UC Berkeley Class of 2028 Official Thread

Do u mind if I ask what major you applied for? I feel like a lot of it also depends on which major your choosing as some choices seem much more competitive than others. In any case I m sure you’ll end up where your best fit is! Hang in there

I apllied molecular and cell biology

Heard of some first year admits to HAAS got in yesterday (and no Regents). So it looks like HAAS was in the early admits. First year for freshmen to be admitted directly to HAAS so hard to say if all acceptances to HAAS are done or not.

Just some reassurance for those still waiting. My DD was ELC statewide and Local, and did not get in by early admit. She did however, get in in March with the marjority and into a high demand major.

She was devastated by getting waitlisted at UCLA so she never even thought she would get CAL. While visiting a college OOS , hours after a DA day ended at OOS college and CAL had posted their acceptance, she reluctantly opened up her portal at my insistence to get it over with. Low and behold she had an acceptance to CAL. Completely caught off guard (because she didn’t get any confetti when she opened it up but it just read “Congratulations” and equated all acceptances with confetti :woman_facepalming:). Within 24 hours we were back on a flight home (CA) and walking the campus at Berkeley.

Keep your self occupied and be patient. The days seem long between now and the end of March and especially with all the other schools releasing before CAL does. Don’t assume anything and know whatever happens, college doesn’t define you.

7 Likes

Good to know. Thanks for sharing that.

1 Like

You have an awesome resume and you will be rewarded for the tremendous effort you have put in. Stay positive. Yes, I would be disappointed if I was in your place as well. However, no one really knows the criteria for the early admits. The “top 1%” can be sliced and diced in many different ways. Good luck with RD

I believe he would have got early admit if he applied for less competitive majors, like mechanical engineering. CS and EECS are just too competitive.

1 Like

Mech E is not an easy admit and if you think that I have a bridge to sell you. People should apply for the majors they are interested in. That said, the OP applied for MCB not Mech E, not CS, not EECS.

More pertinently, there are plenty of highly accomplished applicants who don’t get in during the early admits (or) get into Berkeley at all but end up in even more “prestigious” institutions. Here’s just one example of a poster from the 22 cycle who got into MIT and Caltech but was waitlisted at UC Santa Cruz.

I know nothing I say here is going to calm anyone disappointed right now but I promise you will look at this whole phase later and wonder why you were so worked up.

6 Likes

For whatever it’s worth on the Haas Spieker website with info for high school students they state the admissions will be in March. So I would assume that not everyone was admitted yesterday. Of course they may have changed that up but it doesn’t appear to have been their original intention.

2 Likes

@Jam888 My friend’s child got REA at Caltech but didn’t get the early admission at Berkeley. I think the schools are completely different and look for different things. Your stats are amazing. I bet you will get into Cal in March and likely many of your other choices as well.

2 Likes

In this case, UCSC knows that this applicant is over qualified. So they did not admit him/her for yield protection purpose.

1 Like

Agree. Some Berkeley programs (like MET) are harder than Caltech. On the other hand, 1580 in SAT is not considered for Berkeley admission but is considered important by Caltech.

Caltech is also test blind

3 Likes

UCSC and in general all of the UCs don’t care about yield. They make independent decisions based on their own evaluation process and campus priorities.

UCs don’t practice yield protection (and most have quite low yield actually).

@worriedmomucb and @ucscuuw are correct that UC’s do not yield protect.

Each UC campus evaluates each application without knowing the status of the same application at another campus. In making admission decisions, campuses do not consider where you’ve applied or your admission status to other campuses. All campuses consider your application simultaneously, yet independently of all other campuses you applied to.

Other than UCB and UCLA, yields are low for the UC’s. 2023 data:

Campus OVERALL
Berkeley 46%
Davis 18%
Irvine 22%
Los Angeles 50%
Merced 9%
Riverside 15%
San Diego 21%
Santa Barbara 17%
Santa Cruz 12%

Yeah, if UCSC is practicing yield protection, they’re doing an exceptionally poor job of it :wink:

2 Likes

They did a poor job, but still better than not doing it. Actually, it is rare for a Caltech level student to apply for UCSC even as a safety. UCSC may admit someone who has a 10% chance of enrolling, but not someone who has .001% chance, like the student who is admitted by Caltech (unless he/she got into Caltech by unusual condition or luck).

At this point, you are arguing against facts, the UCs own stated process, and the collective experience of the folks who have gone through the UC process in the most recent cycles. What inside information are you privy to?

2 Likes

I don’t have insider information, but I heard a lot of examples that extremely excellent students who got into more than one T10 schools getting rejected by most UC’s.

UCLA, UCI and UCSD make their admission decision on the same day in March. How many students do you know who get into all three? Do you think their decisions are purely independent?

It is well known that USC practices yp, yet their yield rate is only < 45%. So the low yield rate cannot be used to judge if a school practices yp or not.

They are in fact purely independent. And, yes, plenty of students do get into all three.

There’s no UC conspiracy I assure you.

2 Likes