2010, 04:38 PM

AHHHHH.
Ready?

Accepted:
UMass Amherst
University of New Hampshire
Muhlenberg College

Rejected:
George Washington University
American University

Waiting:
Boston U
NYU
Barnard (HAHAHA)

Top choice:
Boston U <3

Posted by: synatribe Mar 26 2010, 08:06 PM

I basically made my choice :) UC Riverside

Accepted:
UC Riverside
Cal State Long Beach

Rejected:
UC Berkeley
UC Santa Barbara
UC Davis
San Diego State
UC Irvine

Waitlisted:
UC Santa Cruz
Cal Poly Pomona

Im going to UC Riverside for sure though cause my best friend and I already agreed to dorm there :) good luck at Boston U! :) Also congrats on everyones acceptances! :)

This year was crazy though for the west! UCB, UCLA, UCSD, UCD, UCI and UCSB all had an average acceptance pool of 4.0 - 4.02 freakin crazy, college just gets harder and harder each year. UCSC with an average of 3.8 and UCR 3.7 and UC Merced with a 3.5 and Merced is only 5 years old! lol

Posted by: Cristy Mar 26 2010, 08:28 PM

Really? I thought UCR was easy to get into.

Posted by: synatribe Mar 26 2010, 08:43 PM

UCR is one of the easier ones in the UC system but this year the competition was fierce. We were all surprised when some people got rejected, it must be the impaction. The UC's are definitely getting more and more popular. In general all the UC's are getting harder but at least the prestige of the UC system is growing :)

Posted by: iDecay Mar 26 2010, 11:31 PM

f*ck, I am screwed..

Posted by: synapse Mar 27 2010, 01:41 AM

Good luck. My friend got into AU with so-so grades and a bare extracurricular. The people I know of getting accepted to BostonU are like 4.0 and tons of good stuff in their high school resume.

Posted by: synatribe Mar 27 2010, 11:10 AM

Dont worry haha something will most likely work out.


Good luck with Boston U its like rank 54 on US news which is pretty good :)

Source : http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/national-universities-rankings/

Posted by: Tung Mar 27 2010, 02:19 PM

lol? UC Riverside is like 90% guaranteed to get in LMAO. I had friends who got accepted without even applying at all. HAHAHAHA. Dang you must really suck to get rejected to UC Santa Cruz too, cuz that's hella easy to get into hahahaha. UC Santa Barbara is also hella easy to get into too. Man you suck haha. Your personal statment must really be bad, cuz my GPA was a 3.72 not much higher than yours, and i got accepted into UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC San Diego, and UC Irvine. That's with a 1490/2400 SAT score. LOL.

Have fun at UCR with rejects lmao. oh and Sang (relentless) goes there. hahahaha

Posted by: Cristy Mar 27 2010, 02:24 PM

Yeah, that's what I thought. One of my friends got into UCR without even applying.

Posted by: synatribe Mar 27 2010, 08:16 PM

You must have been lucky 1490? lol shit thats horrible I thought I did bad with a 1630. Also I had my personal statement reviewed by a UCLA grad student and a UC Berkeley Alum so I dont think it was horrible and I never got rejected from Santa Cruz. Thinking about it, maybe its a good thing I didnt get accepted to those schools you got into, I would have to deal with pompous ass's like you.


Yea this is true, my future dorm mate didnt apply but he got in because he was rejected to all the UC's he applied too. he had 3.5 unweighted / 3.7 weighted, 1890 on SAT and is in ASB and was rejected from UCLA, UCI and UCSD. Usually UCR and UC merced tend to take in students who were rejected everywhere else but meet the requirements for the UC system

P.S - UCR has a 78.6% acceptance rate not 90

Posted by: Tung Mar 27 2010, 10:53 PM

the trick when applying to college is to see which department each college is weak in. that's where you should apply your major to be. yeah gpa and sat scores matter somewhat, but not really. it all depends what major you are applying under alot too. and personal statement plays a huge role. most incoming freshmans don't understand that you can always change your major later on when you get accepted.

