I understand the frustration but no counselor (Paid or not) can change the outcome. Cal Engineering rejects >80% with a UC Uncapped GPA in the 4.8-5.0 range. A Cal non-admit is not a conspiracy or due to lack of “influence”; Its simply the brutal nature of CS admissions, particularly at Cal. Just curious if your son didn’t have any other UC CS options.
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I am the son 
No I am not insinuating any malpractice, I am saying it is better to have a “connected” counselor who is on first name basis with AVCs and gets inside information, while the “inner cities” HS counselors do not get the same information.
I got CS at Davis, Irvine, SC and Merced.
But I also got UIUC, UMich, UW, Columbia and CMU. Decided to commit to CMU because of higher rating of their CS program. The tradeoff os cost in these OOS schools but when you don’t get loved by your own state then you pony up I guess
I mean that’s a pretty selective interpretation tbh. Irvine and Davis are both great CS schools and hard admits. So you did well and the state did love you. Unfortunately, you were angling for the more prestigious programs and you not getting into Cal is more down to the vagaries of the process.
Congrats on your terrific accomplishments. CMU is a phenomenal school and if your family can afford it the ROI will be there for you down the line.
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Sounds like you got quite a bit of love from your own state…
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Some OOS admits today…
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And at least one in-state, per ZeeMee. Very interesting.
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Transfers or first years?
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Transfer
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I’m shocked that you didn’t get into UCSD (CS) with your stats? CS at UC Irvine is not impressed, we hired their CS graduates two years ago, they’re worse than my highschooler. If you tried to save cost, why you didn’t SIR to UIUC? CMU (CS) is more renowned than Berkeley. Personally, I think CMU (CS) is just behind MIT, my older son wants to apply for masters program at CMU, not sure if he has the chance.
Congrats for your CMU acceptance! CMU is well worth the price tag!
Shout out to the UCI CS grads who are impressive. There are many.
Sorry your company had a bad experience. That can happen with graduates from most any school and is why it is important to be thorough during the interview process. Evaluating candidates in an internship role is a very strong way to reduce such disappointment.
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Agreed, but I talked about the avg. graduates, the top 10% from UCSC might be better than the avg. graduates from better schools. Those two UCI graduates passed the interview, they’re slow learners… It’s difficult to get rid of them without potential legal consequence, I could use the budget on one qualified CMU graduate.
It’s not relevant to this post, I just wanted to send message to @Asfd1, CMU is worth the price tag, the 3 years earning potential will pay off the debt.
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A college does not determine one’s future. Sometimes, a flower doesn’t bloom because it is in wrong soil or with wrong care.
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The name of college does not determine your future, but education does. Better colleges usually provide higher quality education, increase your chance of success.
No all flowers will bloom, the bad flower seeds never bloom, the soil and care is not the blame. I hope I got good seeds, just delayed flowering.
Thank you. I have only heard good things about CMU CS (also that it the most challenging curriculum after MIT).
My UC experience has been all over the place:
Accepted: Davis, Irvine, SC and Merced
Straight Reject: SD, SB, Riverside
WL: UCB, UCLA
All the best to your son.
Asfd1… where did you SIR to?
CMU for CS
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CMU CS is very rigorous and challenging, you must be self-starter, willing to give up sleeps and free time if necessary, have a good work ethic. My niece (yes, my nephew’s older sister) graduated from master’s degree CMU (she has Math BS from UChicago), so I guess you don’t need previous coding experience.
Good luck for your future endeavor at CMU! You’re among the best seeds.
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First, I’m so sorry you feel slighted for not having the option you wanted—or what you think the state owes you. You’ve obviously worked hard for your successes, and I’m glad they’re being recognized by other prestigious institutions.
Now regardless of the validity of the TikTok or the position of the person who posted it, big data simply doesn’t support Cal showing preference for wealth or discounting inner city students. That’s true by zip code and a basic comparison of public vs private HS acceptance rates. In fact you could argue that the opposite is true.
And while data shows that Berkeley accepts some of the highest academic achievers, historically they’ve also shown favor toward students with grit. Demonstrating work ethic, maturity, and strong potential—outside of school—appear to overcome an imperfect GPA. However a perfect GPA and sparkling extra curriculars appear unlikely to mitigate a demonstration of that grit (or worse yet, showing a sense of entitlement).
And with choices like yours, what matters isn’t where you go; it’s what you do there.
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Thank you for all thr great discussion and encouragement.
As the main topic of this thread (WL) has dried up I will indulge in continuing this great discussion, I am learning so much here.
At the risk of being cancelled I will say what has been bothering me for a long time.
I heard about this “grit” and “hardship” thing and it makes me very uncomfortable.
See I busted my ass working really hard for 4 years, took hardest classes and sacrificed my fun times. Is it my fault that I am born in a white suburban middle class family that is sort of “normal”?
I did not face any major hardship (I did have a health condition that I am still dealing with but it was not cancer or anything like that).
So how can I show grit other than working hard and getting good grades and taking active participation in ECs and in my community?
Now if I claim that to be achievement worthy of getting into say UCB and it is seen as “entitlement” then I think something is wrong with the system.
See my family is not rich…but we are not poor either to qualify for any student aid…in the end I am going to get student loan to get the best education that I think I deserve as my family cannot pay for full 4 years.of CMU.
But I will not take the “entitled” label.
Also as for showing grit and hardship, I am still 17 I don’t know what else to say
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I know someone who was accepted to several UCs, but not their preferred one. They chose to go a community college, worked hard and took advantage of some great opportunities and now are transferring to Berkeley. You could do that too if you wanted to.
You can be extremely proud of yourself for all you accomplished and the schools you got into. My kid’s school counselor made sure to tell students that Cal is not a safety school for ANYONE.
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