Anonymous
Post 08/21/2025 19:04     Subject: Why are UC schools test blind vs test optional? Also, do UC schools have required % of in state students like uva/unc?
Anonymous wrote:Did I understand correctly someone got bread said they also look at AP scores? My son did not have great grades sophomore year but has 10 APs through Junior year with good scores (4s and 5s). I’m wondering if he woken have a shot from out of state at someplace like UC Davis or UCSanta Cruz. It’s hard to assess because the admission systems for these schools is so different!


UC's do accept AP scores, definitely submit, they also give generous AP credit. Best way to assess is to review the UC criteria (min GPA 3.4 for OOS) and use their method to calc GPA.
https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/counselors/preparing-freshman-students/freshman-requirements.html
Anonymous
Post 08/21/2025 18:56     Subject: Why are UC schools test blind vs test optional? Also, do UC schools have required % of in state students like uva/unc?
Did I understand correctly someone got bread said they also look at AP scores? My son did not have great grades sophomore year but has 10 APs through Junior year with good scores (4s and 5s). I’m wondering if he woken have a shot from out of state at someplace like UC Davis or UCSanta Cruz. It’s hard to assess because the admission systems for these schools is so different!
Anonymous
Post 08/21/2025 13:23     Subject: Why are UC schools test blind vs test optional? Also, do UC schools have required % of in state students like uva/unc?
UC's admit by major and that has a big impact. STEM majors are impacted at all top campuses.
To get into an impacted major at Cal or UCLA you have to be ELC from your high school.

UC's also calc GPA differently, 9th grade is not included (nor is 12th except in extremely rare circumstances when they reach out and ask), they don't include +/- and they cap the number of AP's/Honors used. Recalc GPA using their formula to assess how competitive or not you might be as an OOS applicant
Anonymous
Post 08/21/2025 12:27     Subject: Why are UC schools test blind vs test optional? Also, do UC schools have required % of in state students like uva/unc?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:UVA has really gone downhill.


Explain?


Likely a bitter parent whose kid was rejected.



No, it is not that. It is all the scandals, the upheaval in leadership, etc.

My kid has not even applied to any school so far. But, we will definitely NOT be applying to UVA now.



+1.

Did you see this?

https://www.virginiabusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/uVA-Health.pdf

Last September:

Letter of “no confidence” signed by faculty
Anonymous
Post 08/21/2025 12:17     Subject: Why are UC schools test blind vs test optional? Also, do UC schools have required % of in state students like uva/unc?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:UVA has really gone downhill.


Explain?


Likely a bitter parent whose kid was rejected.



No, it is not that. It is all the scandals, the upheaval in leadership, etc.

My kid has not even applied to any school so far. But, we will definitely NOT be applying to UVA now.
Anonymous
Post 08/07/2025 17:44     Subject: Why are UC schools test blind vs test optional? Also, do UC schools have required % of in state students like uva/unc?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:UVA has really gone downhill.


Explain?


Likely a bitter parent whose kid was rejected.
Anonymous
Post 08/07/2025 17:35     Subject: Why are UC schools test blind vs test optional? Also, do UC schools have required % of in state students like uva/unc?
Anonymous wrote:UVA has really gone downhill.


Explain?
Anonymous
Post 08/05/2025 19:55     Subject: Why are UC schools test blind vs test optional? Also, do UC schools have required % of in state students like uva/unc?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:They are evaluating students compared to others at their same high schools. So your kid goes to a high school in Silicon Valley with 50 national merit scholars it is going to be tough for you to get into ucla and Berkeley if your kid is a national merit scholar but 40th in the class.

The 40th top student might have 10 AP’s with 4’s and 5’s all A’s and maybe one or two B’s. And took bc Calc in 11th grade. The top 20 at a school like that might have taken calculus on 9th or 10th grade and has done well in competition math.

Not that UC’s factor in psat scores but looking at how many national merit scholars there are gives you an idea how competitive a school is.


ELC (excellence in local context) is what matters as the first cut, especially at competitive high schools. That is the top 9% of the school. If you are in the bay area and you aren't designated as ELC you're unlikely to get into UCLA or UCB.


If I remember correctly, the top 9% of the school guarantees UC admission, most likely UC Merced, Riverside or Santa Cruz. But it isn’t going to get a kid into Cal or UCLA that often. As I said upthread, at my son’s HS, they took out of the top 2%-3%, maybe one or two out of the top 5%.