ps. i don't think i got lucky. you can't get lucky 4 times. UCI, UCB, UCD, and UCSD are all pretty tough UC's to get into, considering my GPA and sat scores.

pps. 78.6%..90% makes no different. that's still like more than double the acceptance rate of all the other top UC's.

ppps. i'm not being pompous. i'm just saying don't be so proud you got into UCR. in fact i think you should go to community college for two years than transfer to a UC of your liking. why? because if you haven't heard there's a 32% tuition increase next year. Meaning instead of paying $7k a quarter, you're paying $10.5k. Why pay $10.5k a quarter for a mediocre UC. I'm not saying Davis is SOOOO much better, it's at least kinda worth it to pay that much. My advice, is to save money dude, and go to a CC. I wished I went to a CC for my first two years. Hell I would have saved a shit load of money.

Posted by: serotonin Mar 27 2010, 11:08 PM

you sound stupid

Posted by: synatribe Mar 27 2010, 11:19 PM

1. Cool maybe you didnt get lucky 4 times but when you entered college and current times differ greatly right now. You wont be able to get anywhere with a 1490 SAT score

2. 78.6 and 90% makes a difference. Sure it might be double the acceptance rates of UCB and LA but thats because there are 2 times more applicants for those school. All the UC's accept around the same amount of student

3. I know you can change majors. I put Business administration for UCR and I plan to change to Computer Science or to a computer engineering field

4. Why should I not be proud of getting into UCR? Im hella proud. I said they were my backup schools not schools I condemned. Why would I apply to a school if I did not see any prestige in it?

4.1 UCR is still prestigious and known throughout the nation as a pioneering research school. In 2012 UCR will be the only UC out of the 9 Undergrad UC's to house a research Medical School. Sure it might not rank high as the other UC's but it's still a tier 1 school that ranks in the top 100 Undergrad universities in the nation.

4.2 I never did or will I complain about my eduction at UCR, just because the other UC's more popular dosent mean that UCR is ran by a bunch of Monkeys. You should also know that the only way schools get better is if the students are proud to go to that school. It's people like you Tung who complain about Universities being bad but dont take initiative and decide to sit back and laugh. That's a shame knowing you were accepted to some of the nations finest schools.

4.3 As far as tuition, I dont think thats any of your business. Since UCR/FAFSA grants handed me a scholarship of almost 20K a year, Im not going to complain so much about the 32% increase

5. Im proud to be a future student of UCR

6. Do your research before you outweigh stereotypes with facts

Posted by: serotonin Mar 27 2010, 11:36 PM

Because you're desperate and it was the only school you knew would accept you regardless of a shitty letter or grades? I mean, cmon, surrrrrriously? We have a school in the University of Texas network in San Antonio - UTSA. It has a high acceptance rate and a lot of people apply because if they can't get into the school they'd like to, well at least they can go to college.

Posted by: serotonin Mar 27 2010, 11:39 PM

http://www.boardrider.com/ddb/RiversideSucks.html

Posted by: synatribe Mar 27 2010, 11:43 PM

is that seriously your argument? That can be said about every city/suburb. In fact I agree with some of the comments like there are lots of citrus farms. Sure the surrounding area is not like Downtown LA, what do you expect? I actually enjoyed visiting the campus and the campus is actually very nice and clean.

My question to you Serotonin is:

How does the surrounding area detract from the education offered at UCR?

Posted by: serotonin Mar 27 2010, 11:46 PM

Let me answer your question with a question:

What education?

Posted by: synatribe Mar 27 2010, 11:47 PM

Im desperate? lol go ahead jump to conclusions but you dont seem to understand my point in fact I was accepted in to every cal state I applied to except San Diego. My final choice was UCR because I did my research and realized its a school I can be proud of

Posted by: synatribe Mar 27 2010, 11:49 PM

Umm what about the education it offers that makes UCR a tier 1 school?

