WRITTEN BY JADEN FISKE Approved by Ms. Barba On the 31st of November, Ms. Barba put together an event welcoming the seniors of VAAS. The front of the school was decorated with posters to represent the various colleges that VAAS students have gotten into, created by students. Every senior walked down a red carpet at the entrance of school with our VAAS cheerleaders cheering them on from each side lined with balloons. At the end of the red carpet, seniors were given a microphone and asked what college they were going to attend. They then had the chance to write down their name and college on a sticker which they placed on a giant poster that would be hung inside the first floor hallway. A good time was had by all. WRITTEN BY MELINA DE LA CRUZ Approved by Ms. Barba and Mr. Marshall California is home to two top-rated public university systems. The University of California (UC) and the California State University (CSU). For the purposes of this article, we will be focusing on the UCs and splitting them into 3 tiers based on their public and national ranking. I will cover tips and tricks from the UC’s admissions website to make your experience of researching and applying easier. Tier A: UCLA & UC Berkeley UCLA and UC Berkeley make this tire the most competitive and challenging to get into. Based on past UCLA and UC Berkeley Statistics, your GPA, quality of courses, test scores, extracurriculars, and background are the main components that these 2 UC focus on when looking for new applicants. Your GPA should aim to be in the 25th to 75th percentile (The chart at the beginning of this article shows past statistics of UCLA applicants). Quality of courses is essential to any school but these UCs Look further into what type, challenge, and curriculum You took in your 4 years of high school. Extracurriculars are a giant part of what admissions officers look for on your application. You should focus on exceptional achievements that describe Who You Are and should be very specific. This includes having sustained participation in clubs, trying and staying in clubs for as long as possible, and or getting a board position that shows you would contribute to a top UC campus. Personal backgrounds will make you stand out and show how you are different from other candidates applying to the same schools, this could include but not be limited to hardships. Most importantly this part of your application should show your personality over these last four years. Tier B: UCSB, UCI, UCSD, & UC DAVIS This tire includes schools that do not have as much national and global recognition as those in A tire but still carry prestige and excellence. All four of these schools focus on 3 things GPA, Test Scores, and end essays. UCIs also very importantly look at extracurriculars, talents ability, volunteer work, and work experience. UCSB looks at things like Character / personal qualities. Overall these schools are very different but look for the same qualities in different people that specialize in different categories. USB for example specializes in letters and science, creative studying, and engineering. UCI specializes in health-related Knowledge and Skills like psychology, management, and marketing. UCSD specializes in social sciences like cognitive science, computer science, and biochemistry UC DAVIS specializes in medicine, law, business, and nursing Tier C: UCR, UC Merced, UCSC This tire includes newer schools or unestablished schools. These schools all have larger acceptance rates that make them less competitive but that does not include their courses which are made up of intimate classes with the smallest classes having 20 students. UC Riverside was recently named the top school in the nation for advancing social mobility, meaning that UCR enrolls and graduates a large number of low-income students. These schools are the best for students looking mainly for a great education but not so many newer opportunities like internships based on where these schools are located. UCSC is known for its incredible space and astronomy programs and has a research partnership with NASA and is also known for its unique campus life. UCR prides itself on improving the success of first-generation college students, low-income students, and minority ethnicities. UC Merced is the most environmentally conscious UC school. It is also known for its high student success rates and for exceeding expected graduation rates. |
AuthorMelina De La Cruz Archives |