UCLA, Berkeley, UCSB, UCSD, UC Davis, UCI, UCSC, UC Merced, & UC Riverside School Spirit

University of California schools generate a tremendous amount of school spirit; and with all of their unique differences there is truly something for everyone. When choosing the campus for you, rather than relying on abstract third party methodologies for such an important decision, instead rely on your instincts and your own research. When you visit, each school has a distinct flavor, and you will notice pretty quickly if you feel at ease. Some of the campuses may offer more opportunities to work closely with professors in your area of interest. If research is an important aspect of your area of interest this should be factored in to your decision. They each have different areas of study they are best known for as well. Here are some of the commonalities along with a few key differences between the University of California Campuses.

Things all UCs have in common:

• Happy students (each campus shares very high first year student return rate)
• Good food
• Beautiful campus (see my campus photos section)
• Great professors
• Research opportunities
• Cute mascots! who can’t resist Sammy the Banana Slug, Peter the Ant Eater, Gunrock the Mustang, Rufus the Bobcat, Oski the Golden Bear, Joe Bear or the Gauchos. I would embrace any of these with a big hug over let’s say,… a tree? (Stanfords choice for a beloved school icon.)
• A broad selection of majors
• Proud Alumni and school spirit
• Located in California!

Many of the UCs’ have a great college town to go with it!

Four years is a big commitment so why not be selective when it comes to choosing where you will be living. After the dorm experience what follows is normally a few years of living off campus. So the community that surrounds the school is in many ways important like the school itself. There is nothing that can quite compare to a college located in a true college town where you can walk down the street and see store fronts displaying their town school pride. The following UC campuses have beautiful towns full of school pride that offer a warm welcome to students living within the community.

• UC Santa Cruz has Santa Cruz and Capitola-by-the-Sea close by and offers free bus passes to students
• UCSD has La Jolla and also offers free bus passes to students
• Berkeley has Berkeley with great urban dining just a short stroll from campus
• UCLA has Westwood and Bel Air surrounding campus
• UC Davis has Davis, voted one of the best college towns in America!
• UC Santa Barbara has Isla Vista with the beach, bands, and great dining! (Shout out to Freebirds!)

Athletics and state of the art facilities for you to cheer for, play for or just workout at.

• UCLA participates in the PAC 12 Division but also has a host of club and intramural athletic teams for you to play for not to mention the amazing John Wooden Center devoted to student recreation and fitness. One of the three campuses to have a football team. The nation’s most famous college football stadium – The Rose Bowl – has been the home of UCLA football since 1982. The Rose Bowl’s maximum stated seating capacity was 104,091.
• Berkeley also participates in the PAC 12 with a wide array of club teams and athletic recreation centers for the students to stay fit.The second of three campuses to have a football team. Cals’ Memorial Stadium, is the home field for the University of California Golden Bears of the Pacific-12 Conference, and currently seats around 63,000 fans for football.
• UC Davis participates in Division 1 sports and is the third of three campuses to have a football team. The ARC student recreation Center is a center of activity on campus and always bustling with students busy staying fit. Aggie Stadium is a 10,743-seat multi-purpose stadium in Davis, California, home to the University of California, Davis Aggie football and women’s lacrosse teams.

UC Holistic Admission | 14 Factors of Consideration

UC Freshmen Admitted Student GPA by Campus

With so much emphasis on GPA and Test Scores it is hard not to lose sight of the fact that there are additional factors that carry heavy weight with regards to any students chance for admission. The UC’s established a list of fourteen factors to help guide each campus as they consider admission for any given individual. GPA and Test scores are two of them. Each campus (and specific colleges on each campus) assign various weight to these 14 factors. For example UCSB has shared that GPA and test scores carry 50% weight and the remaining 50% is devoted to your personal statement and additional non-academic achievement or experience. The holistic admission process was designed to provide the opportunity for each campus to identify and celebrate additional forms of achievement that may not be captured by an individuals GPA or test scores.

