straight talk ucsd
straight talk
from the deans UCSD
Mae Brown, Assistant Vice Chancellor and Director of Admissions
THE STATS Location: La Jolla, CA Total 2010 Applications: 48,093 Admitted for class of 2014: 18,356 (38%) Enrolled in Class of 2014: 3,947 (22% yield) Undergraduate Students: 23,663 Graduate Students: 4,205 Mean SAT/ACT, Class of 2014: 600 (Critical Reading) 620 (Writing)
660 (Math)/30 (ACT) Average H.S. GPA: 3.9 Cost of Attendance: $13,207 (in-state)
$36,080 (out-of state)
Q
Were there any noteworthy differences in the makeup of your applicant pool this year vs. past years? A: We continue to see more females in the applicant pool than males (53% female/47% male) and the admitted pool mirrors the applicant pool with 54% of students being female and 47% male. We also saw an increase in several of our historically underrepresented groups, especially among Chicano-Latinos. In fact, the percentage of applications from historically underrepresented groups increased this year to 25% from 22%. UCSD continues to attract a significant number of students from both the Los Angeles basin and the San Francisco Bay Area and we also saw increases in the number of applications from out-ofstate and international students. While the academic profile of our applicants remained very strong, the number of students interested in Engineering and the Biological Sciences increased this year, as did the number of applications from students from high income households.
Q
Was your yield last year consistent with past years? A: Our yield last year was higher than planned at about 23% which was an increase from past years. We attribute this increase in students choosing to enroll at UCSD to the CSU’s reducing
We see too many missed opportunities for the applicant to tell us more about themselves as an individual.”
their enrollment and to UCLA reducing their in-state enrollment target. This year we will bring our yield down to be more in-line with state funding.
Q
What % of students are from outof-state? A: Out-of-state students are 12.5% of the class (up from 9.1% the prior year) and international students increased to 11% of the class from 7.5%.
Q
How many students transfer to UCSB each year from California community colleges? A: We have a tremendous commitment to transfer students from California community colleges. Our transfer enrollment target this year is 2,300 from an applicant pool of 17,000. Over 50% of transfer applicants from California community colleges are admitted, and over 30% will enroll.
Q
What adjectives would you use to describe UCSD students? How do UCSD students differ from students at the other UC’s? A: Serious-minded, academically high achieving, interested in cultural diversity and the international lay of the land, actively involved in community service, innovative, and committed students. About 70% of the students who apply to UCSD also apply to UCLA and Cal Berkeley. I think the type of student who chooses UCSD over UCLA or Cal Berkeley is the student who really likes the idea of the small college system which allows students to learn and grow within a smaller college environment as well as branch out into the broader campus community.
All content is provided to Revolution Prep exclusively by Getting In EDU
straight talk
from the deans
Q
Do students apply to a specific college within UCSD or are they assigned to one upon being admitted? A: Students rank each of the six colleges when they apply from one to six and if they are admitted to the University they will be assigned to a college based on their ranking. About 90% of students will get into one of their top three colleges. We ask applicants to think about the colleges in terms of their general education requirements, the types of extra-curricular activities in which they’re interested, and the thematic approach of each college which shape the general education requirements of each college. A student can pursue any major regardless of college affiliation.
Q
What academic interests/ specialties might give an applicant an advantage? A: None, the admissions decision is made without regard to college ranking or intended major.
Q
What is the borderline academic profile that has a chance of being admitted to UCSD? A: Roughly 90% of the students admitted to UCSD have a GPA of 3.7 or higher and SAT scores of 600+ on each the three components. Students below these levels typically have a special talent or interest that will make them a valuable contributor to our community.
Q
Is it true that you will only look at a maximum of eight AP or honors courses when calculating the GPA? A: We calculate and recalculate a number of different GPA’s and we look at them all in making our admissions decisions. The UC system has a policy that one of
UCSD
Mae Brown, Assistant Vice Chancellor and Director of Admissions
the GPA’s that we look at, and the one that is made public each year, will include a maximum eight semesters of honors courses. We tell students that we want to see them take full advantage of the opportunities made available to them in their educational environment. As we’re reading applications, we look at how many honors and AP classes were made available to each student by their school and how many they took. Depending on how many honors and AP classes a school offers, it could severely limit the competitiveness of an applicant if they choose to limit themselves to only eight AP or honors classes.
Q
What schools do you overlap with most? A: The top five schools we overlap with most are UCLA, Cal Berkeley, USC, Stanford and the Claremont Colleges.
Q
How do you differentiate UCSD from those schools? A: In addition to the College system that I spoke about earlier, I think we’re different in how relatively young a campus UCSD is. We’re celebrating our 50th anniversary this year, but we’ve excelled in many ways during those 50 years and secured a tremendous amount of academic prestige and respect that allows UCSD to compete for students with the schools that have been around a lot longer at both the undergraduate and graduate level. The credit for this really goes to our founders, who had a vision, and to our ability to recruit some of the best faculty in the world, our excellent academic programs, and to our history of innovation.
Q
What separates the great essays from the ordinary?
