Alas, the dreaded (and much anticipated) month of March has arrived!
the past two release dates were march 21 and march 22… anything’s possible but i would focus on the 20th 
Do any of you know what it means if I did not receive the email to apply for the alumni scholarship? I’ve seen posts saying it has no indication and the emails are random, and I’ve seen posts saying that the email is based off of numbers alone. For reference, I have a 4.18 UC GPA, 4.26 uncapped UC GPA, 3.83 UW GPA, and a 2330 SAT, so I am not quite sure why I did not receive the email as I have seen several people with lower GPA and scores get the email.
@sgtweed pretty sure the alumni scholarship emails are random, my GPA is the around the same as yours but 2230 SAT and I’ve gotten multiple emails from them
@ukitake123 I’m not entirely sure they’re just “random.” I received an email and a CALL regarding the scholarship…
@sgtweed I hope that the fact that you didn’t receive an invitation inviting you to apply didn’t dissuade you from applying anyways. It’s open to all (invitation or not). I’ve heard positive things about invitations but at the end of the day it’s just speculation. The last “reputable” source regarding what an invite could mean was in 2013. No idea if that still applies this school year…
@ukitake123 Messed up your username first time around. Response above.
no invitation needs, apply yourself.
anyone else nervous out of their minds haha
Only 2 1/2 weeks left!
@uclabound1 did you apply to any other UCs?
@sc8305 I applied to LA, Berkeley, Davis, and San Diego. You?
Hey I posted this on a forum but didn’t get any responses, what do you guys think: “Hey guys! I was wondering if receiving Alumni Scholarship invitations gives a similar indication to acceptance as does the Reagent Scholarship invitation. I am aware that both invitations clarify that the invitation has no pull on your admission status, but I definitely hear less hype about receiving alumni scholarship invitations. Is it true that only the top 10% of applicants receive these emails? or is it just another mass UCLA email that they seem to always send out. Thanks in advance for taking the time to respond :)”
@uclabound1 Irvine, LA, Davis, Santa Cruz, and San Diego. Hoping for at least 1 out of 5! :-SS
@kollegekid7 in 2013, someone from UCLA posted this:
"Hello,
I am a former Alumni Scholar (truly a life-changing program for me), and currently review applications and interview candidates for the scholarship.
The office of admissions will refer promising candidates to us and we in-turn send invitations to those students in the hopes that they will apply. This is NOT a guarantee of admission, and in past years we have had some candidates that we would really love to put on this scholarship not be admitted to the university. However, most students are referred to us because, by virtue of an initial round of application review, an admissions representative has found that candidate worthy of consideration for a highly prestigious merit scholarship (others on occasion find them less so, which is why not everyone who is invited will be admitted). To put it this way (parents love numbers, I’m told):
~70,000+ freshman applicants to UCLA
~4,000 invited to apply for scholarship (notably, however, students can also apply without being invited)
~1,500-2,500 complete scholarship application (frankly, you’d be stupid not to, but that’s my $.02)
~100-120 offered a scholarship after application review and up to three rounds of panel interviews. Scholarship amounts have in past years ranged from $4,000-$20,000 and are based solely on merit (though students can apply for additional need-based grants through the program once they’ve enrolled). All incoming Alumni Scholars are also offered honors college advising, alumni and peer mentors, and access to a variety of Alumni Association activities, dinners, service events, etc. It’s a great family.
I was told by a reputable source a few years ago that ~70-80% of those invited to apply are admitted to UCLA, but because the scholarship review process runs parallel to, and does not intersect with, the admissions process (except when students are initially referred), I’m not certain how accurate this is (though I’d imagine at the very least the odds are >50%)
This scholarship is exceptionally competitive, and typically many of those awarded it are on par with top admits to Ivy League institutions. The program has produced a majority of the university’s Rhodes, Marshall and Gates winners in recent years, and a somewhat absurd amount have gone onto top-10 graduate/medical/law schools. In short, the program churns out leaders of character and high intelligence like a well-oiled machine.
So there’s my input (and elevator pitch!). Good luck to you and yours; I look forward to reading the applications."
on this thread: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-los-angeles/1458538-ucla-alumni-scholarship-invitation-p1.html
All I can say is that, although its not a guarantee of acceptance, being invited to apply definitely can’t be bad thing. 
Hmm. Interesting - hadn’t thought about the fact that (if this is to be credited as true) 70-80% are admitted if invited to apply, but only 62% of those invited to apply actually submit applications. I would love to see the Venn Diagram of invited-and-submitted and invited-and-accepted applicants.
So being invited to apply is a high indicator that there is POTENTIAL acceptance? Obviously not guaranteed acceptance but…
Honestly, we don’t really know anything at this point. An invitation could be a sign of acceptance or not, it’s all speculation. But is is definitely not a bad sign because only some applicants receive it.
thanks @sc8305 ! and yeah I guess nothing is safe to assume until March 20th! I guess I’m just trying to find any positive sign I can
Glad I could help @kollegekid7
Also, for anyone who didn’t open the link, that same person follows up with this:
"To update:
I clarified with someone who is intimately involved with this process today, and he said the following:
- Students are initially screened by the Office of Admissions for exceptional GPA and SAT scores. ~Top-10 percent in these categories are referred to the Alumni Assoc. Based on those scores, the Alumni Assoc will send a post-card to some (the top, top ones) and an email to others (those who are still very strong, but don't fall into the upper-tier of those referred), inviting them to apply. Again, this is based ONLY on SAT and GPA.
- Those invited to apply are, in most years, admitted at 3x the overall admit rate (so you're probably looking at anywhere from 60-70%, though with this year's numbers, I think the admit rate will be lower than usual). Some students will be admitted and win the scholarship without having been invited initially, because it's an open application process.
- There are instances where those who are invited are not admitted. This is because, contrary to popular belief, UCLA does actually care about more than just numbers. i.e. Just having a good SAT and GPA isn't going to cut it. There are plenty of students who apply with 4.8s and 2300s and don't get in, because all they did was a 4.8 and 2300 (I see it every year).
- The evaluation process is about MUCH more than your GPA and SAT. Nobody really takes the SAT seriously beyond the initial screening. There are many students who win the scholarship but entered with sub-1900 SAT scores. They were exceptional in other areas, and have contributed and succeeded in substantial ways throughout their UCLA careers.
- Students are, in general, evaluated along three lines: Intellectual promise, leadership potential, and moral force of character. 50% of your application score is the written part, and 50% is the interview. Interviews are held in three levels: area, district and state finals. The top winners from the first proceed to the second, and so forth. If you place in the top-3 in your area, you are awarded the scholarship, but only the top winner in each area will advance to the district interviews, where they will compete for more money. The top winners in the district interviews will advance to state finals, where they will compete for the most money. ALL winners (at every level) are admitted to the Alumni Scholars Club, and from that point on there is absolutely no distinction whatsoever between those who made it to state and those who did not.
- The Alumni Assoc does its best to hold off on interviews until admissions decisions are released so that nobody interviews without having been admitted. However, there is typically only a few days leeway here (because of the size of the competition, and the fact that there are three rounds/weekends of interviews which must be squeezed in before the SIR deadline). So on rare occasions, someone will be offered the scholarship, having been interviewed before decisions are released, and then not actually admitted. It's an imperfect system, and if it happens to you, we sincerely apologize and hope you'll realize that we're only human (and there are many, many great schools out there that would be exceptional places to learn and grow).
That’s really all the information I can give you, but I hope it helps to clarify any questions. Best wishes for a successful application!
- n2Dg"
anyone here get into UCSD today?