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College Admissions Requirements - CSU, UC, Private Schools

Why Go To College?

For many students and parents, going to college is just the “right thing to do”. However, it is much more than that. Your investment in a college education profoundly affects your career opportunities, financial well-being, and quality of life. The life experiences that college provides cannot be found anywhere else.

US News & World Report College Rankings: Tier 1

COLLEGE ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS:
Where you apply to affects how lengthy and complicated the process is. In general, the more prestigious the university, the more requirements there are.

I. CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY

One Application Form for all the CSU schools: $55/ school

APPLY! >> http://www.csumentor.com/

DEADLINE 11/30

a) A-G classes (there are requirements & the more challenging, the better)

b) GPA 2.0 REQUIRED << not much you can do about this

c) SAT I or ACT (no writing needed)

II. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA

One Application Form takes care of all the UC schools: $60/ school

APPLY! >> http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/admissions/undergrad_adm/apply/apply_online.html

DEADLINE 11/30

a) A-G classes (there are requirements & the more challenging, the better)

b) GPA 3.0 REQUIRED << not much you can do about this

c) SAT I or ACT + Writing for ACT

e) 2 x SAT Subjects: ** WILL NO LONGER BE REQUIRED FOR STUDENTS GRADUATING 2012 OR LATER

f) Essays

g) (AP Exams)

h) Extracurricular Activities <it’s better to do a couple and be really involved

i) Leadership positions

j) Awards/ Achievements

Essay Prompts for UC >>

III. PRIVATE/ INDEPENDENT UNIVERSITY

Life is much easier now. There is one unified application you can use that many private schools now accept nationwide.2008 - $75 - $150 / school

The Common Application https://www.commonapp.org/

a) A-G classes (there are requirements & the more challenging, the better)

b) GPA 3.0 REQUIRED << not much you can do about this

c) SAT or ACT + Writing for ACT

e) 2 x SAT Subjects

g) (AP Exams)

h) Extracurricular Activities <it’s better to do a couple and be really involved

i) Leadership positions

j) Awards/ Achievements

k) Recommendations

l) Interviews

Essay prompts for Common App >>

How important are SAT ACT scores?

Very. Since high schools vary, and even teachers within a high school vary in their grading, standardized tests provide a unified single benchmark to “measure the ability and potential for success” for all students applying to college.

Whatever the case, though some colleges will deny their heavy reliance on test scores, a student with a B or even C average but extremely high test scores is MUCH more likely to be accepted.

So, unless your parents have $1 million to donate to the school of your choice, or you are the kid of a Diplomat, Senator, Congressman, Supreme Court Justice, or the U.S. President, I have some very bad news for you - preparation for the SAT can make a big difference in your scores and, as a result, where you go to college.

The Official UC Admissions Scoring System

UC does things by the numbers. Basically, they take the top highest total scores.

http://admissions.ucdavis.edu/admissions/fr_selection_process.cfm

“All applications are read in their entirety by professionally trained readers. After independently reading and analyzing a file, the reader determines a comprehensive score which is the basis upon which the student is ultimately admitted or denied. In addition, admissions managers conduct multiple checks for consistency and completeness throughout the reading process.” – UC Berkeley

http://students.berkeley.edu/admissions/freshmen.asp?id=56&navid=N

“Each year, UCLA considers many more excellent applicants for freshmen admission than it can possibly admit. The goal of the campus' admissions review process is to single out from a large and growing pool of academically strong applicants those unique individuals who have demonstrated the intellectual curiosity, tenacity, and commitment to community service expected of the UCLA graduate.” – UCLA

What SAT / ACT Scores Do I Need to Get In?

Click to for actual UC Freshmen Admission Profiles for 2009 >>

Stanford University