Becoming a Bruin gets a little tougher

by Tydides on Apr 9, 2009 2:58 PM PDT Comment 57 comments

The SUC Times highlights the increasing difficulty of getting into a UC:

Mainly in response to budget-related enrollment cutbacks for the fall, the percentage of California applicants offered freshman admission by at least one UC campus dropped from 75.4% last year to 72.5% this year, a decline of 3.85%, according to data released Tuesday. Officials estimated that it was the lowest acceptance rate for the university since 2000.

More UCLA related statistics:

The average weighted grade-point average for all California students admitted to a UC campus this year was 3.82, which includes bonuses for honors and Advanced Placement courses. Last year, that figure was 3.79. The average SAT total was 1,790, out of a 2,400 perfect score on the three-part test, up from 1,777 last year.

The data showed that UCLA had the most applicants and the toughest admission rate, just 21.4% for in-state students. The average high school GPA for California students admitted to UCLA was 4.17 (with honors points) and the average SAT total was 1,992.

All I can say is that I'm glad I got in when I did.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of BruinsNation's (BN) editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of BN's editors.

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When I got in, I had only ONE AP-level class to my name.

That probably wouldn’t get me on a Campus Shuttle bus now.

"In this program your passion bucket must be full to play SC." -- CRN, to Dan Patrick, 1/2008

by Meriones on Apr 9, 2009 4:42 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

What About Students Currently Living in Exile?

Jen’s SAT:
760 Math
680 Reading
670 Writing

GPA: 4.1 (from a very tough high school — one of the toughest in Texas)

From what I understand, that puts her a little above average on the test and on average for GPA.

Is there a tougher standard for her as an out-of-state student?

She’s applying to a few UC schools — but UCLA is her first choice.

It looks like next year will be nail biting time. Ugh!

Things were so easy when I got in, all those many years ago.

sjh

by Class of 66 on Apr 9, 2009 4:47 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I've Heard

That the UCs, for financial reasons, are admitting more out-of-state students. Out-of-state students, of course, pay the higher out-of-state tuition. So, it could be she has a leg up on comparable in-state students.

by snorkeldorf on Apr 9, 2009 4:52 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

If she good at writing essays

I bet she gets in.

by snorkeldorf on Apr 9, 2009 4:54 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

She Writes Very Well

Ace in the hole(?): She marches in the band and will be captain of both the color and winter guards next year. I hope that helps. If she gets in, she’ll be a 3rd generation Bruin.

Of course, I’m her dad, but I think she’s all that and more.

sjh

by Class of 66 on Apr 9, 2009 5:01 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree.

When I was applying, it’s something I was told over and over again. Take two 3.5 students, read their Personal Statement, and the smarter of the two will become very apparent right away.

Sad to say, my niece did not heed my advice and had to settle for SUC. I know, I know the irony of it all is that she has always wanted to be a doctor. And she is finding out that the best Medical School out there is UCLA. So she finds herself right back where she started from. Studying hard in the hopes of measuring up.

A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment. John Wooden

by MexiBruin on Apr 9, 2009 5:52 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

UCLA is awesome

but don’t count out UCSD. Oh I mean the weather’s really rough – REALLY rough – highs of 85 in the heat of summer, it rains about four times a year and it gets all the way down to about 58 in February … pack your parkas!!

by Seanny Rotten on Apr 10, 2009 8:06 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm holding a good thought

I think those are very good numbers, and if the high school has a good reputation, she should be in good shape. Remember, average (median) says half are above and half are below. While UCLA does have an obligation to in state applicants, it also strives for diversity and brings in many out of state kids.

I’m sure I got in partly based on my highschool’s rep. My numbers were good but not great, but the school was well regarded and that probably made the difference.

So I’m thinking/hoping I will unknowingly see her next year buying books, or at the game.

by isodore on Apr 9, 2009 5:01 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

One more year from now -- HS Class of 2010

How long will you be there? I’d like nothing better than to have her bump into my BN friends.

I cannot believe how hard it is to get into UCLA, now.

I was my HS Valedictorian, but big deal. There were no such things as honor classes. As best I recall, I did well on the entrance exams.

