<p>“Each year, a small number of students who have the ability and potential to succeed at UC but don’t meet our academic requirements are admitted by exception.” - UC website</p>
<p>Anyone planning to do it or doing it?</p>
<p>What does that even mean…Or how is that even possible?</p>
<p>for Freshman this applies frequently to athletes,</p>
<p>if you have a 5-star recruit interested in UCLA, academics wont be a real factor</p>
<p>For transfers is a little different, it might apply to non-traditional students</p>
<p>military veterans, foster youth, ect.</p>
<p>these people have been able to persevere though many obstacles that it would not be fair to just judge them by GPA. Despite entering with lower GPA’s they succeed at UCLA proving that academics is not the sole determinant to success a UCLA.</p>
<p>@ sinxovercosx: Dagoberto is correct. This exception was specifically designed to accommodate athletes. Unfortunately, those who are admitted don’t fair very well as described in this recent article: [Why</a> do many Cal athletes not graduate? - SFGate](<a href=“Why do many Cal athletes not graduate?”>Why do many Cal athletes not graduate?) . This came to my attention a few years ago when a similar article came out about this same topic. I was reading the “California” magazine (CAL alumni) and came across a full-page ad for CAL basketball… later on, I saw an ad for CAL’s “family camp” in northern California… I dawned on me that, the two people who appeared in the ad for CAL basketball would probably never qualify to attend the alumni camp. It is truly, a sad state of affairs. The University should feel disgraced by this practice. It treats people (money garnering athletes) as commodities and does not reflect the aims of the UC system (at least, not the original aims).</p>
<p>Unless you have an absolutely exceptional talent, skill, achievement, whatever, that really makes you stand out from the tens of thousands of people applying, don’t count on it.</p>
<p>Admission by exception is, for the most part, the loophole that schools use to get top athletes in. You can also be granted an admission by exception through an appeal if you are initially not admitted to a school. The admissions representative that I spoke to said they only grant admission at each school to about 5-10% of the hundreds of people who appeal every year. This is because the majority of people who file appeals do not meet the circumstances for appeal. The appeal process is meant for those who had “extenuating circumstances” that prevented them from reaching their full potential in school. I will be appealing if I do not get in to the school of my choice. I was told by an admissions representative that I have a very strong case for appeal because I have extenuating circumstances AND I significantly improved my grades over the last 3 semesters, proving I can be successful at a UC.</p>
<p>Well according to the UC’s “Master Plan” each year they must set aside 4% of total admissions for what are called special action admissions or admissions by exception, for students who by their GPA alone typically would not make the cutoff and therefore it would not be fair to judge them. According to the UC rep that came to my CCC these people are either: Athletes, Foster youth, students who have overcome major adversity, disabled students, and a few others I can’t remember off the top of my head. </p>
<p>They do this to promote diversity and to allow students who normally would be in eligible for admission to have the UC experience and allow them the opportunity to thrive.</p>