UC's Director of Undergraduate Admissions Talks About College Admissions During COVID-19

Recently KGO-TV interviewed Han Mi Yoon-Wu, the University of California’s (UC) director of undergraduate admissions. The interview focused on the changes that have, and will impact high school students in regards to college admissions. The topics discussed included the following:

Suspending Letter Grades-Letter grades are suspended for the required A-G courses.

Test Optional-For students applying for admission for Fall 2021, the SAT and ACT do not have to be submitted. If the student took the SAT or ACT, or will have the opportunity to take one of the tests, then the scores may be submitted if the student chooses to do so.

How Will this Spring Semester be Evaluated?-Some high schools may be grading students on a Pass/Fail basis and some may be issuing traditional letter grades. If schools want to provide students with a brief statement regarding what their policy has been during this semester, students can include it in the application to provide UC with an understanding of the school’s policy. Such a statement will help admissions reps to understand the context of the grades that students received during the stay at home time during COVID-19.

To view the complete interview, click here.

Help with UC Application and Personal Insight Questions
During this stay-at-home time, you can easily start on the Personal Insight Questions on the UC application. This will help you to get a head start on your UC application and reduce stress during senior year. There are 8 Personal Insight Questions and you are required to answer four of them. We have worked with numerous students, helping them to craft strong essays that can help admissions reps to understand their story. Contact us for more information.

Extracurricular Ideas for High School Students During COVID-19

High school students who are under stay-at-home orders because of COVD-19 are unable to do many of the extracurricular activities that they were participating in during “normal” times.

However, there are still activities that can be done while staying at home. Continuing to build your resume during this time may help your college applications to stand out from the competition. Here are some ideas for things you can do to add to and expand upon your extracurricular activities.

Show Leadership in Your College Application
Colleges value leadership. If you held a leadership position in a club, you can still hold meetings on Zoom. Perhaps your club can hold a fundraiser for a family in need, a food bank, or other organization. Does your club have a website, or does the club’s website need improvements and updates? This is a good time to tackle a website project. You might also improve or add to the club’s social media channels. Starting or adding to a YouTube channel with club news can help build awareness of your club and its achievements.

Workouts for your Sports Team
If you are part of a sports team, you can still to continue to work out together as long as you do it virtually. Take the lead in getting a team workout organized on Zoom and do your best to stay in shape.

Tutoring
During COVID-19 students of all ages are learning from home. You may be able to help elementary, middle school, and high school students with their work by offering tutoring services. Many parents are worried that during this time students are going to fall behind academically by not being in the classroom. If you are a strong student in specific subjects, you may be able to offer your tutoring services to help students with their studies. Post your availability and specific skills you are offering on a website such as NextDoor.com

Independent Projects
You can highlight your skills and creativity with projects that you do by yourself. Examples include:

• Write a book and self-publish it

• Build a computer

• Start a blog, YouTube channel, or podcast with a specific theme

When you complete the “Activities” section of your college applications, it will be helpful to show the results of your efforts. For example if you start a YouTube channel and you have a substantial number of viewers, you will want to list that.

Research Assistant
Put the word out that you can help a college undergrad or graduate student with research that can be done from home.  Consider posting your availability and skills on sites such as Nextdoor.com and Craigslist.

Make Your College Application Stand Out from the Competition
How you present your extracurricular activities on your college application can help to impress admissions reps. We can help you strengthen your college applications. For help with the college application process from start to finish (or help with only the essays), please contact us.

Information for Students Admitted to the University of California for Fall 2020

Recently I attended a webinar presented by a member of the admissions team from UC Santa Barbara (UCSB) which provided insight for freshmen and transfers entering in Fall 2020, as well as key information for high school students setting their sights on UCSB and other University of California campuses.

 May 1 Deadline for SIR
For those students who have been admitted to UCSB’s class of 2024, the university is adhering to the May 1 deadline for submittal of the Statement of Intent to Register (SIR).  For those who were admitted as transfer students, the university is adhering to the June 1 deadline for the SIR.

