How does the admit rate to UCLA from your school compare to average? That should give you some idea. Admit rates from our school to most of the UCs are roughly in line with overall admit rates, other than Cal and UCLA where they are somewhat higher than average. According to our school profile the average number of APs is 7.9, though I assume the best candidates have somewhat more than that. The school does not limit APs other than that you cannot take any in freshman year.
I assume you know this link but providing in case /or it may be useful to other parents.
Our HSās admit rates to Cal and UCLA are a bit below average, but I think thatās because so many of our students apply to these UCs (almost half of the graduating class), and our HS is very diverse, not one of those super competitive Bay Area HS where everyone is a superstar.
I think it hurts us a bit with UCLA (only the students with the highest possible GPA seem to get in there), but I do think most holistic admissions processes try to take into account the HS context.
Thanks for sharing. I have never seen that UC data before. It was interesting to see that our random midwest high school (large public urban) had 103 applicants to UC schools with 58 accepted and 11 enrolled for fall 2024. I always figured UC schools were not even worth looking at for out-of-state kidsā¦
On a different topic, you may recall a while back I asked about professional-style clothing for C26. We now have a small wardrobe for them, basically a couple of pairs of black pants and some sweater-type tops (short and long sleeve) which are easy to wear/unfussy but look fine for what they need to, combination of H&M and Uniqlo (I wouldnāt have thought of the latter without the recommendations here). And all very reasonably priced, especially as H&M had a sale (the one pair of pants was $7!!) Shoes were harder to decide on but we ended up getting the doc marten penny loafers - something theyāre happy to wear and fit the dress code. Should all also be good for internships down the line too. Thanks for the help/recs!
Also halfway through the summer program. Sad to say the social side hasnāt improved, and C26ās social anxiety seems to have worsened in the current context, but it is what it is, for some reason this group just doesnāt have ātheir peopleā. On the positive side they are loving the course and now sure that they do indeed want to do architecture. Before, we were talking about the possibility of one of those combination design/tech courses as well but those seem to have been pushed aside now.
Spoke to S26 after dinner today. Heās missing his Kenyon friends and being at Kenyon! He admitted that heās having a slightly tough time transitioning back to being home and getting his head into college essays. He shared more about his Kenyon experience, and I canāt help but feel so happy for him. He loved being surrounded by other writers, living, breathing writing. He said he was afraid heād burn out, but he said it never happened. He shared a recording someone took of him reading one of his short stories, and I canāt help but be so proud of him for being brave and adding something unconventional to his āperformance.ā This is not the same kid before Kenyon! Iām so grateful that his experience got him out of his safety zone. He wished it was more than 2 weeks! He felt transformed and inspired. If any of you have younger kids who love to write, guide them towards Kenyon Young Writers Summer Residential Workshop!
Tomorrow, we will chat about colleges and the essay(s). He said heāll be ready by then!
Do you have a link to these $7 pants at H&M?! Wow, what a steal!
Iām sorry to hear that the social side of the experience hasnāt improved, but it sounds like a great experience overall in that it solidified to them that architecture is what they want to do! Thatās wonderful! Sounds like itās very worthwhile!
Since itās only halfway, there is still time to make connections. My oldest son didnāt connect with anyone at his program in college untilā¦the last year.
I am so sorry to hear this. My D has also been struggling with the social side of her summer program. Although the program is definitely a valuable learning experience for her, high school summers are so precious and few that it is hard for me to see her not having a happier one.
There are decent amount of OOS kids at UCLA, Berkeley, UCSB, UCSD, UCI. My D22 is a rising senior at UCLA and has many OOS friends. Her girlfriend is from WI, roommates from WA, OR, MA. I think the system limits non CA students to 18 percent, but some have higher numbers.
S26 got 4s on both his AP examsāAPUSH and AP PreCalc. Heās alright with that. The scores donāt affect his grades (which were A- and A respectively) and Iām not sure if he will report themābut I guess why not?
In other news, he seems to be having fun at his precollege program. This is his second and last week; he finishes on Friday. Heās found a group of pals and has even met a girl who is from our area (goes to one of the private schools). I guess weāll see if they want to keep hanging out after they get home!
Some selective schools only give credit for a 5 ā in that case, I might not report a 4.
My D22 took seven AP classes and got 5 on five of them. She had a 4 on APUSH and 3 on Seminar ā both were during the Covid shutdown, and the APUSH exam was taken from home and consisted of one 45-minute DBQ and nothing else. Seminar exam was canceled, and the score was based on one writing assignment that was done earlier during the year.
I know she didnāt submit the 3 anywhere, but very few schools give credit for Seminar anyway. I canāt remember what she did with the 4, or if she used the extra info section to explain about the Covid-affected exams, but although her school gives general elective credit for a 4 on APUSH, it didnāt count toward any distribution requirements.
I was just wondering the same thing? D26 got 4ās and we went onto the websites for all her schools and every single one gives full credit for a 4. Only one school gives more credit for a 5 vs. a 4. And some even give credit for a 3.