Posted by: serotonin Mar 27 2010, 11:53 PM

Local reputation > National reputation unless you're moving. Even if you're Tier 1, if everyone sees UCR as a joke, it's a joke. You're much better off going to well, not UCR. I guess you don't have much of a choice though, probably should have tried to be smarter.

Posted by: synatribe Mar 28 2010, 12:00 AM

Im sorry but you have to be one of the stupider college students I've ever had a conversation with. First off you arent even from California so I dont know why you are even trying to prove of point.

Many UC's go through this reputation phase. Even 10 years ago my cousin was accepted to all the UC's but she had to attend UCI because that was the only school who would give her a scholarship which is sad because she graduated as the class Valedictorian. 10 years ago people would cry about having to go to UCI or UCSD because they were a lower ranked UC. Quite frankly in a matter of 10 years UCI / UCSD went from reject school to top UC's. The UC system was designed to make every one of its universities prestigious and UCR will experience that soon. UCR is still one of the newer campuses but its reputation is bound to grow.
Maybe I should have tried to be smarter but that goes for everyone and Im not the one complaining about which University I got into so your last statement is pretty weak. In fact you're complaining about the University I got into.

Posted by: serotonin Mar 28 2010, 12:08 AM

are you kidding me i grew up in LA i know all about the UC system your so stupid lol

2 - people can see when you attended / when you graduated. OHay you graduated during the stupid years don't hire this bloke

i didnt have to try to be smarter i managed to not get a 1640 on my SAT LOL guess it was already in me like gatorade

Posted by: synatribe Mar 28 2010, 12:15 AM

oo you grew up in LA, that makes you even more idiotic, if you grew up here in LA you should know how hard the UC system is. If you had it in you like gatorade, I dont understand why you would go to University of Texas? (if that is where you go) 6 UC's out beat the top University of Texas (Austin right?). If you are as smart as you claim you should have gotten into at least one UC right? Also if you think people hire you because of the year of your graduation you are so wrong, barely anyone remembers when UCLA or UCI used to be a joke. Furthermore, I plan to go to grad school after my undergrad so if getting a masters makes me a bloke than you are just beyond retarded

Posted by: serotonin Mar 28 2010, 12:17 AM

Uhhh, because UT is a good school? You say you're getting a masters but you haven't even got an undergraduate degree are you a retarded? Hey look at me in synatribe I'm a f****t and I don't merit individual colleges within universidades. also texas isn't in debt i liked that part and contrary to popular belief when i moved here there wasn't tumbleweed and no f****ts f*cking in the streets like at riverside

Posted by: synatribe Mar 28 2010, 12:33 AM

First off you dont know anything about me and if I say Im getting my masters Im going to do my best to get a masters. Also I never said any other universities outside the UC system didnt have any merit, you made yourself sound so much better, so I asked you why you would choose to go to a lower ranking school if you had so many SMART options. Contrary belief? are you effing kidding me? You're the one posting links to websites stereotyping Riverside. FYI. Im not here to defend the city of Riverside. I dont like the city of Riverside compared to where I live, but YOU ARENT ANSWERING MY QUESTION, HOW DOES THE SURROUNDING AREA DETRACT FROM THE EDUCATION OFFERED AT UCR?

Posted by: serotonin Mar 28 2010, 12:37 AM

are you kidding me you're going to live there right or are you just going to commute surrounding area means so much you're so stupid god i can't believe how dense you are and i dont go to UT I go to Warton jesus. you're so presumptious

Posted by: synatribe Mar 28 2010, 12:44 AM

So whats your argument?
Of course Im living there, so you're basically saying that all the UC's beside LA, B and SB are a joke because they are in the suburbs? You NEED to commute if you are looking for a fun destination. Irvine is an hour away from everything and so is UCR. Santa Cruz is in the middle of nowhere and so is Davis. SO WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO PROVE?