But, the quality of work that these high school kids do now, the depth of their research, the difficulty of their classes — it is unbelievable to me. Jen never goes to bed before 1:00AM. I can’t remember doing much homework in high school.

She’s taken so many advanced classes she won’t have to take many of the college stalwarts. I asked her why she didn’t just take normal classes and leave college classes for college and she said “Because I would be bored.” I actually worry that some of her friends will have burned out in high school and that when they get to college they won’t have the energy to carry through.

Things are so different now. Different, but not necessarily better.

sjh

by Class of 66 on Apr 9, 2009 5:09 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

If it's hard for Jen

I can’t image how hard it’s going to be for the BB baby. Mr. BB tells me all the time that we can’t put too much pressure on our little one to go to UCLA because of the crazy high standards. While my focus in high school was to get into UCLA, I do wish I had taken a little more time out to have some fun. It’s all water under the bridge now, but there are times that I wish I could go back and change some small things.

My mom told me last year that she and my old man prayed all the time until my acceptance letter came because they didn’t know how I would react if I didn’t get in. I can’t imagine what it is like for kids who wait until the last day to decide where they want to go. I only ever wanted to be a Bruin.

Still, part of me hopes that with Mr. BB’s brains and my lifelong passion for all things Bruin, somehow we have created the perfect UCLA student.

by bruinbabe2000 on Apr 10, 2009 1:42 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

How many AP/IB classes? Scores? Student Gov’t or other activities?

Hope she gets in!

by impaulv on Apr 9, 2009 5:08 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Almost all of her classes have been at the most difficult level.

And, she has some good activities and experiences.

But, fortunately, she’s very normal. Some of her friends have been “acquiring” activities for 3 years, doing things just for their applications.

Jen has taken time to smell the roses, play on facebook, keep in touch with the kids she went to school with in the Palisades and be a very normal kid.

If she doesn’t get into UCLA, she will get in somewhere, and knowing her she will love wherever she goes.

sjh

by Class of 66 on Apr 9, 2009 5:13 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Some brief comments from a (recently graduated) UCLA student

I’m not sure whether going to a hard high school helps THAT much, because of two reasons.
(1) It’s impossible to carefully evaluate each of tens of thousands of high schools across the USA
(2) Taking a simple metric such as high school SAT average isn’t a good indicator because the grades aren’t curved and As aren’t given out at the same proportions.

The important thing to remember is that there are no letters of recommendation and no interviews for undergraduate admissions, so the only chance for her personality and story to shine through is her personal statements. Make sure that a coherent story shines through, and that she shows instead of tells—I can’t emphasize how important that is. Tons of people I know wrote stupid stuff like, “I volunteered 100 hours at XYZ to help the community.”

Get a good number of people to read her personal statement, and make sure a subset reads it quickly (because the people on admissions will be reading it quickly). It absolutely has to flow both in a literary and logical sense. I think if she writes a good PS she has a great chance of getting in! Good luck to her!!

Wish me luck too! I’m going to be applying to UCLA medical school this cycle and that’s not trivial…

by dokein on Apr 12, 2009 1:53 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

On your tour

when you interview, the squiggly looking thing on the wall in the lecture hall is the brachial plexus.

It’s one of the legends, like Janss Steps or the seal in Powell – interviewees who recognize it get accepted.

I didn’t, was wait-listed, and was eventually banished to Texas for my ignorance.

Good luck to you, too, d.

greg in denver - UCLA guy for life

by gbruin on Apr 12, 2009 11:14 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

There's a TON of data on the UC and UCLA websites

This is a good portal to it. From the admit rates listed there, it’s been slightly easier to get in as an out of state student for the last few years (since 2006). This year, the admit rate for out of state student was 26.89%, so about 5% higher than California residents. Of course, for a few years before that, it was harder for out of staters, and back in the 90’s, it was a little easier again, with admit rates around 40 and 50 percent in both groups.

