<p>in switching to the holistic approach, there are definitely kinks that UCSD encounters. Sometimes, the kinks lead to a very strong applicant being rejected or waitlisted. You never truly know what the applicants will be favored ad for what reason. But, I do believe that yield plays a contributing factor. If the applicant is stellar, there is a limited chance that he may attend the school. Why give the spot to an applicant who will go to another school and not give the spot to someone else? At least, that’s the reason I told myself when I was rejected to UCI despite acceptance at every other UC (minus Berkeley since i didn’t bother applying).</p>
<p>I think a part of it is how you phrase your application and your personal statement. I was not a particularly strong applicant in terms of GPA (3.6 weighted) but I had an average SAT (2180) and extremely strong ECs. Knowing that my GPA would limit my chances, I paid specific attention to how I worded everything on my application, making sure to paint my achievements in the best light. I didn’t spend much time on my personal statement but I had it proofread by 6 different individuals. I think that the stellar applicants that you mention trusted their stats to the point where they spent less time on personal statement or wording on the application. </p>
<p>It’s hard to see precisely what separates a person who is admitted/waitlisted/rejected and it’s important not to get to hung up on it. Whatever happens, happens. I wanted desperately to attend UCI and when I received the notification that I was rejected, I was devastated. But, in the end, I’m glad that I chose to attend UCSD.</p>