UCLA sees record number of applicants for 1996-97
Large senior class, practicality of higher education cited
By Rachanee Srisavasdi
Daily Bruin Contributor
With about 27,900 applications in and more still to come, UCLA
has received the largest number of applicants ever for the 1996-97
UCLA freshman class, some who will be the Class of 2000.
Undergraduate admission officials started sifting through the
applications in January.
"It gets crazy around here during this time," said Rae Lee
Siporin, director of undergraduate admissions at UCLA. "But we try
to keep our heads and do the best we can."
The number of qualified high-school graduates applying for
college is on the rise, due in part to the high school class of
1996 being slightly larger than recent senior classes. Students are
taking more honors and Advanced Placement classes, making
admissions extremely competitive. In addition, the College Board’s
decision to re-center Scholastic Aptitude Test scores has led to
higher median scores, which has made more students apply for more
competitive colleges, including UC campuses.
Admission officials also think the recent limelight placed on
affirmative action has also convinced more students to apply to
UCLA.
"More students are expecting to get in this year, with all the
confusion surrounding affirmative action," Siporin said. "Some
think that because this is the last year affirmative action is
being used in admissions, that we will increase who will be
admitted."
Yet some analysts said that more students are applying to
college because of the practicality of higher education. According
to a 1993 survey by the California Higher Education Policy Center,
more high school students are interested in getting a bachelor’s
degree than ever before.
"A bachelor’s degree is one of the few ways to get a
middle-class job," said Joni Finney, associate director of the
California Higher Education Policy Center in San Jose. "A lot of
employers won’t hire without one."
Others said affordability is a key reason why more high school
graduates are applying to UCLA. On average, the cost of attending a
private college is between $20,000 to $30,000, while the cost of
attending a UC school is less than $10,000. Admission officials
speculated that this is why more high school graduates are choosing
to attend public universities.
"UCLA is more attractive to students than private school,
because it is less expensive," Siporin said. "It’s getting harder
and harder for a student to afford private higher education."
Out of the 28,000 applications received, UCLA admits about
10,800 students; but only 3,600 applicants actually attend
UCLA.
"The hardest part of the admissions process is guessing how many
students will actually attend UCLA," Siporin said. "Some apply to
UCLA as their first choice or their second choice, so it’s
difficult to tell what the response rate will be."
UC campuses, including UCLA, admit only the top 12.5 percent of
students in the state. Yet because many qualified students apply,
especially to UCLA and UC Berkeley, admissions becomes much more
competitive.
The undergraduate admissions process is complex, consisting of
several reviews to determine which students to admit. Applications
are reviewed by admissions staff, faculty and, in some reviews, by
high-school counselors.
The first review, an academic ranking of applicants, identifies
students with high academic achievement alone. It considers
calculated GPA, SAT, Achievement Tests, the number and disciplines
of courses taken and the strength of the senior year program. UCLA
admits 50 percent of applicants based on this initial review.
The other 50 percent of applicants – as many as 12,000 – are
given a comprehensive review, in which an additional reader
evaluates an applicant’s high-school courses, extra-curricular
activities, honors, awards and essay – prior to the final admission
decisions. The remainder of students are subject to an intensive
review to determine whether or not they will be admitted.
Acceptances and rejections are expected to be mailed out by the
end of March, according to the Office of Undergraduate
Admissions.Comments to webmaster@db.asucla.ucla.edu