A little lower on that page, there’s a link to UCStatFinder, which produces crazy tables of the admit data since 1995. I just ran one on location (to get out of states in the picture) and weighted GPA, for instance, and it took no more than a couple minutes to click through the options for the table. Scrolling way down the page, it tells me that 28.9% out of staters with GPA between 4 and 4.2 got in last year. Since 2002, that’s been between 24% and 33%, mostly right around 26-28%. It doesn’t have any way to combine certain sets of numbers, and none of it factors in the essays or extracurriculars and so on, but it’s still kinda cool.

Oh, the irony of avoiding a stats assignment by looking at stats.

by jaffa on Apr 9, 2009 6:10 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Those are pretty solid numbers

If she can compliment those with good community service and leadership and strong personal essays on the application, I’d say she has a very good chance (especially with the quiet push for out of state students for more funding).

Also, not sure if this is worth the risk, but I have a friend who initially got rejected from UCLA but appealed and re-wrote her essays specifically to UCLA and got in. Probably to risky for the initial app, but if her first choice remains UCLA and it comes do an appeal, it’s worth a shot.

I wish her luck and I’m sure UCLA would be glad to have her

by Sideout11 on Apr 9, 2009 6:32 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

She'll get in. Funny that those scores are number for number exactly what my son's are.

Trouble for us is we live in Calif. Supposed to be harder now for in state and easier for out of state.

by 84 on Apr 9, 2009 9:36 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

A couple of thoughts.

First, remember one of Professor Peter’s corollaries – Pull is better than Push. Maybe there is someone in administration who you know or who might remember you and could help make sure Jen’s application get’s into the right stack at the right time. Also, maybe someone you know from some other institution knows someone at UCLA who could help in that way.

Second, the Herzberg DNA ought to count for something. For those of you who don’t know, sjh was a pretty big cheese on campus way back in the olden days. (Yeah, he even had a private parking place for his conestoga wagon.) But that’s not all – there’s the grandfather connection also. Maybe that could be exploited through the music department.

I have no idea whether these things will help at all, but good luck to you and to her.

by Fox 71 on Apr 9, 2009 9:47 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hey 66...for what it's worth

I was admitted as an out-of-state student in 2005 out of a very tough high school district in the north Chicago suburbs.

I got a 31 (out of 36) on the ACT, which was equivalent to about a 1400 or so.

SAT 2 scores will be important as well. I got a 600 on Eng Comp, 650 on American History, and 680 on Math 1, for comparison’s sake. Personally I don’t think those scores helped me much, but they could if they are very good (out of 800, of course).

Extracurriculars are important to the extent that your daughter has shown leadership skills in them (much of this is drawn out in the essays).

Out-of-state students amount to about three percent of the entire student body, as UCLA prides itself on taking primarly instate students (something I completely disagree with if UCLA wants to remain an elite level undergraduate university, not just a reasearch institution).

For what it’s worth, I did not get into the University of North Carolina or UC Berkley, but UCLA, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Illinois did accept me. Personally, when it comes down to a fair and honest assessment, the application process can be a total crapshoot.

Hope this helps and good luck to your daughter!

by mdjohns4 on Apr 9, 2009 5:17 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Plus, same GPA as your daughter...

with 6 AP tests with a score of 3 or above. They love to see honors and AP classes (the board wants to see a student challenge his/her self).

by mdjohns4 on Apr 9, 2009 5:20 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think

they nixed the SAT II requirement, but they might not have implemented it yet. Not sure

by Sideout11 on Apr 9, 2009 6:34 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I believe that was for

High School Class of 2012

by SuperBruinMan on Apr 10, 2009 12:16 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

UCLA is indeed tough...

I was rejected this year, unfortunately. A lot of other kids at my school (which happens to be the #1 or #2 feeder school to USC in the country, ick) were rejected from Westwood as well. In fact, one student was rejected from UCLA but accepted at Stanford and Georgetown.

For anyone curious, my test scores looked like this:
Reading: 700
Math: 700
Writing: 800

Sat II’s: 660 Eng. Lit, 680 US History, 700 Biology.

