Admissions Blog :: UCLA Undergraduate Admissions

UARS Top 10 List

I'm not going to lie, I don't really stay up late enough to watch David Letterman anymore, but I'm relatively sure he still does a Top Ten List on his show. Mine isn't going to have any clever jokes or references to Regis Philbin; it's just going to be 10 things it seems like you all want to know, based on your comments. Maybe it will work, maybe it won't. I'm going to thank you all for coming on this journey with me in advance. 

10. Reminder to freshman admits: The deadline to submit your SIR is May 1. That's this Thursday.

9. For freshman awaiting appeal decisions: please keep in mind that, historically, the number of students whose original admission decision is overturned based on appeal is incredibly low. If you haven't heard from our office by May 1, I strongly recommend you consider all of your options and SIR to another campus.

8. Transfers awaiting their decisions: they're coming soon! I promise! I know the waiting game is zero fun, but in some cases it's unavoidable. It's almost over...really.

7. Transfers admits: Your deadline to SIR is June 2. That's over a month away, but still a good day to keep in mind.

6. Transfer students who weren't offered admission and want to be considered for their second choice major: unfortunately, UCLA does not do this. Sorry. I know our applicant pool was incredibly strong, and am confident that students who were not offered admission here at UCLA received offers of admission from many other wonderful universities.

5. To the person who asked if the picture of the UARS staff on a recent post is the entire staff: the answer is no. It's not even close. It's just a picture of people who remembered to wear their UCLA shirts on picture day and wanted to achieve internet fame.

4. Freshman and transfer admits who want to report changes to their academic schedule or a decline in performance: please do so via the New Bruins website. Sometimes students avoid notifying us about changes to their academic profile because they are afraid of the results and hope that we just won't notice, but I promise you, we do. If you are concerned that something has changed that could affect your admission status, it is truly in your best interest to notify our office as soon as possible by filling out a Provisional Problem Form.

3. Transfer students considering filing an appeal: for an appeal to have merit, it needs to contain new and compelling information that was not available in your original application. If you are going to claim that you have completed a class that is not on your application, or a grade has been changed, you must supply affirming documentation.

2. On this day in 1788, Maryland was 7th state to ratify the Constitution. Way to go, MD!

1. I know I Pollyanna out on you guys a lot, but I really do appreciate your comments and questions, so please keep them coming and best wishes for a happy university experience this fall, wherever you are!

(Most) Transfer Decisions Available!

As many of you know by now, transfer admission decisions are available online! On behalf of UARS, congratulations and welcome to all our admitted transfer students! I know the wait was frustrating for a lot of you, but I hope it was worth it.

Some readers have expressed concern that not receiving their admission decision yet is an indication that they will not be admitted, and I want to assure you that this is not the case. A late notification has no bearing on/relationship to your admission decision, so please do not make an assumptions about your admission status at UCLA based on not receiving a decision yet. Don't listen to what your friends are saying; listen to me.

We try to release as many decisions as we can as early as we can, but our office has limited resources and only so many hours in a day, and unfortunately we cannot complete every application review in the timely matter we (and you) would like. For those of you who haven't received your decision yet, please keep checking back at the site; you should find out soon!

Admitted students: You have until June 2 to submit your Statement of Intent to Register (SIR), and if you have made changes to your academic program, or your academic performance has declined, you should go the New Bruins Website (https://www.admissions.ucla.edu/NewBruins/NSG_Transfer.htm) to fill out a Transfer Provisional Problem Form (here in the UCLA, Land O' Abbreviations, we say PPF) to notify our office as soon as possible.

Q&A Time

Well it's that special time again where I answer the questions you leave in the comments section with a multi-topic post. Some might say this is because I am lazy, but I prefer the term efficient. So in the name of efficiency, let's get down to business, shall we?

Transfer Admissions Decisions: I cannot tell you when decisions will be released. I am sorry. I know this is not the answer anyone wants, but it is the truth. Because our campus receives more applications than any other in the country, it takes us a little longer to read and evaluate all of them. We ask that you bear with us just a little longer; we do promise they'll be released by the end of April.