Official Transcript Deadline for Admitted Students to UCSB
In “normal” times, admitted students have been required to send an official transcript by July 1. The school would still like to receive transcripts by that date, but if that is not possible, then email AskUC@ucop.edu with the date transcripts are expected to be available. Be sure to use your full name when replying. UCSB emphasizes that it will be very flexible regarding when it receives transcripts.  Students will not have their admission rescinded if transcripts cannot be sent by the July 1 deadline.

A-G Course Requirements for UCSB
UCSB will also be flexible if the courses you took ended up varying from what was included on your UC application. If your schedule changed, then send an email to admissions@sa.ucsb.edu.

 For admitted students, as well as students who are currently freshmen, sophomores, and juniors, A-G courses completed in spring 2020 with Pass (P) or Credit (CR) grades will satisfy appropriate A-G requirements. The P and CR grades will not be figured into calculating a student’s GPA.

SAT/ACT Requirement
The University of California has gone test optional for students applying for Fall 2021. This means that you are not required to submit SAT or ACT scores, but you may choose to send them. Test scores can affect certain scholarship applications. Going test optional is not an admissions policy shift but is temporary because of the COVID-19 pandemic. We will need to wait and see what the policy is for students applying for Fall 2022, and future classes.

More Information
The University of California’s website has answers to frequently asked questions about admissions and its response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

For juniors who need help with applying to college, including help with the UC application and Personal Insight Questions, please contact us.

How to Write an Appeal Letter for College Admission

If you were waitlisted at a college that you would like to attend, you can appeal the decision, provided the college will accept an appeal letter. Research the college’s process for submitting an appeal. Some have a form on their website. Some accept a letter, and some state that they do not accept any appeals. Be aware that the majority of appeals do not result in an acceptance, but it’s worth trying if you feel that you have a strong case to present.

 What Not to Say in An Appeal Letter
The letter needs to be upbeat and positive, and not have an angry or complaining tone. Do not say the decision was unfair, or that you think the admissions team has made a mistake.

 What to Include in the Appeal Letter
In the appeal letter, you need to provide the admissions team with new information about yourself in order to convince them to re-consider your application. This information should be something that occurred after you submitted your application such as winning an award, placing well in a competition, improved SAT or ACT scores, improved grades, or an athletic achievement.

If the college encourages you to send a recommendation from a teacher, be sure to do that.

Also, make sure the college received your test scores, transcripts, and other required materials. If you were denied admission because something wasn’t sent, then include in the appeal letter, that you will be sending that information.

Who to Send the Appeal Letter to
Send the appeal to the admissions person who signed your denial letter, an admissions rep you met, and/or your region’s admissions rep as well as anyone else you met, such as the head of the department you hope to be a part of. 

 When to Send the Appeal Letter
Try to send the appeal letter very soon after having been denied admission. This allows you to possibly receive a final decision from the school with enough time to solidify your decision of what school you will attend by the May 1 National Decision Day.

Get Help Writing an Appeal Letter for College Admissions
If you need help writing your appeal letter for a college or university, please contact us. We will work with you to brainstorm your letter and provide revisions and edits to get it ready for submittal.

Virtual Ways for the Class of 2024 to Learn More About Colleges They’re Considering

With college campuses closed because of the COVID-19 outbreak, students will not be able to attend in-person admitted days. If you are deciding which college to attend and were hoping to help make your decision by attending an on-campus event, or in-person alumni event, here are some things you can do to learn more about colleges and universities.

Attend a Virtual Event
Visit the websites of the colleges you are considering attending and look for virtual events for admitted students for the class of 2024. Several colleges are holding online events, or have created video presentations to better acquaint you with the school.

Websites with College Reviews and Tours
Look at websites such as Campus Reel, Niche, and YouTube to read reviews, gain insight, and view virtual tours of campuses.

 Social Media Groups for Admitted College Students
Join colleges’ social media groups for admitted students. You will meet other admitted students and gain an idea of how you feel that you will fit in.

Contact the Admissions Office
If you are not finding all the answers you’re seeking from online sources, reach out to the admissions office, or to a specific admissions team member that you may have already communicated with to ask your questions.

Communicate with Students
Connect with current students online or ask the admissions office to refer you to a student that you can communicate with via email, Skype, FaceTime or another video chat.

 Best of luck and continued success as you move forward with your education.