California parents- tips for applying to college?

[Anonymous]

Lots of families send their students out of state for a variety of reasons - maybe they have the means, or recruited athlete, or they receive aid to make it possible, or they like a particular program of study.

I am not in CA but lived there previously - to me the overcrowding, difficulty in obtaining classes, and politics of CA education would be reason to look elsewhere if the price was right, but others should weigh in.

[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

You are gaming the system - and if you check the box saying first gen yet have an equivalent bachelors degree from a university outside of the us you are lying that your kid is first gen. If they find out your kid could later be expelled. Don’t do it either way - it’s wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lots of families send their students out of state for a variety of reasons - maybe they have the means, or recruited athlete, or they receive aid to make it possible, or they like a particular program of study.

I am not in CA but lived there previously - to me the overcrowding, difficulty in obtaining classes, and politics of CA education would be reason to look elsewhere if the price was right, but others should weigh in.

There have been plenty of CA parents who have de-bunked the "overcrowding" theory over the past 12+ months.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have two kids who went to a large public HS in Los Angeles (from private schools before) and many parents were aghast that we didn't send them to Harvard Westlake. Well, they got in to all the UCs, but ended up at tippy top private colleges.

Take home message: public high school is the way to go to get in to UCs and the path to a top college is not closed off at all! (despite everyone drinking the kool aid that private high schools are the feeder to HYPSM)

Which "tippy top" privates? Better than Berkeley and UCLA?

Well better is subjective because Cal and UCLA are both excellent. But if you are asking if tippy top means HYPSM, then yes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have two kids who went to a large public HS in Los Angeles (from private schools before) and many parents were aghast that we didn't send them to Harvard Westlake. Well, they got in to all the UCs, but ended up at tippy top private colleges.

Take home message: public high school is the way to go to get in to UCs and the path to a top college is not closed off at all! (despite everyone drinking the kool aid that private high schools are the feeder to HYPSM)

Which "tippy top" privates? Better than Berkeley and UCLA?

Well better is subjective because Cal and UCLA are both excellent. But if you are asking if tippy top means HYPSM, then yes.

Well done your kid, I think that's definitely worth it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have two kids who went to a large public HS in Los Angeles (from private schools before) and many parents were aghast that we didn't send them to Harvard Westlake. Well, they got in to all the UCs, but ended up at tippy top private colleges.

Take home message: public high school is the way to go to get in to UCs and the path to a top college is not closed off at all! (despite everyone drinking the kool aid that private high schools are the feeder to HYPSM)

This matches my experience as well

The problem with elite LA private schools like Harvard Westlake is there are too many ultra wealthy families who are legacies or have a good chance of donating millions; kids of really famous people or students who are themselves famous; and athletes. Then there are some really brilliant students at Harvard-Westlake. The graduating class this year has around 12% of the class (34 students) who qualified as National Merit Semi-Finalists (CA cut off is higher than most other states at 221 - so higher the same as Maryland (221), higher that Virginia (need 219) and lower than DC (223).

So if you are just a really dedicated and smart student but not National Merit Scholarship smart and are just wealthy, not ultra wealthy you are going to lose out at many LA privates when colleges decide how many students to take from each high school.

My kid is NM semifinalist at HW, top 10 (maybe top 5?) percent of the class, and we are hoping he gets into one of UCB or UCLA, but know there's a chance he won't get into either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have two kids who went to a large public HS in Los Angeles (from private schools before) and many parents were aghast that we didn't send them to Harvard Westlake. Well, they got in to all the UCs, but ended up at tippy top private colleges.

Take home message: public high school is the way to go to get in to UCs and the path to a top college is not closed off at all! (despite everyone drinking the kool aid that private high schools are the feeder to HYPSM)

This matches my experience as well

The problem with elite LA private schools like Harvard Westlake is there are too many ultra wealthy families who are legacies or have a good chance of donating millions; kids of really famous people or students who are themselves famous; and athletes. Then there are some really brilliant students at Harvard-Westlake. The graduating class this year has around 12% of the class (34 students) who qualified as National Merit Semi-Finalists (CA cut off is higher than most other states at 221 - so higher the same as Maryland (221), higher that Virginia (need 219) and lower than DC (223).

So if you are just a really dedicated and smart student but not National Merit Scholarship smart and are just wealthy, not ultra wealthy you are going to lose out at many LA privates when colleges decide how many students to take from each high school.

My kid is NM semifinalist at HW, top 10 (maybe top 5?) percent of the class, and we are hoping he gets into one of UCB or UCLA, but know there's a chance he won't get into either.

