California parents- tips for applying to college?

[Anonymous]

Since there seem to be a bunch of California parents on here, it would be helpful to have a thread tailored to students from California high schools. Does anyone have a senior or recent graduate who can share experiences applying to selective colleges outside of CA? Or, share their experience with UC’s? I have a junior so I am looking ahead.

-what’s the secret sauce for getting into Berkeley and UCLA?

-Do CA students get more leeway when it comes to going TO to OOS schools?

-Many of the smaller colleges mentioned on DCUM get very few applications from my kid’s school. So there isn’t much data on stats. I am thinking of Macalaster, Grinnnell, Bates, Wake Forest, University of Richmond, Davidson and the likes. Do these schools yield protect knowing California kids aren’t likely to attend due to distance?

-related: was your student at a disadvantage coming from California?

Please share any other takeaways!

[Anonymous]

Well I have two juniors in Los Angeles public schools currently, so I cannot answer your questions but I shall watch with interest. (Also hoping the California hater-banshee doesn't show up).

[Anonymous]

Tips to get into the UCs, send your kid to a notoriously low performing high school and have them be at the top of their class if your student is not a first generation student. Do not send your kid to private school. A 4.0 and lots of APs won’t get you into even Davis or Irvine. That said, the cal states are getting increasingly hard to get into as well beyond SLO which was always hard. My tip there is to apply to Sonoma State or Cal Poly Pomona because they send acceptances out early and your kid won’t feel dejected by all the UC rejections.

Here is the source admission data so you can see how kids at your school have done and what the insane GPAs are to get it:

https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/about-us/information-center/admissions-source-school

[Anonymous]

OOS. I’d budget is tight look into the Western Association which will give in-state tuition in Colorado, Oregon and Washington for California kids at certain schools. Lots of kids apply to University of Oregon and ASU. They do somewhat rolling admissions so you can know in December if you have an acceptance. Tons of California kids go to the schools mentioned above and there is no penalty for being from California for the reason you mentioned but you also do not get a bump up for being from an under represented state (eg South Dakota). Schools, in my experience, that are popular with California kids that are not Ivys outside of CA are Tulane, Duke, Georgetown, McGill, John Hopkins, , Michigan, Purdue, Tufts, BU, NYU, NEU, Lehigh, Middlebury, Amherst, Williams, Bates, Colgate, Carnegie Mellon. Visit all that use demonstrated interest as an important criteria because it does mean something that you visited from California.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tips to get into the UCs, send your kid to a notoriously low performing high school and have them be at the top of their class if your student is not a first generation student. Do not send your kid to private school. A 4.0 and lots of APs won’t get you into even Davis or Irvine. That said, the cal states are getting increasingly hard to get into as well beyond SLO which was always hard. My tip there is to apply to Sonoma State or Cal Poly Pomona because they send acceptances out early and your kid won’t feel dejected by all the UC rejections.

Here is the source admission data so you can see how kids at your school have done and what the insane GPAs are to get it:

https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/about-us/information-center/admissions-source-school

DP. Thanks for this link it is helpful.

[Anonymous]

I know that Davidson gets a lot of students from the West Coast and even has a contingent of California student ambassadors to answer questions.

[Anonymous]

Another parent from CA here. We are low income (my kid is a freshman so I am early to the game) and it can be argued that he is first gen (neither of his parents went to a US school). He used to be (and is planning to be) in an AVID type program.
Any schools that are lax re: first gen definition? I.e. allow kids with parents educated outside of the U.S. to claim the status?
Thanks

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another parent from CA here. We are low income (my kid is a freshman so I am early to the game) and it can be argued that he is first gen (neither of his parents went to a US school). He used to be (and is planning to be) in an AVID type program.
Any schools that are lax re: first gen definition? I.e. allow kids with parents educated outside of the U.S. to claim the status?
Thanks

No, it cannot be argued that your DC is first gen. You and your DH have a college degree (perhaps even a Masters or higher) from a university abroad. You should be ashamed of yourself to even consider gaming the system this way. Both DH and I were very well educated overseas and we would never do what you're suggesting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another parent from CA here. We are low income (my kid is a freshman so I am early to the game) and it can be argued that he is first gen (neither of his parents went to a US school). He used to be (and is planning to be) in an AVID type program.
Any schools that are lax re: first gen definition? I.e. allow kids with parents educated outside of the U.S. to claim the status?
Thanks

No, it cannot be argued that your DC is first gen. You and your DH have a college degree (perhaps even a Masters or higher) from a university abroad. You should be ashamed of yourself to even consider gaming the system this way. Both DH and I were very well educated overseas and we would never do what you're suggesting.

