Admissions Blog

Trouble Filling Out the UC Application?

We are here to help!  The following are answers to some common questions and concerns encountered while filling out the UC Application.

1.      “I'm not sure what you are asking for in some of these sections. Where can I go for more information.”

The UC Application provides three means of assistance while you complete the Application. 

First, we strongly encourage you to take an online tour of the application: https://admissions.ucop.edu/tour/tour.html.  This will provide you with an overview of how to apply.

Second, many of the information prompts throughout the application have an information icon— — that provides specific information on how to answer the question.

Third, each section has a "Tip Box" that clarifies the information being requested.

2.  "I clicked on 'Go To Next Step' but it won't let me. It indicates there is an error."

Scroll the page and look for an error message in red.  This error message indicates that information for this field needs to be completed or corrected before you can proceed to the next section.

3. "I left the computer and came back and was timed out of the system. How long do I have?"

The UC Application system times an applicant out after 40 minutes. We strongly encourage you to save all your information before walking away from your computer for a long period of time.

4. "I hit my browser's back [or forward] button.  Did I lose everything?"

Your browser's forward and backward buttons will work to move you through the application. You must use the forward and backward tools within the application itself to move to other sections. If you use your browser buttons, you will have to re-enter the information.

5.      “Is there a PDF version I can print out to fill out the application.”

No, the UC application can only be submitted online. You have the option to save the application and information you enter as you work, without having to submit it. This allows you to work on the application over a period of time.  Your application can be modified as many times as you would like until time of final submission.

6.      “Where do I include my Letters of Recommendation and Resume?”

UCLA does not accept letters of recommendation or resumes with the UC Application. By properly filling out the UC Application, you should be able to share all the information that might otherwise be conveyed in a resume. Also, we encourage you to use your Personal Statements to provide information that will give us more insight about you, which will assist us during the review of your application.

Note: Some majors [e.g. Art, Film and Television, Music] have additional application requirements, which may include letters of recommendation, a portfolio review, audition, or additional documents. If you apply to one of these majors you will be contacted directly by the department with instructions on how to provide them with additional information.

7.      “What if I have not taken the ACT/SAT exams, or have nor received my scores, before the November 30 UC Application deadline?"

You can login to the UC Application Processor's status site:  www.ucapplication.net/ucap and enter your cores one you receive them. However, we stronly encourage you to send official tst score reports to the university as well.  You can do that on the following sites.

ACT:  www.actstudent.org/scores/send/index.html

SAT:  www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/scores/sending.html

If you are admitted, official copies of your ACT, SAT, and AP scores are required.

8.      “Do I need to sent official transcripts and/or score reports now?"

You do not need to send transcripts unless you are admitted [or unless we specifically request them fro you, which is not common].  While official test score reports are not required, we do strongly encourage you to have them sent [see #7 above for how].

Also, we do not review high school records or ACT/SAT scores from transfer applicants—just freshmen.

9.  "I submitted my application. Now what?"

It is very important that you keep the email receipt that you will receive upon final submission of the application. This email will include your user name and application ID number. You will need your suer name [and password[ to view/print copies of your application, and you should include your application ID number [and not your Social Security Number] on any communications with us.

You should receive an email from UCLA acknowledging that we received your application around two weeks from the day you submitted it.

If any of the informaion you presented on the application changes [e.g. your address, the courses you indicated you were/will take, etc.], you should let us know right away.  www.admissions.ucla.edu/applicant/changes.htm.

UCLA plans to release decisions for Fall Quarter 2010 freshman applicants by late March, and for transfer applicants by late April 2010.

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!

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.

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!

Ask and You Shall Receive

Normally it's only radio DJs that take requests, but when blog reader "iloveucla" asked if we could write a blog about how we read our freshman applications, I thought it was a great idea, and voila! The answers you seek are below:

UCLA application readers can be divided primarily into 3 groups: UARS/EAOP (Early Academic Outreach Program) employees, employees in other UCLA departments, and qualified community members. People outside of UARS/EAOP who are interested in being application readers must apply for the position.

After we have our some 150 readers selected, we undergo a VERY thorough training process. I can personally assure all of our applicants that everyone involved with the application read process takes it incredibly seriously. All application readers, new and returning, complete an extensive application training process before they are allowed to start reading and ranking actual applications.

From the official 2008-2009 Freshman Admissions Policy:

Selection is based on a comprehensive review of all information--both academic and personal--presented in the application. All applications are read twice, in their entirety, by professionally trained readers. After independently reading and analyzing a file, the reader determines a comprehensive score that 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. While this evaluation process is based on human judgments rather than a system that quantifies factors and incorporates them into a numerical formula, the extensive reader training, comprehensive reading of files, as well as other monitoring procedures, ensure that the process is highly reliable. Formal tests of reliability are conducted regularly to assure quality control.