Posted by: serotonin Mar 28 2010, 12:46 AM

those cities are better surrounding areas influences your habits and activities god you're dense i already said tihs i canb believe im having to go into so much detail no wonder youre going to UCR

Posted by: synatribe Mar 28 2010, 12:57 AM

God you're so dumb, you're just going around in circles, you arent proving your point. surrounding areas and influences can go both ways. Liberal areas like Berkley can either make you feel more comfortable or just isolate you. Having schools with surrounding areas that are saturated with fun hotspots can distract people who dont want to be tempted to go out. Riverside is in the countryside so many people enjoy the quiet cause it helps them concentrate. Im not dense, you just dont carry weight in your arguments.

Posted by: Tung Mar 28 2010, 01:07 AM

1. Times haven't changed that much man. In fact since I've been a freshman, they been enrolling and accepting more freshmans, meaning the acceptance rates have been higher making it actually easier.

2. actually it's more like triple now that i think of it.

3. if i were you, i would stick with business if you're going to attend riverside. at least they have credibility in the business-management department program.

4. i doubt you see any prestige in it considering it was a backup. you shouldn't be proud. again riverside is guaranteed pretty much to get in. you don't even need to try.

4.1 i'm glad you're researching on your future school and it's histories. good for you.

4.2 lol? please don't talk to me about not giving a f*ck about my university. there's been lots of strikes going on throughout the year about the university. and i've actually been a pretty big activist on it rallying with thousands of students state-wide.

4.3 it's dumbasses like you who don't give a shit about tuition increases because you're not affected. i'm not affected much either, but i still care because it's damn wrong. thousands of students can't even afford to continue their UC education anymore because of it.

5. yes be proud to be a UCR. /greenfont

6. i don't need to do any research. and i haven't used any stereotypes. i'm a 4th year undergraduate student of the UC system, so I know damn well from own experiences.



i can answer your question. i'm an anthropology major so i do alot of research about cultures and the like. and my emphasis this past quarter was on urban and city planning life. and from my research, surrounding areas of how a city is structured, have a huge impact on your social life, economics, transportation, politics, and that includes your education as well. i can send you my 10 page research paper if you like to read it to get your answer.


you are desperate. you got rejected. it's like getting rejected by 10 hot chicks, and having to settle with the ugly chick.


well that sucks that you already hate the city of riverside when you haven't even lived there yet.


santa cruz is a pretty fun city. it has a beach for goodness sakes. also it's known for weed. what more can you need? bonfire + weed = good times. also davis isn't in the mdidle of nowhere. it's only 15 minutes away from Sacramento. The capital city of California?

Posted by: Tung Mar 28 2010, 01:09 AM

yes all UC's may accept the same number of students each year. but that doesn't mean anything. take an example.

School - Accepted/Applicants

UCLA - 8,000/50,000
UCR - 8,000/10,000

both UC'S accepted the same number of students. but does that make them equal?

Posted by: synatribe Mar 28 2010, 01:22 AM

I never said I didnt care about Tuition cost, I stated that it wasnt a factor on deciding whether I should go to a CC or Riverside. Thats great if you are attending a UC but does that mean you know anything about UCR or its staff or history or accomplishments. Obviously not. Riverside isnt much different from the city I come. I find it natural that I dont like Riverside more than my current city and I would be the same way with UCB or UCLA, I dont know anything about the city or anyone there. Im more comfortable in my current city but I dont like the idea of having to live in a completely new area and basically start new. Actually UC acceptances havent been getting easier compared to 5 years ago only 3-4 UC's had average GPA acceptance pools of 4.0, now there are 6 and potentially more to reach that level. Also, I get called presumptious but everyone is jumping to the conclusion that I have pride in UCR because I was rejected to the other UC's. Honestly, I would choose a school who will pay for my tuition as well as going to a school I will be attending with a close friend and future dorm mate. Also Im not sure if you are forgetting but Riverside is in the Inland Empire. Inland empire bascially = central to the beach, ski resorts and all the best amusement parks of So Cal. You say you arent using stereotypes but your statement of "90% guranteed, UC rejects" are all stereotypes.