A: The great personal statements tell us something about who the student really is and give us insight into the individual. It’s going to be problematic for the applicant who tells us everything but who they really are when we’re receiving over 50,000 applications. We want to know what the student is passionate about, what excites them about learning, what has inspired them to be the best they can be, and what separated them from their peers. If they’ve had a challenge in life, we want to know what it was and how they overcame that challenge.
Q
Does a great personal statement overcome a less competitive academic profile? A: I would say that a great personal statement will not overcome poor grades and that we’re looking to admit students who are going to be successful. Having said that, our mean GPA this year is above a 4.0 but we do admit students across the GPA spectrum and we will admit students with a 3.5 GPA because we see something about the student that says that they can meet the academic challenges of UCSD. At the same time, students with an excellent academic profile still need to put the time into their personal statement because we deny many 4.0 students.
Q
What are common mistakes you see otherwise highly qualified applicants make? Are the types of mistakes you see applicants make changing? A: The big mistake we see is not taking the time to thoroughly complete the application. We see too many missed opportunities for the applicant to tell us more about themselves as an individual. We see some very highly qualified applicants from an academic standpoint feel that they don’t need to put the necessary time into their personal statement. It used to be that a strong GPA and test scores were all that were needed. We’re taking a much more holistic view of each student today, and we want to see students who are as well-rounded as possible.
All content is provided to Revolution Prep exclusively by Getting In EDU
straight talk
from the deans
Q
Myth or reality – UCSD values some extra-curricular activities more than others A: Myth. We look at everything and we like to see depth of involvement because it shows commitment and passion.
Q
What would somebody interested in UCSD learn only by visiting the campus? How important is “demonstrated interest” in your admissions decision? A: They’d learn a lot more about the college system and the clubs and activities available to students. We also give all students who visit us the op-
UCSD
Mae Brown, Assistant Vice Chancellor and Director of Admissions
portunity to sit-in on a class. We do not consider demonstrated interest.
Q
Has UCSD taken any steps to reduce costs that will negatively affect the student experience such as eliminate athletic programs? A: The reality is that the UC system has to cut over $500 million, and at UCSD we need to cut $80 million. The first thing that is protected is the academic mission of the institution so we are not cutting classes and students will still be able to get the courses they need. We will see some reduction in services such as a modification in the hours of operation for non-
academic programs and services such as financial aid as an example, but we’re not looking at cutting any athletic programs.
For more information about schools like UCSD, please consult with your college counselor
If you’d like information on Revolution Prep’s test prep and academic tutoring programs, call 877-738-7737
All content is provided to Revolution Prep exclusively by Getting In EDU
from the deans UCSD
Mae Brown, Assistant Vice Chancellor and Director of Admissions
THE STATS Location: La Jolla, CA Total 2010 Applications: 48,093 Admitted for class of 2014: 18,356 (38%) Enrolled in Class of 2014: 3,947 (22% yield) Undergraduate Students: 23,663 Graduate Students: 4,205 Mean SAT/ACT, Class of 2014: 600 (Critical Reading) 620 (Writing)
660 (Math)/30 (ACT) Average H.S. GPA: 3.9 Cost of Attendance: $13,207 (in-state)
$36,080 (out-of state)
Q
Were there any noteworthy differences in the makeup of your applicant pool this year vs. past years? A: We continue to see more females in the applicant pool than males (53% female/47% male) and the admitted pool mirrors the applicant pool with 54% of students being female and 47% male. We also saw an increase in several of our historically underrepresented groups, especially among Chicano-Latinos. In fact, the percentage of applications from historically underrepresented groups increased this year to 25% from 22%. UCSD continues to attract a significant number of students from both the Los Angeles basin and the San Francisco Bay Area and we also saw increases in the number of applications from out-ofstate and international students. While the academic profile of our applicants remained very strong, the number of students interested in Engineering and the Biological Sciences increased this year, as did the number of applications from students from high income households.
Q
Was your yield last year consistent with past years? A: Our yield last year was higher than planned at about 23% which was an increase from past years. We attribute this increase in students choosing to enroll at UCSD to the CSU’s reducing
We see too many missed opportunities for the applicant to tell us more about themselves as an individual.”
their enrollment and to UCLA reducing their in-state enrollment target. This year we will bring our yield down to be more in-line with state funding.
Q
What % of students are from outof-state? A: Out-of-state students are 12.5% of the class (up from 9.1% the prior year) and international students increased to 11% of the class from 7.5%.
Q
How many students transfer to UCSB each year from California community colleges? A: We have a tremendous commitment to transfer students from California community colleges. Our transfer enrollment target this year is 2,300 from an applicant pool of 17,000. Over 50% of transfer applicants from California community colleges are admitted, and over 30% will enroll.
Q
What adjectives would you use to describe UCSD students? How do UCSD students differ from students at the other UC’s? A: Serious-minded, academically high achieving, interested in cultural diversity and the international lay of the land, actively involved in community service, innovative, and committed students. About 70% of the students who apply to UCSD also apply to UCLA and Cal Berkeley. I think the type of student who chooses UCSD over UCLA or Cal Berkeley is the student who really likes the idea of the small college system which allows students to learn and grow within a smaller college environment as well as branch out into the broader campus community.
