Upon meeting with Mathew, my friend reviewed his clients test scores and grades. Since his scores and grades were good but not great, my friend recommended that Matthew consider other UC schools. UC Berkeley, my friend told Matthew, was a long shot.
Somewhat disheartened, the student agreed to apply to UC Merced as well UC Berkeley. While not his top choice, UC Merced appeared to be a viable back up. Both the counselor and the student agreed that his good grades and test scores would be more than enough to get admitted to UC Merced.
Months later, Matthew received follow up communication from both UC Berkeley and UC Merced. Unexpectedly, Matthew was rejected by UC Merced yet offered admission to UC Berkeley.
This seemingly improbable outcome proves that as much as college admission appears to be a science--good grades plus good test scores equals the college of your choice--nothing is ever guaranteed.
Or is it? I wrote previously about the new UC Transfer Admission Guarantee. If your goal is a degree from a UC, that is a great way to do it.
The other path towards potentially guaranteed UC admission is to ensure you are in the top 9% of California high school graduates. This "statewide path" is by no means easy since you must ensure you achieve a certain GPA and SAT or ACT score. Find out if you are in the top 9% by visiting this website and using the interactive tools to input your GPA and test scores.
If you are in the top 9%, and you are not admitted to a UC, you should be "offered a spot at another campus if space is available."
Perhaps this is not a guarantee but it is certainly something pretty close.
And who knows? Maybe you could be the next Matthew and find yourself admitted to your dream school too.
For test prep advice, contact CROSSWALK today. CROSSWALK is the go to resource for ACT, SAT, PSAT, SSAT and academic tutoring on the Monterey Peninsula.