Best of luck! We had two NM semifinalist kids and they both got in to every UC. For anyone whose kid is applying in the future, you just have to make sure they listed it as one of their awards as a way around the test blind thing at the UCs (btw, this is just speculation based on my n=2, so take it with a grain of salt

[Anonymous]

One tip I have is to apply to cal states and also look at outside schools. The CSU system is a great, affordable option. Lots of 4.5 GPA kids not getting into any UC, but admitted to top privates or schools not in California. I heard a story of someone getting rejected from UCLA, UCB, UCSD, UCSB and admitted into UChicago. I think casting a wide net (to an extent) can help. College admissions are so wild that anything can happen.

With 100k+ applicants there has to be some randomness involved. Even the "low" tier UCs like UC Santa Cruz and Riverside are getting very competitive. What could get you into UCLA 15 years ago might only get you into Davis now.

As a "hack" I agree with a previous commenter that it is advantageous to send your kid to a low-performing high school. But I would not go that route simply because I want my child to be surrounded by other bright students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Following up on 15:05, legit question for the CA parents (I am an east coaster). Are some of you saying that families would prefer to send their students out of state to privates because of some issue with CA publics or something else? Or just that there are a small number of non-CA privates that are worth it?

For example, in CA you have UCLA, SD, SB, Cal, Cal Poly and many others, plus some privates. Would you say high stats kids and their families are more interested in leaving for a flagship like Wisconsin/Michigan or privates like Hopkins/Duke?

Maybe it is because I am not in CA, but trying to understand this. I am in a state with very few universities worth the price, so for us OOS is important. In CA it might be different.

Thank you!

I'm a CA parent of a high stats private HS student. If I know my kid, they will apply at UCLA & Berekely and leave it at that for CA schools. They really want to go out of state because like a lot of other students, they want to go to school away from home. East Coast schools already getting a lot of chatter in our house. It's the way of the world.



Unrelated, I think someone else asked about tuition and there was reference to the Western Tuition Exchange, site is here if you want to look up the specific schools/majors that qualify and the tuition discounts. https://www.wiche.edu/tuition-savings/wue/wue-savings-finder/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Following up on 15:05, legit question for the CA parents (I am an east coaster). Are some of you saying that families would prefer to send their students out of state to privates because of some issue with CA publics or something else? Or just that there are a small number of non-CA privates that are worth it?

For example, in CA you have UCLA, SD, SB, Cal, Cal Poly and many others, plus some privates. Would you say high stats kids and their families are more interested in leaving for a flagship like Wisconsin/Michigan or privates like Hopkins/Duke?

Maybe it is because I am not in CA, but trying to understand this. I am in a state with very few universities worth the price, so for us OOS is important. In CA it might be different.

Thank you!

No, most California families prefer our in-state choices.

If a family can easily find OOS tuition then that’s different, but most students stay in-state.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Following up on 15:05, legit question for the CA parents (I am an east coaster). Are some of you saying that families would prefer to send their students out of state to privates because of some issue with CA publics or something else? Or just that there are a small number of non-CA privates that are worth it?

For example, in CA you have UCLA, SD, SB, Cal, Cal Poly and many others, plus some privates. Would you say high stats kids and their families are more interested in leaving for a flagship like Wisconsin/Michigan or privates like Hopkins/Duke?

Maybe it is because I am not in CA, but trying to understand this. I am in a state with very few universities worth the price, so for us OOS is important. In CA it might be different.

Thank you!

Wisconsin is several steps down from Michigan in the state flagship rankings. In between are UVA, UNC, UF, UT Austin, UW, and probably UGA, too.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:What’s the deal with “rigor” for UCs ? It seems that the top UCs require 4.0 GPA, but they’re flexible when it comes to rigor. Any thoughts or personal experience? I know kids selectively leveling down to CP to get the easy A’s!

They are comparing kids at the same high school when it comes to rigor. They don’t want to penalize students who are at schools where not many AP classes are offered. But if you are at a school with many honors/AP classes and aren’t taking them, then it is counted against you.

It comes down to the top 9% rule for the in-state UC applicants. If you're in the top 9% of students in the state, you're guaranteed a place at one of the colleges.

No it doesn’t come down to that.

It really does. It says so all over the UC websites in the admissions information section. If you think it doesn't, please do explain how and why.

Sure. The guarantee offers an admission to “a” campus. It’s usually not a top UC. It’s often Riverside or Merced or Santa Cruz,

Admission to UCLA and Berkeley is much more nuanced. Driven by GPA and apparently PiQ’s. If you meet the GPA requirements, it can seem like a lottery with no discernible patterns.

