Thank you, dec51995. The biggest reason I want to go there is because of just how close I was to going all the way!
It is like when you’re promised a toy but the promise is taken back. Now you are left to want the toy even more. Strange analogy, but anyway!
You are correct in that I can do something in the gap year: apply for internships, learn Spanish, get super fit, etc. I’m starting to look on the bright side of it. But still, I haven’t given up and am currently NOT willing to wait another year and apply again with the chance of rejection. If this was a guaranteed acceptance for next year, then at least it would not be so bad.
It doesn’t seem so harsh to me to rescind the admission. It DOES seem harsh to me that the other schools in the system don’t have some kind of policy in place for when this happens. They ought to function more collaboratively than this. To be shut out altogether when he was admitted to several other excellent schools is a terrible outcome for all concerned.
It’s harsh because you can go in with an A and not end up with a B especially after he turned down the others. Why would the other schools matter? It’s between UCB and the applicant.