As the UC eliminated the SAT and ACT testing requirement for Fall 2021 and beyond, the subjectivity in the admissions evaluations will likely increase, as admissions officers will interpret applicants’ qualifications for admissions without the more objective test scores as a metric.
In this fifth installment in the series about the University of California’s (UC) Comprehensive Review policy, which is comprised of 14 different criteria, we’ll discuss the fourth criteria so applicants can plan for the increased subjectivity in the admission evaluations:
Number of and performance in UC-approved honors and Advanced Placement courses.
In considering the applicant’s “number of and performance in UC-approved honors and Advanced Placement [AP] courses”, their transcripts will be compared to the total course offerings at the high school(s) where they attended.
UC evaluators seek understanding of an applicant’s potential to perform academically in college, by answering questions, such as: of the total advanced classes offered, how many did the student take in their four years? Also, how many advanced courses per school year did the student take and what was the performance in each class and overall for the year? Was the student able to maintain their academic performance, despite the total number of advanced courses in a single school year?
As applicant evaluations will likely be more subjective than during previous application cycles, Fall 2021 applicants would be wise to reflect on their experiences to answer each question with careful consideration. For those high school underclassmen, waiting in the wings to apply for Fall 2022 and beyond, be careful to choose your classes prudently.
Here are the previous installments in the series, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4
For more information about how to navigate the complex college admissions process, check out Creative Marbles Consultancy