Posted by: synatribe Mar 28 2010, 01:26 AM

thats what I meant in my previous posts. Read before you make a statement
however its more like
UCLA - 3,900/50,000
UCR - 3,900/20,000

I already said UCR isnt as competitive as the other UC's why are you making me restate my point? I dont see how UCR becomes a joke because fewer applicants applied. UCR professors are all qualified and the students are also all very qualified.

Posted by: Tung Mar 28 2010, 01:29 AM

Dude I never said anything bad about the city of Riverside. please quote me. so why are u describing the positives of the city of Riverside to me to defend if when I never made an argument for it. Of course I know it's near a beach. I'm not geographically illiterate. Students of UCR are rejects. It might not be all, but I'm damn sure if I surveyed each student, what their first choice was it's not Riverside. And I don't really give a f*ck what college you are going to. It's your life and decision. But tell me straight up if you had to do it over again, you definitely would not be going to Riverside if giving the chances at better Universities. I'm glad you settled for mediocre.

Posted by: synatribe Mar 28 2010, 01:38 AM

If UCB accepted me, of course I would go, Im telling you that I came to realize that based on my circumstances, I made the best choice. Also "mediocre" is a stereotype. Im trying to prove that too you and I disagree that Riverside is a reject school. I have a friend who got into University of Virginia, but going with me to UCR, I have a friend who was accepted into UCSB and UCD but decided to go to Riverside. I could go to Cal Poly Pomona ( way better rep than UCR) but my admissions experience wasnt great with them and the campus seems more boring than Riverside, so Im going to Riverside. Honestly, I dont think its a reject schools, I live about an hour from Riverside so I feel more comfortable and dont feel like Im so far away. People choose Riverside for different reasons and you should respect that.

Honestly, Im tired of arguing, its 11:40 PM and I have HW to do because I have a packed day for me tomorrow and like you said its my life, my choice. Thank you Tung for this interesting stimulating argument, but I am now going to sign off.

Posted by: synapse Mar 28 2010, 02:01 AM

I'll answer this, by saying that it matters where you'll be spending time off campus. If there is no city life you'll be stuck in school all the time, get sick of it, and slack off.

Posted by: serotonin Mar 28 2010, 10:59 AM

looooooooool

Posted by: brooklyneast05 Mar 28 2010, 12:47 PM

this is the dumbest debate ever, why are you even fighting with them if you are happy with your school choice? who cares. clearly the standards have changed, your academics and scores are better than tung's and he got in.

people make too much of a fuss over colleges, 90% of the time i don't think it matters that much. sure there are some majors where your college matters more, but for most people, esp in general areas i don't think so. there's people who go to "better" schools and turn out to be complete f*ck ups with their life. there's people who go to less prestigious ones and turn out better. in the end how you treat the experience is gonna be more important than what the name of your school is. i turned down higher ranked places like NYU to go to a lower ranked school, who's surrounding area is nothing like new york, because i wanted somewhere opposite of that and that was more important to me than school names. my education is good. i don't believe people who went to higher ranked schools are smarter than me. for example throw me in a debate with tung, how many people here think his higher rank university is gonna be the deciding factor? i'm gonna bet zero. becuase it just makes absolutely no difference where we go to school when you get down to it. i got a big scholarship and i'm not going to be in any debt whatsoever when i graduate, which means a lot to me, more so than being able to say i went to a big name school. you said you got a scholarship to riverside. when you graduate probably a lot of your friends will be jealous as they start out their life with thousands and thousands in loans.

according to that list riverside ranks in the top 100. are you really going to take anyone seriously who says a top 100 ranking school is a SUCKY school?

Posted by: serotonin Mar 28 2010, 01:19 PM

Also classes you take > your major / school, often times. I know a lot of people who got jobs because they took certain classes like Oil & Gas Accounting while others didn't. Grades didn't matter so long as you passed the class with not an F or D.