Essay writing is one of my strengths, but my GPA probably did me in… 2.9 through sophomore year followed by 4.0’s junior and senior year (Adderall works wonders).

by Allofmybros on Apr 9, 2009 6:41 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

So where are you going to be attending?

by 84 on Apr 9, 2009 6:44 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Choosing between Pepperdine and University of San Diego

I’m a California kid, haha. Looks like UCLA will have to wait until Law School.

by Allofmybros on Apr 9, 2009 6:51 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

SAN DIEGO!!!!

by impaulv on Apr 9, 2009 6:56 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

No shame in either of those WCC schools.

Whichever you choose, just pull hard for your team to pop Gonzaga every year.

by 84 on Apr 9, 2009 9:33 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

My brother goes to Pepperdine, and as a junior myself, it's my number 1

I mean, you’ve obviously been to campus :) What’s not to like? It’s not quite what UCLA is academically, but it is a very very good school and jobs after college come easy. And also, if you didn’t know, outside of some Ivy leagues, P-Dine is probably the most connected school in the country, moreso than UCLA. In my bro’s fraternity alone, he has friends whose dad’s
1) Own the trading of ALL commodities in the NYSE & Partially owns NJ Nets
2) Controls shipping of paper, cloth, etc. in New York City
3) Are the global CEO of the company New Balance

etc,etc,etc. I know it sounds like bragging, and it probably is, but I dont see any problems with the school

by harveyismyboy on Apr 10, 2009 7:39 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

The obvious huge difference

between Pepperdine and UCSD is cost.

I’ve got no ax to grind with the Waves at all, but UCSD is an excellent school and much, much cheaper.

by Barnes2JJ on Apr 10, 2009 9:08 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Both UCSD and UCSB Are On Jen's List

She wants to major in aquatic sciences and both have programs.

But, from what I understand, neither has a marching band — something she wants to use to anchor her college life

Jen spent last summer doing environmental work at UCSB (in a private, on campus program) and will spend a month, this summer, at UCSD doing something similar.

When I was a kid, her age, I was washing dishes in restaurants for summer break — and getting to Zuma as often as I could.

sjh

by Class of 66 on Apr 10, 2009 9:40 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Times have changed

I worked 59 hours a week, and my take home pay was $56.95. That was enough to pay my way through my freshman year, with the outrageous incidental fee of $121.80 a semester. I amped it all the way to $2.00 an hour working for the athletic department, but my all time job was a a construction laborer at three times the minumum wage ($3.72 an hour). I was thinking of opening up my own bank, I was so flush with funds.

I don’t think I would be a particularly successful student nowadays. First, I could never in a million years qualify to get into UCLA, and if I did I would immediately get shown up as a total doofus by all the really smart kids. And second, I can’t figure out all the computer stuff.

There was a time when you didn’t have to have at least two Nobel Prizes to your credit in order to be admitted. I sure did get there at the right time. Coach, Coach Prothro, Gary Beban, and an incidental fee of $121.80. I assume you can see why the Geezers really think it was the good old days.

by Fox 71 on Apr 10, 2009 9:57 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Fox, what did you do in the Ath Dept?

I tried living in Westwood on a min. wage job in the dept. Thank God for training table and my girlfriend packing big lunches from the dorms.

by bru79 on Apr 10, 2009 11:04 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Pay was much better than minimum wage when I worked there

What did both of you do?

by bruinbabe2000 on Apr 10, 2009 1:35 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

UCSD

I know sports is not emphasized much (at all?) at UCSD, so it would not surprise me if there was no marching band.

Personally, I would prefer attending a school with a strong sports program because it provides identity and unity to the student body. But that’s just me.

While I live in SD, and love the city, I think UCSD tends to have more of a reputation as a “commuter school.” I am not sure how many people actually live on campus and/or have a strong identity with the school. Again, this may not be important to Jen, but it’s something to consider.

Maybe someone else on BN has a different opinion or experience with UCSD. I don’t mean to knock the school at all. There is no question the school has a very strong academic program and is only recently getting the recognition it deserves.

by Barnes2JJ on Apr 10, 2009 10:19 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

UCSD/UCSB

I too live in SD and, from what I hear, the comments above regarding UCSD are correct. It has a strong academic reputation, but the athletic program is virtually non-existent. My girlfriend’s little brother is a current student. While he seems to enjoy attending UCSD and verifies the challenge of the academic program, he does often mention the lack of a true college atmosphere. In my opinion, that’s due to the location in La Jolla (adjacent to Torrey Pines). I think it would be difficult to establish a true college community there for several different reasons.