Some colleges let you count as first gen though
It’s up to you if you want to use it but it’s there

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tips to get into the UCs, send your kid to a notoriously low performing high school and have them be at the top of their class if your student is not a first generation student. Do not send your kid to private school. A 4.0 and lots of APs won’t get you into even Davis or Irvine. That said, the cal states are getting increasingly hard to get into as well beyond SLO which was always hard. My tip there is to apply to Sonoma State or Cal Poly Pomona because they send acceptances out early and your kid won’t feel dejected by all the UC rejections.

Here is the source admission data so you can see how kids at your school have done and what the insane GPAs are to get it:

https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/about-us/information-center/admissions-source-school

DP. Thanks for this link it is helpful.

Thanks for the link. Very interesting. I'm in Northern California. My DS goes to a college prep high school here. I compared their data with a good public high school in the area for UC admissions in 2022 (the most recent on the link). Private school 62% admitted. Public school: 57%.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tips to get into the UCs, send your kid to a notoriously low performing high school and have them be at the top of their class if your student is not a first generation student. Do not send your kid to private school. A 4.0 and lots of APs won’t get you into even Davis or Irvine. That said, the cal states are getting increasingly hard to get into as well beyond SLO which was always hard. My tip there is to apply to Sonoma State or Cal Poly Pomona because they send acceptances out early and your kid won’t feel dejected by all the UC rejections.

Here is the source admission data so you can see how kids at your school have done and what the insane GPAs are to get it:

https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/about-us/information-center/admissions-source-school

DP. Thanks for this link it is helpful.

Thanks for the link. Very interesting. I'm in Northern California. My DS goes to a college prep high school here. I compared their data with a good public high school in the area for UC admissions in 2022 (the most recent on the link). Private school 62% admitted. Public school: 57%.

I assume that was across all UCs not, for example, UCLA where no school is getting admits at those percentages. Regardless, the difference comes into play when you look at underperforming publics which clearly is not the good public high in your area. Those underperforming publics have higher acceptance rates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another parent from CA here. We are low income (my kid is a freshman so I am early to the game) and it can be argued that he is first gen (neither of his parents went to a US school). He used to be (and is planning to be) in an AVID type program.
Any schools that are lax re: first gen definition? I.e. allow kids with parents educated outside of the U.S. to claim the status?
Thanks

For the UC’s he is absolutely not first gen. It makes no sense for kids whose parents have degrees from 4 year institutions are the same as someone whose parents never went to college anywhere. So if your definition is used my doctor’s kids would be first generation. So many silicon tech workers would be as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another parent from CA here. We are low income (my kid is a freshman so I am early to the game) and it can be argued that he is first gen (neither of his parents went to a US school). He used to be (and is planning to be) in an AVID type program.
Any schools that are lax re: first gen definition? I.e. allow kids with parents educated outside of the U.S. to claim the status?
Thanks

For the UC’s he is absolutely not first gen. It makes no sense for kids whose parents have degrees from 4 year institutions are the same as someone whose parents never went to college anywhere. So if your definition is used my doctor’s kids would be first generation. So many silicon tech workers would be as well.

I don’t know for all the UCs but her kid is first generation for UCLA. As its kids whose parents didn’t graduate with a degree from a 4 year U.S. school. Not surprisingly my friend’s kid who has parents who graduated from Oxford did well with UC placements. Seems unfair but it is what it is.

https://admission.ucla.edu/apply/first-generation-applicants

[Anonymous]

In-state UCs are much easier than out of state schools, but top schools still competitive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another parent from CA here. We are low income (my kid is a freshman so I am early to the game) and it can be argued that he is first gen (neither of his parents went to a US school). He used to be (and is planning to be) in an AVID type program.
Any schools that are lax re: first gen definition? I.e. allow kids with parents educated outside of the U.S. to claim the status?
Thanks

No, it cannot be argued that your DC is first gen. You and your DH have a college degree (perhaps even a Masters or higher) from a university abroad. You should be ashamed of yourself to even consider gaming the system this way. Both DH and I were very well educated overseas and we would never do what you're suggesting.

DP. I do think some colleges consider this “first gen.” It varies school to school, so you must check!