The University of California--One Size Does Not Fit All
One of the great things about applying to schools that are part of the University of California system is that you only have to fill out one application. All of the campuses have minimum requirements for admissions consideration. You might think, therefore, that all of these schools look at your application the same way. But that’s not true. Yes, there are basic requirements that you can read about on the UC site. But if you’re interested in a particular campus, you’ll want to examine the specific approach of the admissions department for that campus. For instance, UC Santa Barbara provides a pie chart showing that 50% of their decision is based on a-g grades and test scores and the other 50% is based on the personal statement and activities. UC Davis expressly states that the strength of your high school academic performance is the single most important factor in admission.
Click here to review general UC admission requirements: http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/freshman/how-applications-reviewed/index.html
The following are the links to admissions policies for each of the 9 UC’s with undergraduate programs: Berkeley: http://admissions.berkeley.edu/selectsstudents Davis: http://admissions.ucdavis.edu/admission/freshmen/fr_selection_process.cfm Irvine: http://www.admissions.uci.edu/applicants/freshman_selection.html#freshman Los Angeles: http://www.admissions.ucla.edu/Prospect/Adm_fr/FrSel.htm Merced: http://admissions.ucmerced.edu/california-freshman Riverside: http://admissions.ucr.edu/Admissions/pathsAdmissions San Diego: http://admissions.ucsd.edu/freshmen/eval-process.html Santa Barbara: http://admissions.sa.ucsb.edu/applying/freshman/selection Santa Cruz: http://admissions.ucsc.edu/apply/freshman.html
Be sure to investigate each school before finalizing your application.