Is that not the case at your kid‘s school? Most families in CA agree on the “lottery” nature of UCs.

Share your experience at your school.

My experience so far is that my kids are in 11th grade. Some friends and siblings of friends in the top of their class in 12th grade are getting multiple offers, from UCLA and Berkeley as well as other UC colleges. The colleges do not know which other colleges have made offers and that is stated clearly on the website as well. UCLA famously doesn't really have time to bother reading the essays. Who are these "most" families agreeing with it being a lottery? I'd be interested to hear more about that, as it's news to me.

Results are not out yet for Berkeley or UCLA so no one has gotten multiple offers that are current 12th graders so try again.

Catch up. There's already been a whole thread about February offers.

Not for UCLA. Try again

Another LA based parent here. Sometimes poster information which is annecdotal does not apply to the applicant year we are going thru. My kid has friends with older siblings who were definitely offered places at both, last applicant year and took UCLA over Berkeley every time.

Homelessness and petty crime adjacent to Berkeley campus is a problem for the school. Plus the grind culture.

UCLA is lovely.

Los Angeles currently has over 60,000 homeless people in it. Many of those are a stone's throw from UCLA in every direction.

Very different than Berkeley campus & surroundings where students don’t feel safe. I live in LA. UCLA is a stone’s throw to Bel Air. Absolutely gorgeous area.

There are some homeless to the south, along Wilshire and adjacent to the 405, a maybe a few who float through Westwood Village itself. Very different than Berkeley.

I also live in LA. I wouldn't describe Westwood or the UCLA campus as "gorgeous" though...

I was referring to what lies to the north of campus…Bel Air, Sunset Blvd. A poster said LA’s homeless are a stone’s throw from UCLA in every direction. So I wanted to correct that assertion

Yeah, that's all driving distance, not walking distance. Moot.

I respectfully disagree. My DD is a senior at UCLA (from DC area) and I happen to think the UCLA campus is gorgeous. I have spent a lot of time in Westwood over the past four years, and Sunset Blvd. and Bel Air are walking distance for me. I like to stay at Luskin Center on campus and take long walks every day - including through Bel Air where the views are awesome. There are some homeless folks in Westwood but not that many. We first came to Westwood during the pandemic and it was a ghost town so it's nice to see it bustling with students again.

But I get it that everyone's view of "walking distance" is different.

College students wouldn’t care about being within walking distance of Bel Air lol. Most would agree that UCLA is not worth the cost OOS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Following up on 15:05, legit question for the CA parents (I am an east coaster). Are some of you saying that families would prefer to send their students out of state to privates because of some issue with CA publics or something else? Or just that there are a small number of non-CA privates that are worth it?

For example, in CA you have UCLA, SD, SB, Cal, Cal Poly and many others, plus some privates. Would you say high stats kids and their families are more interested in leaving for a flagship like Wisconsin/Michigan or privates like Hopkins/Duke?

Maybe it is because I am not in CA, but trying to understand this. I am in a state with very few universities worth the price, so for us OOS is important. In CA it might be different.

Thank you!

No, most California families prefer our in-state choices.

If a family can easily find OOS tuition then that’s different, but most students stay in-state.

I think it depends on where your kid goes to HS. DS been in private since K, in HS now, all of the recent previous graduating classes plus himself and his friends = out of state. There are a couple UCLA/Berkeley/USC/Standfords every year but mostly, OOS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Following up on 15:05, legit question for the CA parents (I am an east coaster). Are some of you saying that families would prefer to send their students out of state to privates because of some issue with CA publics or something else? Or just that there are a small number of non-CA privates that are worth it?

For example, in CA you have UCLA, SD, SB, Cal, Cal Poly and many others, plus some privates. Would you say high stats kids and their families are more interested in leaving for a flagship like Wisconsin/Michigan or privates like Hopkins/Duke?

Maybe it is because I am not in CA, but trying to understand this. I am in a state with very few universities worth the price, so for us OOS is important. In CA it might be different.

Thank you!

No, most California families prefer our in-state choices.

If a family can easily find OOS tuition then that’s different, but most students stay in-state.

I think it depends on where your kid goes to HS. DS been in private since K, in HS now, all of the recent previous graduating classes plus himself and his friends = out of state. There are a couple UCLA/Berkeley/USC/Standfords every year but mostly, OOS.

to be fair, that's because you and those other students have money. Most CA students do not, hence the preference for in-state.