My daughter was waitlisted at Cal Berkley and UCI

I’m also a CA resident and have watched over the past several years as friends’ kids have gotten rejected or wait-listed from UCs and top private schools that they thought they’d get into. (My oldest, with a higher ACT than your daughter although a lower GPA, was wait-listed at both UC Davis and Cal Poly SLO several years ago, although she did get into UCSD. Also a likely bio major at the time).

It’s disappointing for your daughter to have so many rejections and I’m sorry she had to go through that. The upside is that most kids seem to really enjoy attending CU Boulder so I hope she’s able to recover from the rejection and have a great experience there. I was just talking to 2 friends at lunch yesterday whose kids will be going there next year (also who were hoping to get into higher-ranked schools).

This site can be a good place to get some suggestions for places to consider for your younger child if you want help with a list of potential match/ safety schools to look at.