Chance my son at the UCs and Cal States [CA resident, 3.53 UW, 3.63 UC capped, business or data analytics]

I didn’t lead with Oregon State because they don’t give the WUE rate to everyone, only to the top 30% of geographically-qualifying students. I don’t have a sense of what stats make that cut. (They still give smaller merit awards to those who don’t get WUE.) Did he like OSU?

UCSB and SDSU both have an upbeat, fun vibe - is that why they stand out to him? Is a coastal location particularly attractive? A couple of my daughter’s friends had great experiences at CSU Monterey Bay (one was a stats major who is now a teacher), and they have a business analytics major; that one would be an admissions slam-dunk.

It’s a stressful process, and UC admissions can be particularly opaque. I personally don’t think you need to lose sleep over UCB/UCLA/UCSD “FOMO” - just let Santa Barbara be his UC “reach.” (You haven’t mentioned Davis - any interest? It’s a different environment from UCSB but, in my mind, they have a relatively fun/happy vibe in common.)

Good luck; it seems like you’re developing a balanced list and he should have good options!

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