I attended UCSB and graduated in ‘01. While I was there, the school was working very diligently at becoming a nationally recognized academic institution. If I remember correctly, two professors were awarded nobel prizes when I was there. I’d recommend the school to anyone who asked. I enjoyed my time there and have nothing but fond memories. To be honest, I chose to attend UCSB after not getting into UCLA. However, at this point in my life, I wouldn’t change a thing. I still love UCLA, but I do believe UCSB prepared me for life after college. I parlayed my time there into a law school degree, and, God willing, a license to practice law (contingent upon the results of the February bar exam).

Anyway, that’s my opinion. I know there are probably several people in this community that know far more about both schools, but I wanted to offer my thoughts on what I knew about both.

by Blue29 on Apr 10, 2009 1:47 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

UCSB aquatic program

My sister-in-law is getting her MS&Phd in Marine Biology from UCSB and she says that UCSB has a great undergrad/grad program. I’m sure the close proximity to the ocean is definitely a plus. Don’t know anything about UCSD but i’m sure it has a good program as well. So, it’s not like deciding between SD and SB is like having to pick between UCLA and $c…Both are good.

by seas98 on Apr 10, 2009 1:28 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I just wanted to throw this out there, take it for what you will 66 and others

But to me, as a young guy, this is funny.

Many people refer to UCSB as the

University of Casual Sex and Beer.

by harveyismyboy on Apr 12, 2009 1:22 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Don't Confuse University of San Diego with UC, San Diego

USD is a private catholic university in an idyllic setting overlooking Mission Bay. From its website: “USD’s tuition and costs are in the mid-range of selective private universities nationwide.” I’ve heard Pepperdine is at the top-end of the tuition and cost scale, so USD could still be significantly less expensive.

by snorkeldorf on Apr 10, 2009 2:12 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Not sure if you were replying to me

But I’m well aware of USD’s fees—I went there for law school. Everytime I turn around, they have raised a new building.

But your points are well taken. USD is far, far more expensive, and a much different school, than UCSD.

by Barnes2JJ on Apr 10, 2009 3:59 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I was actually ...

Allofmybros started off this side-thread by saying, since he wasn’t accepted to UCLA, he was deciding between Pepperdine and University of San Diego. And your response was to compare costs between Pepperdine and UCSD. Then everyone started talking about UCSD and UCSB. :-P This confused me, because I was pretty sure USD and UCSD were two different institutions. So I had to google University of San Diego just to make sure my early onset Alzheimer’s wasn’t getting the better of me.

by snorkeldorf on Apr 10, 2009 5:31 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

You're right

I misread that one.

Well, for anyone who’s interested, there’s a lot of information here about a lot of schools in California!

by Barnes2JJ on Apr 11, 2009 7:08 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

When were you at USD, Barnes?

I graduated in 74 (before it became so difficult.)

by Fox 71 on Apr 10, 2009 8:23 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

92 through 95

I found it to be very difficult. For the most part, I found the instructors to be very good to excellent, with a couple of self-centered jerks thrown in the mix.

by Barnes2JJ on Apr 11, 2009 7:11 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Did you have Prof Bratton?

Great guy.

And did you take Real Property ffom Lazerow? And spend two months on Pierson v. Post?

by Fox 71 on Apr 11, 2009 7:51 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I had neither

But Lazerow rings a (faint) bell for some reason.

by Barnes2JJ on Apr 13, 2009 5:09 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

haha thanks for the input

And ’84, the only basketball game at either school that requires students with tickets is when the Zags come to town. I got into Gonzaga as well, but Spokane is just too far away.

by Allofmybros on Apr 10, 2009 8:51 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Another option