Appeals/Reconsideration Requests: Some of our freshman applicants who were not offered admission this year have filed appeals and are wondering when they will hear a response. We endeavor to reply to student appeals within 15 working days AKA 3 weeks. One thing to keep in mind if you are waiting for our reconsideration decision is that the deadline to submit your SIR to any UC campus is May 1. Historically, a very small percentage of students have their admissions decisions overturned, so I highly recommend that students awaiting a reconsideration decision consider all educational options available to them for fall 2008.

Admitted Freshmen: Welcome again! We can't wait to meet all our new Bruins this fall. While I love the fact that so many admitted students are coming to this blog with their questions, this isn't always the best place to get the answers you need. I am really only an authority on admissions policies and application procedures. The UCLA homepage has links to the department or office that can give you the answers you need, and it will be your best friend throughout your time here on campus.

So in conclusion, and in summation, bear with us during this busy time and thanks for reading and posting your questions! Keep them coming!

New Bruins Website

Don't worry, admitted students, I am not trying to rush your decision-making process. You have until May 1 to submit your Statement of Intent to Register (AKA SIR. Fun fact: Here in UARS, we use "SIR" as a verb. As in "When are you going to SIR?" We're crazy, right?) to UCLA or the other UC campus of your choice. However, for those of you who have chosen to come to UCLA for Fall 2008, first of all: good choice. Secondly, if you haven't familiarized yourself with the New Bruins website yet, please do so ASACBBM1 (As Soon As Convenient But Before May 1).

Why visit the New Bruins website, you ask? Excellent question. By visiting http://www.admissions.ucla.edu/newbruins.htm, you'll be able to formally accept UCLA's offer of admission (or SIR), set up your MyUCLA account, learn about your financial aid, and do many other things that you must do in order to be a full-fledged Bruin this September.

Additionally, those students who have made changes to their course work or have received poor grades, please make sure to fill out a Provisional Problem Form. An evaluator will review your changes and notify you within fifteen working days if the changes will affect your admission. The following links will guide you to the correct forms to fill out the Provisional Problem Form. Freshmen, please visit: http://www.admissions.ucla.edu/NewBruins/NSG_Freshmen.htm. Transfer students, please visit: http://www.admissions.ucla.edu/NewBruins/NSG_Transfer.htm.

And please feel free to e-mail the New Bruins email account at newbruins@saonet.ucla.edu with any questions you might have regarding your admission to UCLA.

If you haven't made your decision yet, take your time and consider all of your options, and if you do choose UCLA, make sure to log on to New Bruins ASACBBM1. We can't wait to meet you in the fall!

First Final Four

As a new UCLA UARS staff member, I have recently experienced many 'firsts', two of which I would like to share with you.  One of my responsibilities as Senior Editor is to assist with coordinating the assembly and mailing of all the admissions packets and letters to over 55,000 applicants. To say the least, this is no small task.  I undoubtedly had little understanding in the beginning how many people are involved in guaranteeing that all applicants receive proper notification.  Further, the pride that goes into the process has been inspiring to observe. From the applicant readers pouring over each application with extreme precision and dedication to the staff coordinating all the materials, I have been impressed at every stage.

Another first has been the excitement of seeing the UCLA basketball team advancing to the Final Four.  This is a first for me because I did not attend UCLA as a student and only recently moved to Los Angeles.  However, the enthusiasm of the Bruin family is undeniably contagious.  Yesterday, UCLA fans gathered along Bruin Walk to send-off the Men's Basketball team (http://uclabruins.cstv.com/view.gal?id=26563&template=player_gallery). There certainly was not a shortage of UCLA paraphernalia in the crowd.

This coming weekend (Saturday, April 5 at 3:00 p.m. PT and hopefully Monday, April 7 at 6:15 p.m. PT) thousands of UCLA students, alumni, faculty and staff, and Bruin fans will gather to watch the Men's Basketball play in their third consecutive Final Four appearance, compete for their 12th NCAA National Championship, and win the 101st NCAA championship for UCLA.  The stakes are high and the energy is intense—what a treat to observe such sportsmanship and excitement fan in my first few months at UCLA!

