I was recently rejected from UC Santa Barbara and was wondering what my chances of getting admitted through appeal are. I don’t have the best grades ( 3.0 UC-gpa 3.5W) or test score (1740 SAT). I am fully aware that my academic stats are significantly lower than the majority of students who are admitted to UCSB but am wondering if being aware of obstacles I endured throughout HS may prompt them to change their initial decision. Throughout my HS career I have taken 8 AP and 5 Honors courses. However I was not able consistently excel in all of them due to factors such as domestic abuse, hospitalizations of my mother and grandmother, being kicked out of the house by my new step-father because of my sexuality, periods of homelessness, staying at friends houses due to my family drama, and a few other hardships. Even during these difficult times I have remained severely involved in my school and community. I have many leadership roles (President of BSU, ASB, Link Crew, Tutoring, etc.) 2 jobs (Swim Instructor and Lifeguard), an internship at a Law Firm, am co-captain of 2 varsity sports teams (Swimming and Waterpolo), worked the US midterm elections, have several medals declaring me as a Junior Lifeguard regional and National champion, and have served several community service hours with the LA County Fire Department in giving free CPR lessons to the general public at Venice Beach. So far I have been wait-listed at UC Davis and admitted to LMU. Please share your thoughts as to how likely it is for me to get admitted to UCSB as a Black Studies major. Thanks!
Appealing might not be the best idea. Click on this link for more info on appeals http://collegeapps.about.com/od/theartofgettingaccepted/f/appeal_reject.htm
Did you address your difficult circumstances in one of your essays? If not, why not, because these situations would have contributed to the person you are. If you did, then you do not have any new and compelling information for admissions to consider. Either way, if you do not try, you will never find out if you could have been successful with the appeal.
Waitlist stats from last year: http://■■■■■■■■■■■■/home/fall-2014-last-year-frosh-waitlist-appeal-cancellation-numbers/
Thank you @Gumbymom for the link! Even though all the UCs have a low appeal rate, it’s somewhat reassuring to see that Santa Barbara’s was the highest last year. Also, I did not dedicate either of my essays to the difficult circumstances. I briefly mentioned certain issues in the additional comments section of the application, but did not have the space to explain the severity or tole they have had on my academic course work.
You absolutely should appeal. Colleges do care about the challenges that you have to overcome in order to get to where you are. It’s part of the holistic admissions criteria that the UCs hold themselves up to in terms of admissions. You may not have initially realised that this was important to mention initially but now that you know you absolutely should ensure that they understand where you are coming from and how hard you have to had to fight for the accomplishments that you have accomplished.
i am appealing to ucsb, let me know if you get in!