How long ago did your son apply?


This year. Accepted at Davis and Santa Cruz, rejected at Cal. He was one of those 9% kids.


Did he end up going? My son just completed his first year at Davis and loves it.


Sadly for me and my wife, no, too close to home (Sacramento). Glad to hear that your son loves it. I went there decades ago (only 13,000 undergrads!) and didn’t really appreciate what was being created there. A charmingly unpretentious place.


DP are you choosing Santa Cruz? DS chose Davis and is now really happy. He’s still crushed he didn’t get into Cal but really happy about Davis. He picked it over UCSD, UCSB, UCSC, and UC Merced. We live closest to Santa Cruz and both kids have friends there that love it. It’s a beautiful campus. If your kid likes cooler weather and being surrounded by redwoods, near a beach it’s great. My kid wanted to be able to walk into town and wanted train access to other cities. Davis was better for his major. He went up to visit a few times and was struck by how friendly and active everyone was there.


He liked Santa Cruz, an excellent liberal arts curriculum, but decided to go East.

Everyone who ends up at Davis seems to be happy there. The campus and the city have matured into an appealing destination for students. Wondering if it will get more OOS applicants.

Anonymous
Post 08/05/2025 16:14     Subject: Why are UC schools test blind vs test optional? Also, do UC schools have required % of in state students like uva/unc?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:They are evaluating students compared to others at their same high schools. So your kid goes to a high school in Silicon Valley with 50 national merit scholars it is going to be tough for you to get into ucla and Berkeley if your kid is a national merit scholar but 40th in the class.

The 40th top student might have 10 AP’s with 4’s and 5’s all A’s and maybe one or two B’s. And took bc Calc in 11th grade. The top 20 at a school like that might have taken calculus on 9th or 10th grade and has done well in competition math.

Not that UC’s factor in psat scores but looking at how many national merit scholars there are gives you an idea how competitive a school is.


ELC (excellence in local context) is what matters as the first cut, especially at competitive high schools. That is the top 9% of the school. If you are in the bay area and you aren't designated as ELC you're unlikely to get into UCLA or UCB.


If I remember correctly, the top 9% of the school guarantees UC admission, most likely UC Merced, Riverside or Santa Cruz. But it isn’t going to get a kid into Cal or UCLA that often. As I said upthread, at my son’s HS, they took out of the top 2%-3%, maybe one or two out of the top 5%.


How long ago did your son apply?


This year. Accepted at Davis and Santa Cruz, rejected at Cal. He was one of those 9% kids.


Did he end up going? My son just completed his first year at Davis and loves it.


Sadly for me and my wife, no, too close to home (Sacramento). Glad to hear that your son loves it. I went there decades ago (only 13,000 undergrads!) and didn’t really appreciate what was being created there. A charmingly unpretentious place.


DP are you choosing Santa Cruz? DS chose Davis and is now really happy. He’s still crushed he didn’t get into Cal but really happy about Davis. He picked it over UCSD, UCSB, UCSC, and UC Merced. We live closest to Santa Cruz and both kids have friends there that love it. It’s a beautiful campus. If your kid likes cooler weather and being surrounded by redwoods, near a beach it’s great. My kid wanted to be able to walk into town and wanted train access to other cities. Davis was better for his major. He went up to visit a few times and was struck by how friendly and active everyone was there.
Anonymous
Post 08/05/2025 14:42     Subject: Why are UC schools test blind vs test optional? Also, do UC schools have required % of in state students like uva/unc?
Less than 6 percent of California's population is black. Everyone is bending over backwards to get these kids. And only a handful score over 1400.

It's easier to get rid of the tests entirely to get the desired college population.
Anonymous
Post 08/05/2025 14:39     Subject: Why are UC schools test blind vs test optional? Also, do UC schools have required % of in state students like uva/unc?
California has too many low scoring hispanics and blacks. If the UC's used SATs to any meaningful degree, there would be no representation from those groups.
Anonymous
Post 08/05/2025 14:31     Subject: Why are UC schools test blind vs test optional? Also, do UC schools have required % of in state students like uva/unc?
UVA has really gone downhill.
Anonymous
Post 08/03/2025 15:02     Subject: Why are UC schools test blind vs test optional? Also, do UC schools have required % of in state students like uva/unc?
Anonymous wrote:Test should be mandatory or it's racist


K-12 education should be of consistently high quality or Testing is racist......fixed it for you.