You have questions; I have answers...

Since we released admissions decisions a couple of weeks ago, we have received a LOT of questions on the blog, not surprisingly. I've noticed that questions seem to fall into a few different categories, so I am going to attempt to address them here. I hope you find the information you need.

1) The Decision-Making Process: As much as I would love to convince our admitted students to attend UCLA, I cannot do it in good conscience. UCLA is an amazing place, but it might not be the right school for every body. Take your time, consider your options, and choose the campus where you think you will be the happiest. I promise, you will do better academically if you are happy personally, so follow your instincts.

2) Appeals: I understand that a lot of the students who were not offered admission are very disappointed, and I completely sympathize. However, I do want to reiterate that the chances of having your decision overturned are incredibly slim. For an appeal to have merit, the student has to present new and compelling information that was not presented in the original application. High grades and/or awards earned in the senior year do not qualify as new and compelling information. I strongly advise students who were not offered admission to UCLA to consider attending another four-year institution or a community college.

3) Transfer Admission Decisions: I cannot say when decisions will be released. Our best estimate is mid/late April (just a couple of weeks away!), but I am unable to be more specific than that. Your wait is almost over!

Last but not least, congratulations to our Men's Basketball Team for making it to the Final Four! This has been a very exciting tournament so far, and we wish them the best of luck!

Welcome to...

 

On behalf of the entire staff here at Undergraduate Admissions and Relations with Schools, I am thrilled to welcome our recent admits to UCLA! This is a space for the Class of 2012 to leave messages and share in the excitement. Congratulations and we look forward to seeing you in the fall!

Not Admitted

Admission to UCLA was the most competitive it has ever been this year; we had over 55,000 applications for a freshman class of just about 4500 students. We are unable to admit thousands of qualified applicants for fall 2008. If you were not offered admission this year, feel free to leave your comments here.

When Will Applicants Receive Admissions Decisions?

That seems to be the question on all our applicants' minds, and rightly so. I'm sure a lot of you have already heard from some of the other colleges you've applied to for fall 2008, and are anxious to get the decision from UCLA. While I completely empathize with your position, I unfortunately cannot say when admissions decisions will be released. My best recommendation to you is to just keep checking back at the decision site. It's March 17 (Happy St. Patrick's Day!), so you know you'll get the decision in two weeks at the latest, and, if I were a betting woman, I would bet you'll know your admission status at UCLA even sooner than t hat.

In less frustrating news, congratulations to our oustanding Men's Basketball Team! The Bruins are again a #1 seed in the March Madness Tournament. Coach Howland led the Bruins through an amazing season and another Pac-10 Tournament Title, and all of us here at UARS can't wait to watch all the exciting games that are in store for us. First up: UCLA vs. Mississippi Valley State this Thursday. Just like you all can't wait to receive your admissions decisions from our office, I can't wait to see how well our team performs during this "crazy" tournament.

Best of luck to all our applicants and our Men's Basketball Team! Go Bruins! 

The Final Countdown

For those of you who are waiting to receive admissions decisions from colleges and universities across the country this year, it might seem like 2008 is a leap year just to keep the month of March away one day longer and draw out the excrutiating waiting process, but hang in there! You're almost done.

If you've applied to UCLA and/or any other UC campuses for Fall 2008, you shall be receiving your admissions decisions during the month of March. Back in the days before online applications, hopeful UC students had to run to their mailboxes every March afternoon in search of the good news, but you lucky bunch can just check online decision sites. If you've applied to multiple UCs like I hope you have, you will need to follow each campus's individual instructions for checking admission status. Even though all us UCs share many common deadlines (like the May 1 deadline for freshman admits to submit their Statement of Intent to Register!), we do not all release admissions decisions on the same day, so hearing from one campus does not guarantee you'll hear from another right away.

In the meantime, keep working hard in your current coursework and make sure to enjoy the last few months of your high school career. They will fly by, so make the most of them!