So we spend December and January reading and evaluating applications in accordance with the guidelines that we by then can recite in our sleep. Every application gets read at least twice, and, as the policy states, there are myriad quality controls in place to make sure that applicants are being reviewed fairly and accurately.

Because we receive so many applications (55,369 for fall 2008) from so many highly qualified students, we are only able to offer admission to approximately 1/4 of our freshman applicants, which is why I would recommend that students apply to at least 4 UC campuses, and any other universities they think might be a good fit, in addition to UCLA. Best of luck to all students applying to college this year!

Lucky Number 55,369

Hello again, blog readers, I’ve missed you all. Since last I posted, the UARS blog has celebrated its 1st birthday and UCLA received 55, 369 freshman applications for admission for fall 2008, more than any other university in the nation (again)!

We’re thrilled that so many students all over the state, country, and world want to come here to UCLA to learn from our incredible faculty, live on our beautiful campus, cheer on our outstanding sport teams, and just get that unique Bruin experience, but we’re also incredibly busy! After all, we’re the ones who have to read and evaluate all of these applications. This is my second year as an application reader, and even though I’ve already read more than 400 applications for fall 2008, I still find it exciting! I love learning about your interests and experiences, and being a part, no matter how small, of this wonderfully thrilling time in your lives.

Even though I applied to the UC system last century, I still remember that awful period of time between November and March, when I was waiting for the decision letters from my top-choice campuses. I know right now it probably feels like there’s nothing you can do, but there actually is: you can avoid that horrible disease known as “senioritis” and make sure that you take the classes that you reported on your application.

As I hope you all know by now, a decline in academic performance or change in your academic program could result in a withdrawal of admission. I’ve seen first-hand how upsetting and disappointing it is for a student to have his/her offer of admission cancelled, and it really can be avoided! Don’t let one (or two) bad semesters ruin an otherwise pristine academic record. Keep up the great work!

Hey, Guys, keep up the good work (and I MEAN it)!

The end of your senior year of high school is a unique time, with proms, banquets, award ceremonies, and the growing realization that life is about to change for ever. For some of you this will be your life’s first big transition. All the while, you’re probably sitting in some of the hardest classes you’ve ever tackled, and the last thing you want to hear is us haranguing you about your grades and classes, right? Well, let me give you a little background from our side of the files. This year we denied admission to over 38,000 freshman applicants, the majority of them very bright and hard-working students. We have also received, to date, more than 1,200 appeal requests from this group. Now most of these students would have no trouble succeeding at UCLA; it’s just that we have no room. Therefore we are stuck in the position of being the meanies who tell almost all of these students no a second time. So, with these kids in mind, I don’t have any qualms about our expectations for your senior years. Even if you’re having a hard time of it, buckle down and keep going! You’re certainly no stranger to hard work, else you wouldn’t have gotten to this point in the first place. 

Of course, in some cases unforeseen and unavoidable circumstances so come up. If you do end up dropping a class or earning poor grades (3 or more Cs or a 12th grade average below 3.0; login to www.admissions.ucla.edu/decision to see your admission contracts for the whole spiel about "provisional" admission, grades, transcripts, yadda yadda) tell us about it right away. I can’t guarantee that this will save your admission, but the more time you have, the more options we have available to offer you. Report any changes at:

• Freshmen: www.admissions.ucla.edu/NewBruins/Changes_Freshmen.htm

• Transfer Students: I realize that the above focused mainly on freshmen, but all students are expected to do well in their final year before entering UCLA. www.admissions.ucla.edu/NewBruins/Changes_Transfer.htm

Summer Orientation!

So now that you’ve been admitted to the new Bruin Class of 2011, what do you do? Get ready for Summer Orientation! My name is Bank Chantaruchirakorn, and I am an admissions officer for UCLA Undergraduate Admissions and Relations with Schools. I just graduated this past spring, and, prior to working at UARS, I worked for three years at the UCLA Orientation Program as an Orientation Counselor, or “OC”. Orientation is highly recommended for all our students, and over 96% of first-year students attend a session. Why do so many attend? Because it’s both fun and informative. During Orientation you will spend three days on-campus, living in a residence hall and meeting other newly admitted Bruins. You will be a part of a group of about nine students and one OC, who is a current student. Your OC will be with you for the entire three days as a resource, helping you pick out and enroll in classes for fall quarter, answer all your questions, and equip you with the knowledge you will need to maximize your UCLA experience. There are 11 sessions that run throughout July and August. When I attended Orientation (Session 109) back in 2002, it was the first time my UCLA admissions felt real, and it got me eager and excited to come back to campus at the end of September. You’ll be receiving a brochure in late-May that will give you all the information you will ever need about Orientation and how to sign up. Yay for summer!

Welcome to UCLA!

On behalf of everyone here at Undergraduate Admissions and Relations with Schools, I would like to congratulate our newly admitted students and welcome you to UCLA. As you can see, we're all very excited to meet you! This space is for the Class of 2011 to introduce themselves to their fellow new Bruins.