My big brother (hence my SN here) went to UCLA but spent a couple years in Junior College taking honors classes to help him get in. My GPA was a little low when I graduated HS in 2001 and I knew I wouldn’t get in to UCLA. A JC was an option for me but I really wanted to spend my freshman year away from home so I ended up going to a private school in San Diego. I regret not working hard to become a Bruin sometimes but I liked where I went too. A JC is a great option for kids to show they can work hard as 18 year olds in a way they might not have been able to as 14 year olds.

by littlebrother on Apr 9, 2009 9:12 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Definitely a Good Option

littlebrother is correct. I spent my first two years at SMC, where I was able to prove my scholastic aptitude, which allowed me to get into and graduate from a school I could only fantasize about attending coming out of high school. My high school GPA was 1.8 (I know!), but with some maturity and motivation I was able to prove myself at a city college and consequently get into one of the best universities in the world. I was able to complete my first two years without taking out any kind of loans thanks to the low price per unit at California community colleges. For those of you who didn’t get into UCLA, but are still wanting to attend the most glorious of all universities, consider the JuCo route, it may not be glamourous but after all, it’s not where you start but were you finish.

by LowerEastSideBruin on Apr 9, 2009 9:50 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree...

I was lucky enough to get into UCLA straight out of HS, but a vast majority of the students from my HS were not motivated to go to a 4-year university and went to a JC. A vast majority of the graduating seniors from my HS did that and a few years later, some transferred into UCLA.

However, since a lot of the people from the same HS would attend the same JC, JC ended up being HS Part II and they messed around and did not understand the importance of doing good. So, if I were doing the JC route, I’d try to go to one where I didn’t know everybody before classes started.

by seas98 on Apr 10, 2009 1:40 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

So True Blue!

It is good to hear that this door has not been shut down. Yeah being from the Class of ’92, I knew of people who took this route at UCLA. Of course, it is weird and bitter to see a slack off from your high school while you worked hard in high school to be at UCLA as one of your fellow classmates.
I wonder if I will ever tire of hearing that my grades and test scores will not get into UCLA. So far, no.

Good Luck ’66! Your daughter sounds like a wonderful person that should be admitted to UCLA.

by Bruin15 on Apr 9, 2009 11:38 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Thanks to Everyone for All of the Advice, Help and Encouragement

I was going to ask for advice, a few weeks ago, and didn’t.

Then this thread popped up and was a perfect opportunity to reach out.

I truly appreciate your advice and encouragement and will keep you posted, next year, as Jen’s application travels through the process.

I really love being a part of the BN family.

sjh

by Class of 66 on Apr 10, 2009 5:08 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

A couple of other things...

I got in in 2000 and there are a couple of other thing I remember on how people got in:

1) What major you apply to is very important. It is easier to transfer into than get into certain majors, the ye olde back doore meathode. Seriously consider applying as “undecided” or if you want to milk the system “slavic languages.” The engineering school will sometimes “place” students in a different major than they signed up for automatically.

2) Gordon Henderson might be able to help out. I think we talked about this in a previous thread. Along with other good college marching band schools.

(3) I know UC Santa Cruz has/had some neat joint program with UC Berkeley. My wife and I both thought about doing this, but both of us ended up at UCLA.)

by BruinTechie on Apr 11, 2009 3:10 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I've been thinking about making a video of Jen

in color guard and winter guard, throwing her flags, rifle and sabre and doing the cool things that they do.

Henderson was really a good guy when I approached him. As I mentioned before, he had just come back from judging a Texas high school band competition and was impressed that Jen both marched and was in the guard.

I’ve got tons of still photo’s of her guard stuff. Is it going overboard to do a video and submit it with the application?

sjh

by Class of 66 on Apr 11, 2009 7:10 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Why not?

My son was a good but not great baseball player, and he and his coach put together a highlight video of him to send to prospective coaches. I think that’s a pretty routine concept nowadays. If the director of the band wants her in the program, that would seem to me to add weight to her application, and could maybe get it out of the 60,000 ordinary applications involving kids with 8.8 GPA’s and multiple Nobel Prizes, and into the short stack of people who are going to get in because someone wants them in. Or as Professor Peter said, “Pull is better than push.”

by Fox 71 on Apr 11, 2009 9:37 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs