This discussion has been started since the subject of having the UC’s follow an admissions model similar to Texas. These posts were broken out the UCSB Freshman class discussion into a more appropriate forum.
1 Like
If the UCs would just use the Texas model of accepting a small percentage from the top of each California high school class (with a cap obviously for some of the schools), it would be so much fairer by benefiting the economically disadvantaged, but not penalizing kids who aren’t.
4 Likes
nailed it.
2 Likes
That’s what eligibility in the local context is addressing - top 9% in each (participating) school and top 9% overall are guaranteed a spot at A UC.
3 Likes
That really only guarantees a spot at Merced. If you are in the top 9%, then you’d want to aim much higher.
3 Likes
Yes but I don’t know any students working their tails off to attend the guaranteed school of UC Merced.
4 Likes
There is no way to slice it so that you benefit more kids, without also penalizing others. Admitting more of some set of kids means denying more of some other set of kids.
That said, it’s perfectly reasonable to discuss possible adjustments to CA’s existing 9% local and statewide guarantees. Maybe another thread would be better than this one since this one is focused on the current admissions season at UCSB specifically.
3 Likes
Texas model applies to UT Austin only. And, similar to UC’s eligibility in the local context (9%), they offer spots to 6% (changes every year), but not to competitive majors.
2 Likes
IDK if the Texas model is so much better. The top 6 percent are only guaranteed admission but the options for major are very limited unless you also pass the holistic admissions review. No STEM options are auto admit, for example. I mean I can see an argument why some people think it’s better but I don’t think it’s obviously so.
5 Likes
Huh? The Texas model applies to all Texas schools, not just UT Austin. Only UT has a threshold below the statutory top 10 percent, but the top 10 percent admit rule applies at all public schools. And the fact that auto admit doesn’t necessarily guarantee a major is also a factor at A&M.
4 Likes
Sorry! I didn’t mean to highjack this. I wish they would let us delete comments.
Is there any reason to believe that Merced isn’t giving effectively the same education as other UCs? The faculty I know at Merced are highly capable.
6 Likes
I think the main thing to consider is something “similar” means it doesn’t have to be just like it - in fact, it can’t. California has a much bigger population, and we currently take many more out of state kids into the elite UCs than Texas does to UT and A&M (not necessarily a bad thing at all).
Yes, in short, by every gauge - quality of faculty, graduate students, other students, and the very cities, they’re in. It doesn’t mean there aren’t very smart people at Merced, but it’s just a different place. Who is more likely to get into a top med school if they have the same exact stats? A Berkeley grad or a Merced grad? There’s the answer.
Med school adcomms consider the name on the diploma to be of only minor importance when it comes to making admission decisions.
Annual survey of med school adcomms–
7 Likes
A appreciate the “a” UC guarantee. But obviously many people want something other than Merced.
Too lazy to check but I wonder, given the # of HS in CA, what would X have to be to give the Top X% from each HS an automatic spot in UCB, UCLA, and UCSD? And how much of each incoming class would you want to devote to those kids?
I think the TX approach of then applying holistic admissions review for competitive majors is a reasonable compromise beyond that point.
A post was merged into an existing topic: UC Santa Barbara Freshman Class of 2028 Waitlist/Appeals Discussion
The UT Austin 6% auto-admit system gets brought up in the discussion threads of so many other state schools. Usually, like this thread, with a lot of inaccuracies. Also, if you think it is the model of fairness, go read this year’s UT Austin admissions thread. Look at the responses of so many parents whose kids had 4.0 UW GPAs, with 1500+ SATs, that were rejected from CS, Engineering and the College of Business.
15 Likes
Fake math: the CA department of finance says there were 454,500 students who graduated from CA high schools in 2022. There were a total of 20,231 new freshman at UCB, UCLA, and UCSD combined in fall 2023. To give everyone in the top x% a spot at one of those 3, x=4.4%. If the top x% get a spot at all 3, x is 1.4%.