UC to stop using SAT & ACT scores for admissions Just another data point, I was above average at my public HS. I had about a 3.7, maybe a 1250 on my SATs, nothing spectacular to get in to Davis in 1995. I was recruited by Dr. Kouba for some special calculus program (which I still don't know how he found me, or why). The first two quarters of the 21 series math I think I got maybe a C+ or B- and maybe a B- or B, while most of the other kids got As. I was one of two kids out of 40 who hadn't taken calculus in HS. Then we took 21C in the spring. I got an A-, and many of the HS valedictorians struggled. I quickly realized that it was the first time of the year they were seeing something new. While I was busting my ass, they were all taking a refresher course for two quarters.
I guess my point is that there is no way I'd get in to Davis today. But from my personal experience, were those kids from Lowell and other more prominent schools better than me? At some level, probably. But does that mean I shouldn't have been given a chance to compete on a level playing field? Of course not. And that's the internal struggle I have. Our son is the white kid with all of the advantages now, and unless he's the top of his class at his private HS, he probably wouldn't get in to Davis if he applies in three years, even though on paper he'll be much more prepared/qualified than I was.
Movie is spot on about international students - between 2000 and 2020 the number system wide climbed from 3000 to 29,000. Over 25,000 of them are from mainland China. We have indeed auctioned off seats to Beijing, who is willing to pay MSRP, to balance the budget and subsidize domestic underrepresented groups. — fugawe09
Do you have an article or data to back that up? I'm always trying to find that information. The claim gets made a lot, but I can never seem to find the numbers anywhere.
edit - This is an older article, but reiterates what I already knew. If you make the basic qualifications, you can go to UC Merced. Except only 10% of the kids that met the basic criteria and were offered a spot at Merced took the option back in 2015.
https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-me-ln-uc-admit-20150702-story.html