D25 received acceptance for economics earlier this evening. In-state. Bay Area. She’ll take some to decide as she was accepted by UCSD a couple of weeks ago.
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He got the notice on Wed 5/14 @ 5:30 PM, SIR deadline was Tue 5/20. We toured Sat and he accepted Mon. And yes, I heard anecdotally from friends about kids getting off very late. Good luck!
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Thank you Arlopop, very helpful! It has indeed been a stressful time. It has also become clear that even very successful, well prepared students are being left out. My son was accepted to UCR, UCM and UCSC for CS, and committed to a very interesting game design program at UCSC. The proximity to Silicon Valley and beauty of the campus did it for me - but not enough for my son. We’ll hang tight for waitlists from UCSD and UCD, but there are worse places to be than Santa Cruz.
Good luck and thanks again!
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My son also withdrew from Davis after he got off the UCSB waitlist, but was very torn. Felt Davis had a better program (for law route) since they have synergies with their law school and are by the Capitol. But he really loved the UCSB vibe and location (hard to beat!). He questioned if he had his priorities right, but we told him both are great and it’s just splitting hairs since UCSB has pre-law advising and there will still be internship opptys, etc. We told him to go where he thinks he’ll thrive & be happiest…but now that he’s committed, we are even second-guessing ourselves! 
(It’s not only hard on the kids, but parents, too!) 
I know UCSB is rigorous & students “work hard, play hard,” but I question if the “party school” rep somehow makes them seen as less serious than someone from Davis. ?
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UCSC is a very good school. In fact, for our youngest, who will graduate high school in two years, we feel it is the best fit for her out of all the UCs. Santa Cruz seems to somehow be thought of in a poor light. That’s insane: it’s a UC, it’s ranked in the top 50 public universities in the country - in the top 100 public or private universities. How is that a poor choice? It’s beautiful, is the closest any UC comes to an LAC vibe, and its non-traditional methods offer a great alternative to the very grinding, cookie cutter mentality of the top UCs.
My son, currently at Santa Barbara, had Santa Cruz as his most desired school. Ironically, while he was accepted to SB, he was waitlisted to SC. He came off their waitlist too late in the process (June) and stayed with SB. While he has thrived and is content at SB, I often wonder if SC wouldn’t have suited him better.
In a way, this whole process with its series of rejections, has some good. Kids that are successful in their own ponds learn a valuable lesson: that the big ocean is filled with bright and eager people, people with whom they can expect to compete all their lives. For some kids it’s the first time they put in their best and still came up short. The world can be arbitrary and even unfair, but we still have to push on and find a way. The most successful ones in this circumstance figure out how to make the school they end up in the best opportunity.
If your son ultimately lands as SC I hope he grabs that experience with both hands enjoys every moment.
Keep me posted if he shakes off the waitlists, but also if UCSC is where he ends up. I’m betting he will be surprised.
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My son is at UCSB, potentially pre law (the philosophy major offers a law track.) I can tell you that the party rep had me a little concerned; not because I worried about him succumbing, but because that isn’t really his thing and he might have trouble finding like-minded friends.
It turns out that there is indeed a big party vibe, but not nearly to the extent I imagined. He and most of his buddies (he found them easily) have other interests and watch the party scene from the periphery. About the middle of the 2nd semester of his freshman year I asked him what he does in his spare time. He smiled and said he likes to go down on the beach and walk, watch the waves come in. He said it occurred to him months earlier that there might not ever be another time in his life where he will be able to afford to live right on the ocean. “These 4 years of school at SB, on the beach,” he said, “are a ‘gift’ that I didn’t really know I was getting when I committed.” He added that it’s too bad some of the party students there miss that.
Your son will find his people - serious, focused - at SB. I am certain he will succeed. Davis and SB are both top 10 publics - the academics are rigorous at both. He can’t make a bad choice with those options.
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Ha, my son said almost the same thing…“I get to go to paradise for 4 years and get a degree out of it.” My kid also has a good head on his shoulders, I just wasn’t sure how distracting/tempting the party culture would be! But this is reassuring coming from an experienced UCSB dad, so thank you! LOL. I told him with 20K kids, there’s room for every type of kid (as there will be on any college campus)…he just has to find his tribe. 
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my daughter is prelaw and had the same dilemma. She is a rising sophomore(with junior standing) and I can let you know she has ZERO regrets and picked up a double major in Econ. Yes, the capitol is there, but experiences can be had wherever you are as long as your kid seeks them out and makes things happen. Congrats and welcome to UCSB! We are going down Saturday for a visit and can’t wait(one of the perks is a super fun place to visit for parents)
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Anyone hear about appeals ?
Would it be wise to send an LOCI if there is new compelling information? Or even ask for a final date of the wait-list info?
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UCSB does not accept LOCI’s. Read the waitlist FAQ’s.
Do you use Letters of Continued Interest in the waitlist selection process?
No, we do not use Letters of Continued Interest to select students from the waitlist. To express interest in the waitlist, you must simply opt in to the waitlist by the deadline (April 15 for freshmen
and May 15 for transfers).
No movement in days, I think it’s over for me
My son withdrew from UCSB for mechanical engineering today… I hope you get that seat
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is it unlikely that we get another instate wave for engineering now..
I hope it was because your son got an admittance he desired.
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I mean your son can just try to switch in, just need to take the 10 series. It’s difficult but doable.
Maybe: UCSB has this on their website but it’s from 2021:
(from) A guide for UCSB applicants who were admitted to an alternate major in the College of Letters and Science.
If space does become available in my first choice major in the College of Engineering, will I be automatically considered?
Yes. If your first choice major was one in the College of Engineering and a space in that major becomes available, you will automatically be considered for that major. There is no need to submit a request to change your major back into that first choice major. You will be notified if a space does become available and you’re offered a spot.
https://admissions.ext-prod.sa.ucsb.edu/sites/default/files/2021-02/Alternative_Majors_FAQ_F21.pdf
Your son should contact UCSB Engineering or Admissions to see if that’s still the policy and specifically if it applies to him. It sounds like his situation is slightly different; he was admitted off the waitlist into L&S, not admitted to L&S and waitlisted for CE when decisions were first released
Not yet…but he got his major which was aerospace
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At UCSD?
Waiting for UCSD and UCLA… I know those are the hard ones, but still expecting for a miracle…got into UC Irvine
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