UCLA admissions - what do you think is going on here?

RBurgundy
Thu, 28 Mar 2019 00:10:58 +0000

I think there are a number of factors in play. Are the UC schools gun shy this year in light of what happened at UCI last year and the 1000 extra kids that accepted? Obviously, if race/income/first gen didn’t come into play, more spots would be open for “high achievers.” That said, I agree with Gumbymom that UCLA and UCB could easily fill their classes with kids that are 4.0+ and top 1% test scores. Still, I also share the frustration of many “middle class” families with no admissions hooks. While we have the wherewithal to provide a nice home for our kids, when they achieve at a high level, the reaction is almost “well, that’s what they were supposed to do,” so it almost feels like a negative. They then scramble to pad their resume with all sorts of ECs that may not enhance their application at all. Conversely, many highl level private schools would love to bring these kids in, but that raises the specter of paying $75k/year without any real aid. It feels like getting squeezed from all sides.