All content is provided to Revolution Prep exclusively by Getting In EDU
straight talk
from the deans
Q
Do students apply to a specific college within UCSD or are they assigned to one upon being admitted? A: Students rank each of the six colleges when they apply from one to six and if they are admitted to the University they will be assigned to a college based on their ranking. About 90% of students will get into one of their top three colleges. We ask applicants to think about the colleges in terms of their general education requirements, the types of extra-curricular activities in which they’re interested, and the thematic approach of each college which shape the general education requirements of each college. A student can pursue any major regardless of college affiliation.
Q
What academic interests/ specialties might give an applicant an advantage? A: None, the admissions decision is made without regard to college ranking or intended major.
Q
What is the borderline academic profile that has a chance of being admitted to UCSD? A: Roughly 90% of the students admitted to UCSD have a GPA of 3.7 or higher and SAT scores of 600+ on each the three components. Students below these levels typically have a special talent or interest that will make them a valuable contributor to our community.
Q
Is it true that you will only look at a maximum of eight AP or honors courses when calculating the GPA? A: We calculate and recalculate a number of different GPA’s and we look at them all in making our admissions decisions. The UC system has a policy that one of
UCSD
Mae Brown, Assistant Vice Chancellor and Director of Admissions
the GPA’s that we look at, and the one that is made public each year, will include a maximum eight semesters of honors courses. We tell students that we want to see them take full advantage of the opportunities made available to them in their educational environment. As we’re reading applications, we look at how many honors and AP classes were made available to each student by their school and how many they took. Depending on how many honors and AP classes a school offers, it could severely limit the competitiveness of an applicant if they choose to limit themselves to only eight AP or honors classes.
Q
What schools do you overlap with most? A: The top five schools we overlap with most are UCLA, Cal Berkeley, USC, Stanford and the Claremont Colleges.
Q
How do you differentiate UCSD from those schools? A: In addition to the College system that I spoke about earlier, I think we’re different in how relatively young a campus UCSD is. We’re celebrating our 50th anniversary this year, but we’ve excelled in many ways during those 50 years and secured a tremendous amount of academic prestige and respect that allows UCSD to compete for students with the schools that have been around a lot longer at both the undergraduate and graduate level. The credit for this really goes to our founders, who had a vision, and to our ability to recruit some of the best faculty in the world, our excellent academic programs, and to our history of innovation.
Q
What separates the great essays from the ordinary?
A: The great personal statements tell us something about who the student really is and give us insight into the individual. It’s going to be problematic for the applicant who tells us everything but who they really are when we’re receiving over 50,000 applications. We want to know what the student is passionate about, what excites them about learning, what has inspired them to be the best they can be, and what separated them from their peers. If they’ve had a challenge in life, we want to know what it was and how they overcame that challenge.
Q
Does a great personal statement overcome a less competitive academic profile? A: I would say that a great personal statement will not overcome poor grades and that we’re looking to admit students who are going to be successful. Having said that, our mean GPA this year is above a 4.0 but we do admit students across the GPA spectrum and we will admit students with a 3.5 GPA because we see something about the student that says that they can meet the academic challenges of UCSD. At the same time, students with an excellent academic profile still need to put the time into their personal statement because we deny many 4.0 students.
Q
What are common mistakes you see otherwise highly qualified applicants make? Are the types of mistakes you see applicants make changing? A: The big mistake we see is not taking the time to thoroughly complete the application. We see too many missed opportunities for the applicant to tell us more about themselves as an individual. We see some very highly qualified applicants from an academic standpoint feel that they don’t need to put the necessary time into their personal statement. It used to be that a strong GPA and test scores were all that were needed. We’re taking a much more holistic view of each student today, and we want to see students who are as well-rounded as possible.
All content is provided to Revolution Prep exclusively by Getting In EDU
straight talk
from the deans
Q
Myth or reality – UCSD values some extra-curricular activities more than others A: Myth. We look at everything and we like to see depth of involvement because it shows commitment and passion.
Q
What would somebody interested in UCSD learn only by visiting the campus? How important is “demonstrated interest” in your admissions decision? A: They’d learn a lot more about the college system and the clubs and activities available to students. We also give all students who visit us the op-
UCSD
Mae Brown, Assistant Vice Chancellor and Director of Admissions
portunity to sit-in on a class. We do not consider demonstrated interest.
Q
Has UCSD taken any steps to reduce costs that will negatively affect the student experience such as eliminate athletic programs? A: The reality is that the UC system has to cut over $500 million, and at UCSD we need to cut $80 million. The first thing that is protected is the academic mission of the institution so we are not cutting classes and students will still be able to get the courses they need. We will see some reduction in services such as a modification in the hours of operation for non-
academic programs and services such as financial aid as an example, but we’re not looking at cutting any athletic programs.
For more information about schools like UCSD, please consult with your college counselor
If you’d like information on Revolution Prep’s test prep and academic tutoring programs, call 877-738-7737
All content is provided to Revolution Prep exclusively by Getting In EDU
