Health & Fitness
College Admissions: We're Not in Kansas Any More
A tale of two San Carlos students reveals that the competition is tougher than ever to be admitted into California's public universities.
In 1976 I was a freshman at the University of California, Berkeley. My 3.5 GPA, average test scores, student body leadership, extracurricular activities, and what I can only presume was a reasonably insightful essay, were good enough to get me a piece of California’s promise of higher education. Tuition for my world-class education peaked at a very affordable $1,000 my senior year.
Fast forward to 2011. My twins graduate from Carlmont next Friday. My son is bound for UC Santa Cruz where he plans to study bioengineering and play Slug rugby. Santa Cruz was his first choice, and his 3.8 GPA, 99th percentile ACT scores, and AP classes got him in. Based on last year’s freshman profile, 85% of the UCSC undergrads are California residents. His experience gave me some reassurance that if you are a well-rounded student with high academic performance, you can reap the benefits of our state university system.
For my daughter, the story unfolded very differently. She applied to the Animal Science departments at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and UC Davis and was placed on the waitlists of both. Since freshman year she has done everything possible to make herself an exceptional candidate. She joined 4-H and served as a teen leader and officer, raised lambs and pigs for the county fair, shadowed an equine vet, worked on a Nebraska wheat farm, performed vet work at a cattle ranch, excelled at advanced science classes at Carlmont, and was awarded a 4-H scholarship. She also played JV and varsity soccer for four years and was an active member of a church youth group. Her GPA was 3.95 (and rose to 4.15 her senior year), her test scores were in the 85th percentile, and she completed four AP classes. After an agonizing wait, both Cal Poly and UC Davis turned her down. The rejection letters said that Cal Poly received 40,000 applications for 4,000 freshman spots, and Davis received 45,800 applications for 4,500 freshman spots. Her experience, while disillusioning, is the cold, hard reality of college admissions.
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What is the cause of the increased competition? Many factors make up this perfect storm. Families being squeezed by the economy cannot afford private school tuition so more students are applying to public schools. The state budget crisis is squeezing the UC and Cal State University systems forcing them to cut classes and admit more out-of-state students to increase revenue. In the end, it’s a frightening numbers game causing state universities to raise the admissions bar and turn away more students, many of whom are extremely qualified. There is just no room at the inn.
Fortunately for my daughter, her “backup” applications to Oregon State and Colorado State Animal Science departments were accepted, and she was offered academic scholarships by both schools. She visited Ft. Collins over spring break and loved it. The admissions office rolled out the red carpet and set up meetings with department heads, classroom visits, and tours of the campus and animal science facilities. They told her she could complete a double major in animal science and agricultural business in four years. They offered her a four-year dean’s list scholarship, an agricultural department scholarship, and work-study to help offset the out-of-state tuition premium. She is very happy with this outcome and will thrive in whatever environment she is in, however I’m a little disappointed that there isn’t a place for a student of her caliber at the table in California. The Golden State’s image is indeed a little tarnished.
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Blogger's note: Next week I will return to my "Get Going!" theme about fun destinations beyond San Carlos. This week I chose to share thoughts from the home front on the journey to college.