i got rejected from ucd, uci, ucsb and waitlisted from ucsd .. i’m only in ucr and ucm.
stats are 3.84 UW/4.04 UC (3 ap, all 5’s on them) 1510 sat, national merit, national hispanic scholar, 4 years on 2 sports, hispanic
i’ve always thought i was doing well in school and i feel like my whole life my parents have been telling me i was going to get into the “good schools” (ucb, ucsb, nyu and so on) and implied that other schools (csus and ucr) were for bad/lazy students. i know it’s not true! but now hearing other students in my class talking constantly about their admissions and putting down ucr, and my parents now trying to support me choosing between cal poly slo and ucr i feel like i’ve wasted my whole life on college admissions.
like over the summer every high school year i took college classes, i spent 50+ hours studying for sat, i’ve been trying so hard for so long and now i feel like i’ve failed.
i also have had a lot of mental health problems in part caused by school leading to hospitalizations and it just feels like i put myself through hell for so long for what? uc riverside? i know it’s a good fit for me, but i still feel bad.
does anyone else feel this way? i know this is just a rant, but i had to talk about it
CP SLO is a top school.
Or if you are NMSF how about wowing them with a full rude at Tulsa, where more than 25% of the class is NM or a near full ride with annual stipend at Alabama who has amongst the most NMFs in the country (if you made finalist). Those blow away any pay to attend UC in my opinion.
You got into great schools but perhaps saving them big $$ at great schools will bring the ‘wow’ factor.
Btw the UCs are test blind. Your SAT is awesome but not helpful for admission at CA publics.
So what did you miss at UCs? Large, impersonal classes and lots of bureaucracy. Who would pay for that ??
I’m sorry the UCs didn’t go your way. But you have a great choice with SLO. And UCR is amazing, too, but probably more of a commuter situation. If you are looking for a terrific academic environment, a social, fun place to learn, a great, hands-on and supportive faculty, I’d choose SLO. Congrats!
Agree that Cal Poly SLO is a wonderful admit. Go forward and do great things.
What major ?
polisci/public policy
thank you!
SLO is an excellent choice, tbh. There are many kids who got accepted to the top UCs and got rejected by SLO. We hear many stories of Cal Poly students or graduates work side by side with top students from Stanford or the top UC schools. BTW, I think you can call SLO financial aid office about getting National Scholar scholarship with your NMF status.
The UCs would not be the be all and end all.
Would you consider a NMF freebie ?
For that major, I’d choose a lot ahead of the UCs.
What you’ll find in life is a UCLA working for a Long Beach State or a UCSB for an Arizona (which is excellent in policy btw).
People act like a UC Is some sort of guarantee. No schools are in that major. And no schools are overall.
You far from failed.
You’ve yet to even start the career race.
Good luck to you.
What 
Many people would pick CPSLO over mid-tier UCs. Personally, S24 got rejected there and he is now attending UCD. Don’t look down on CPSLO because it is a CSU. Its acceptance rate is lower than many UCs. Good Luck.
CP SLO is a top notch school! Getting in there isn’t easy, either - it’s a big WIN. And, I’ll be honest, it has its advantages over the UCs. If it were my kid, I’d be pretty psyched about SLO, probably more so than about the UCs you mentioned.
I have a kid at SLO. IMO, best value for the money in CA.
thank you all so much i really appreciate it
I’ll just chime in that one of the smartest people I’ve worked with is a UCR grad who did a ton of work with the naval base there. He worked super closely with some profs and got amazing exposure to work that gave him the chance to make a outsize impact on military safety. You would be surprised at the opportunities you can find at under-the-radar schools… Any UC is an amazing opportunity. But so are the Cal Polys - esp SLO - wow! That’s a fantastic school (and in a cool place). I encourage you to open your eyes and really give these awesome schools a chance - check them out. And btw - that work isn’t wasted. It’s made you smarter, stronger, and more ready to seize the opportunities ahead of you! Congratulations – I’m rooting for your success!
This happened to one of my daughter‘s best friends last year. She is now at UC Riverside and is extremely happy. Whatever you choose those are two amazing options. Best of luck to you!
Can you transfer after 1st year?
@ataribreakout do you want to apply to additional colleges now? If not, we can stop making additional suggestions.
SLO is a great college. Start thinking of the positives in that college. You applied there presumably for a good reason. Revisit that. You should be proud of this acceptance!
If you want or don’t want additional places to apply to now, please let us know…thank you!
A college that is a good fit for you is a total win!
Hi–not being from the west coast, I don’t know anything about California schools (other than all the science people I know regularly say cal poly slo is an excellent school). But I do know all about the feeling you describe: the “…I put myself through hell for WHAT?!” My own high-stats kid went through that last year in a situation very similar to yours, just different part of the country. His “lower stats” classmates got into schools he considered far “better” and it was torture. For months. Please know as a parent I have my own thoughts about all that, but I am leaving those out here b/c I’m guessing those are not helpful to a young person! Instead, let me tell you where my kid is now, a year later. He is at an excellent school that is a great fit for him in all the ways that are actually important. He can see that now that he is out of the crazy pressure-cooker that is senior year + college admissions. He is soaring academically, and socially he has found his people. And – he says nobody really talks about high school or college admissions really AT ALL in college. That’s over! I see no reason why you won’t thrive on your future campus too with the great options you have. But the feelings you and my kid have/had senior year are/were real and awful to live through. I am so sorry you are going through that. It isn’t fair (none of this is from what I can tell) and you sound like an amazing student. The college admissions process doesn’t erase that part of you. I guess that’s what I’m here to tell you. You are awesome. And the college that enrolls you will be really lucky. Honestly I wish my kid had applied to cal poly slo but that’s a whole other jar of pickles… Hang in there. Congrats on your acceptances!!!