Rejected from UCLA, What does this mean for my other schools?

So, I applied to:

UCLA (Rejected)
UCB
University of Oregon (Accepted)
Stanford
Harvard

On Friday, I got my rejection letter from UCLA, presumably due to my poor GPA and test scores (3.67 UW, 4.1 W/ 2040 SAT, 31 ACT). Considering that this is the most lackadaisical and forgiving school that I applied to (besides University of Oregon), I’m really worried about my chances at the other universities. I feel that UCB and Stanford are out of the question, because they also value school GPA and test scores just as much as UCLA, so the decision will invariably be the same.

The final chance is Harvard, for I hear that they have the most holistic admissions process. I was hoping that they can look past my grades, and instead at my achievements, character, and drive. If not, then it looks like I will have to go to University of Oregon and aim at HMS for medical school.

Not really sure why I’m posting here… I guess I just wanted to get all of this off my chest. This feeling of hopelessness has been slowly building for months, and I have no one to tell. I guess i was hoping for someone to tell me my chances at Harvard and the other colleges. My statistics are on my profile, on my other chance threads that I posted several months ago. Either way, I don’t feel too good about my chances, and am currently unsure about the future of my educational career.

I guess what I’m asking is about the difference between UCLA admissions, and Harvard’s standards of its students. Does getting rejected from UCLA foreshadow my rejection from the other schools? Or do I still have a chance at the colleges that I’ve been aiming for?

Okay, I’m done. Respond or not. either way I’ll have my answers in a week or so.

It doesn’t foreshadow rejection at the others, but realistically, your chances are very low. They’re low for everyone at your remaining schools, and many applicants to those schools have perfect or near-perfect GPAs and scores in addition to outstanding extracurricular achievements and personal qualities. Most of those stellar students are rejected. So you’d probably be better off looking into all the great things about the University of Oregon (of which there are many, by the way—one of which is a really great location if you like outdoor activities) than focusing on Harvard, Stanford, and UCB.

I’m not sure what’s compelling about your application to Harvard. Your grades and test scores are very low for an applicant. I read one of your chance threads. You’ve done interesting research, and should take pride in it, but it doesn’t strike me as quite making up for the lack of grades and scores. Others may differ.

You homeschooled through high school. The dual-enrollment helps you there, but the lack of AP scores, and the relatively low SAT II scores don’t suggest that you’re an academic powerhouse. Harvard is looking for many things in their admitted students. One of them is academic excellence.

You’re apparently very young, and this is actually an additional hurdle. You must overcome the concern that you won’t be ready to live on campus, functioning pretty much as an adult. Harvard doesn’t hand-hold its students. That’s often a knock against the school. The school likes to admit folks they think will function on their own, with maturity, with even a touch of wisdom. Many on the admissions committee may see immaturity in the rush through primary and secondary school (whether that’s a fair judgment or not).

I don’t think your prospects for Harvard are good at all.

You’re not going to like his, but if UCLA rejected you, there is a good chance that Harvard will as well. According to Harvard’s Common Data Set, 87% of admitted students had a 3.75 UW GPA or higher. While Harvard is willing to look beyond a student’s GPA, that student MUST bring something EXTRAORDINARY to the table, such as being a recruited athlete, concert musician (think student’s of Yo Yo Ma’s caliber), Intel Science winner etc. Just having great achievements and good character is not enough by itself, unless you have the GPA and test scores to go with it – and even then, it’s a long shot for those students as well. Best of luck to you wherever you may matriculate!

“Waiting is the hardest part!”
– Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

University of Oregon may be your best strategy for the high GPA you need for acceptance to Medical School. Based on your ACT/SAT and looking at your palette of schools, if you did get accepted at all of the schools you have listed, I would strongly recommend that you consider your overall strategy (medical school), and would recommend that you attend a school where you will graduate in the top quartile of your class. In this case, of the schools listed, even if you were accepted to ALL of the listed schools, I would recommend you matriculate at Oregon.

Great option- I predict you will have an excellent experience. You already have the best result you could want, the others don’t matter. Time to celebrate and plan!

If I recall correctly, Harvard accepts only about 100 students to its medical school class each year. Entrance will be competitive!

It means nothing. No two colleges evaluate apps the same way. Good luck!

Harvard Recommends:

I know at some schools, foreign language starts in 7th grade, so many kids have 6 years in one foreign language when applying to college.

Also, math is started early so it’s not unusual to be taking Multivariable Calc and Linear Algebra (or beyond) in 12th grade.

What about your AP Chemistry, Physics and Bio? 4 years of English? History?

On your chance thread I noticed your graduating high school 2-3 years early, but currently taking beginning French and College Algebra. If you haven’t yet met Harvard’s basic recommendations, you might consider waiting a year or two to get these foundational high school classes under your belt, then applying. You might even consider withdrawing your application immediately so you don’t get rejected, and apply again as a high school student in a year or two.

Best of luck!

I’m on the same boat as you! I’m applying to college two years earlier. I was rejected from MIT, but I still have some hope left for Harvard. If all the colleges looked for the same qualities, achievements, etc. in applicants, then only the same few students would be getting accepted to top schools.
I had a friend that was accepted to Harvard, but not from Princeton. It shows how even the top(highest!) schools look for different types of applicants.

@arwarw‌
Haven’t really thought about that. You do have a point.

I’ve actually taken four years of Chinese, 2 of which were taken over-seas at Fudan University’s summer intensive program.

as for math, I’m currently taking trig and statistics. I know that I should have a higher level, but my college classes count for double normal high-school classes, so I’ve covered four to six years in total (I took more classes that I didn’t write because they were just normal classes, nothing special).

I’ve also taken two years of history, world and american. Not really that great, but it just makes it over the line.

Finally, I’ve taken around 6 six years worth of biology and science related courses. Currently taking Applied Microbiology and environmental science at my college, along with trigonometry, statistics, and composition.

Overall, it looks like I just slid over the recommendations for schoolwork. To be truthful, the information that I gave you is actually old, and I moved on past college algebra and so on a year or so ago. Either way, I would say you have a point. In my application, I put down that I was home-schooled, which may lead them to question my academic integrity and the validity of my course load. The college courses might counteract that a little, but I still have that metaphorical sword hanging over my head until they make a decision.

Unfortunately, if it turns out I didn’t take enough classes in my high-school years, I may just have to forgo Harvard for University of Oregon. Doing so may actually be better in the long run. Going to U-of-O, I would be compared to students who are a lower level than those from Harvard, Stanford, etc. It would be easier for me to stand out in a crowd, to make better grades, maybe even graduate summa cum laude!

I don’t know, I rambling.

Qua-a-a-a-a-c-k.
Eugene is awesome and it’s a great school.
Did you get admitted to Clark?

@JustOneDad‌
No, i didn’t apply in time, couldn’t get my teachers to send letters in time (i applied to Oregon sort of as a Afterthought, a couple days before the deadline). I talked to some of the admissions advisors, And they said i should Apply next year, and they might promise me admission based on my freshman grades. I think i got a good deal. My father also used o teach there, and i used to be a little bit of a celebrity in campus (i was in a commercial for the education college) so im also getting a little special treatment. But hey, I’m not complaining!

Sorry for the typos, wiring on my phone.