Source : UCSB Freshman Selection

Here is the Complete List of14 Factors of Consideration for Admission as stated by the University of California:

1. Academic grade point average in all completed “a-g” courses, including additional points for completed UC-certified honors courses.
2. Scores on the following tests: ACT Plus Writing or the SAT Reasoning Test.
3. Number of, content of and performance in academic courses beyond the minimum “a-g” requirements.
4. Number of and performance in UC-approved honors, Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate Higher Level and transferable college courses.
5. Identification by UC as being ranked in the top 9 percent of your high school class at the end of your junior year.
6. Quality of your senior-year program as measured by the type and number of academic courses in progress or planned.
7. Quality of your academic performance relative to the educational opportunities available in your high school.
8. Outstanding performance in one or more specific subject areas.
9. Outstanding work in one or more special projects in any academic field of study.
10. Recent, marked improvement in academic performance as demonstrated by academic GPA and the quality of coursework completed or in progress.
11. Special talents, achievements and awards in a particular field, such as visual and performing arts, communication or athletic endeavors; special skills, such as demonstrated written and oral proficiency in other languages; special interests, such as intensive study and exploration of other cultures; experiences that demonstrate unusual promise for leadership, such as significant community service or significant participation in student government; or other significant experiences or achievements that demonstrate the student’s promise for contributing to the intellectual vitality of a campus.
12. Completion of special projects undertaken in the context of your high school curriculum or in conjunction with special school events, projects or programs.
13. Academic accomplishments in light of your life experiences and special circumstances, including but not limited to: disabilities, low family income, first generation to attend college, need to work, disadvantaged social or educational environment, difficult personal and family situations or circumstances, refugee status or veteran status.
14. Location of your secondary school and residence. ” – end quote

So be sure to take time to fully explain in your application any of these additional areas where you may shine brightly. The UC wants you to succeed; so don’t give up, instead reflect on all that is special about you as an individual and what you can contribute to the UC Admitted Class of 2015.

Sign up for University of California Campus Tours

University Of California Campus Map

When my youngest son was a high school sophomore a friend of mine told me to take him up to see Stanford, “…before it’s too late”. From her experience she had come across a number of parents who all said their students toured Stanford as Juniors, loved the campus but said, “I wish I had known this was what I was working for. I would have tried harder.” The fact is that most of what a student includes on their applications (academically) shows just a tiny fraction of their k-12 experience, 9th to 11th grades and GPA. So it is true that essentially finding academic inspiration as a junior, to improve your grades may be too late to have the greatest impact on your college admissions outcome. College applications are due before students have any grades to share from senior year, and unless you are waitlisted, senior grades will not be reviewed until after you have been accepted (Note: be sure your grades do not drop after you are admitted)

So the advice here is go see some schools now that will inspire you academically. Nothing will help you burn the midnight oil studying better than having your eye on a prize. If you shoot for the top, your chances of satisfaction are greater no matter where you end up. You will have some kind of choice, and choice is what you are working for. The ability to choose between several schools, the one that fits you personally best.

Look to tour a University of California campus for inspiration and recharging your batteries for the long haul…Here is how you book a tour for each campus:

UCLA Tours    https://www.admissions.ucla.edu/Prospect/tours.htm

UC San Diego Tours     http://admissions.ucsd.edu/tours/

Berkeley Tours    http://visitors.berkeley.edu/tour/general.shtml

UC Santa Barbara Tours   http://admissions.sa.ucsb.edu/visit-ucsb/tours

UC Santa Cruz Tours   http://admissions.ucsc.edu/visit/campus-tours.html

UC Davis Tours   http://visit.ucdavis.edu/tourreg/

UC Irvine Tours   http://www.campustours.uci.edu/

UC Riverside Tours   http://admissions.ucr.edu/VisitUCR

UC Merced Tours   http://admissions.ucmerced.edu/tours

University of California College Applications

Good luck to all of you now filling out your UC college applications. Take a deep breadth and remind yourself there are no bonus points for finishing these applications early; take your time and put your heart into them. As soon as you have submitted your application you will begin to ponder about your acceptance so do the best possible job you can now before moving onto the “pondering phase”. Make use of the fact the  UC system offers a broad range of selectivity regarding admissions; something you can use to your advantage by selecting a campus in each range from highly selective, UCLA, Berkeley,UCSD to middle range UC Santa Barbara, UC Irvine, UC Davis to the less selective campuses UC Santa Cruz, UC Riverside and UC Merced.

It is important to note that although the selectivity varies, students are happy at all of these campuses and you can be too. Look closely at them all. One of the reasons I decided recently to go out and photograph each campus is precisely because all of these campuses are stunning and have so much to offer yet many of them are under represented in the media online. I know it’s difficult to get out and visit them all, so let me go for you and report back with photos of things you might love about each one.

I am extremely excited to have scheduled trips next week to explore UC Santa Cruz, voted one of the most beautiful campuses in the U.S. Followed by a special tour of the UC Berkeley football stadium. As I photograph each campus I will update my UC galleries with my favorite photos of each campus. So for now, Go Slugs! and Go Bears!