🍦 Today's Scoops Sep 6: California bill to end legacy admissions on Newsom's desk

Good morning folks! Here’s what we have today:

1. School of the Day: University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

2. Counselor Corner: Conversations with Mr. Klein, part 2/3

3. Friday News Focus: California bill to end legacy admissions reaches Newsom's desk

SCHOOL OF THE DAY
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

Every day, we cover a different school, helping you learn something new about your favorite schools or find a new school that could end up being your dream school.

📍 Location: Los Angeles, CA
🎓 Undergraduates Enrolled: 32,423
📊 Acceptance Rate: 9% (149,801 applicants)
💸 Tuition: $11,564 (in-state), $41,636 (out-of-state)
📅 Admission Options: November 1 (Early Action), January 15 (Regular Decision)
🏆 Top Ranking Programs: Psychology (#3), Chemistry (#15), Computer Science (#20) (Niche)
📈 Most Popular Majors: Social Sciences (27%), Biological And Biomedical Sciences (16%), Psychology (10%) (Scoir)

Some positives

🔬 Leading Research Institution: UCLA is a powerhouse for research, offering students numerous opportunities to work with world-renowned faculty. Centers like the California NanoSystems Institute and UCLA Health lead cutting-edge research in fields ranging from nanotechnology to medicine.

💼 Anderson School of Management: UCLA’s Anderson School of Management is one of the top business schools in the country, offering programs in finance, entrepreneurship, and real estate. Resources like the Harold and Pauline Price Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation provide students with opportunities to connect with startups, attend workshops, and develop leadership skills.

🔧 Samueli School of Engineering: UCLA’s Samueli School of Engineering is a leader in engineering education and research. The Institute for Technology Advancement (ITA) and Center for Translational Applications of Nanoscale Multiferroic Systems (TANMS) allow students to engage in cutting-edge projects in areas like nanotechnology, robotics, and renewable energy. The school’s emphasis on innovation and industry partnerships prepares students for impactful careers.

🌴 Prime Location in Los Angeles: Situated in the heart of LA, UCLA offers access to a major urban hub full of internships, entertainment, and cultural experiences. Whether it’s Hollywood or Silicon Beach, students have countless professional and recreational opportunities nearby.

Some negatives

📚 Competitive Admissions and Programs: With UCLA’s strong reputation comes highly competitive admissions, particularly in popular majors like Computer Science and Business Economics. Even once admitted, some programs can be very selective with capped enrollments.

🏡 High Cost of Living: LA is known for its high cost of living, and housing around UCLA is no exception. Off-campus rent prices can be steep, making affordability a concern for students living near the campus.

🎓 Large Class Sizes: Similar to other large public universities, many classes at UCLA, particularly lower-division ones, tend to have large class sizes. This can make it difficult for students to get personalized attention or direct interaction with professors.

COUNSELOR CORNER
Conversations with Mr. Klein - Part 2

Welcome back to Counselor’s Corner!

Yesterday, we covered essay writing, and today we’re diving into one of the most crucial aspects of your application journey: college strategy. Crafting a strategy is more than just picking schools—it’s about understanding your strengths, targeting the right programs, and setting yourself up for success. Keep reading to see Mr. Klein’s tips on the process.

Have you seen students choose schools based on the wrong reasons, and if so, what reasons tend to lead to disappointment later?
One thing I’ve consistently seen students getting wrong is going to a school exclusively because of its ranking. Chasing prestige only leads to unhappiness and your fit into a school really does matter. I had a student a couple years ago who got into Harvard, where a year’s tuition cost $80k, and Drexel, where his entire degree would cost him $3,000. After weighing out the the finances and thinking about what he really wanted from his college experience, he decided that he’d be better off not paying 400k for a brand name. Since then, he’s never looked back and he says it’s the best decision he’s ever made. I had another student who actually chose Harvard but ended up transferring before his first year was over just because he hated the hyper-competitive environment.

Now these examples are not to say that you shouldn’t go to Harvard if you get in, but rather to encourage you to really think about what a college could do for you. Think about finances, think about opportunities during and after college, and make a decision without letting others influence you too much.

How can parents best support their kids in this process?
The college admissions process isn’t just something a student goes through. It’s something the whole family goes through. Now that being said, for parents, make sure you embrace your child being themselves. It’s completely valid for you to want them to be a doctor or an engineer, but if they don’t truly want to do that, don’t try to force it on them. Through my years of experience, I’ve seen that if you want something more than your kid does, chances are they’re not going to be successful in it. Same thing goes for kids. Remember that in the end, college is a decision you’re making for yourself. Don’t let anybody else push you into doing something you don’t want.

For people who might think they are out of the range for need-based financial aid, how do you suggest they navigate the world of scholarships and other forms of aid?
My number one suggestion would be to broaden the kinds of schools you’re looking at. While the Harvards and Stanfords might not offer you much merit-based scholarships, there are plenty of great schools out there that will make sure your tuition is effectively taken care of. One school I always tell my students to check out is the University of Oregon. They’re on par with many top institutions in terms of research, and are extremely well funded with great sports teams and pretty much anything else you could want. They’re also known for having generous merit scholarship programs, the most well known of which being the Stamps Scholarship which can offer out of state students up to $175,000 over the course of four years. Another program worth checking is the WUE Program, which effectively allows you to pay in-state tuition to universities out of your state.

Obviously there are always the hyper-competitive merit based scholarships. But generally, winning those is such a toss up that you’d probably be better off focusing on schools rather than scholarships.

We hope you found today’s insights from Counselor’s Corner helpful and inspiring. Be sure to check back tomorrow for more expert advice from Mr. Klein that could take your college applications to the next level!

FRIDAY NEWS FOCUS
California bill aims to ban 'legacy' preference in college admissions

Full article: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/california-bill-banning-legacy-preference-college-admissions-heads-newsoms-desk-fair-equitable

“Fair and equitable”

Assemblymember Philip Ting, the bill’s Democratic author, stated that the bill is aimed at making the college admissions process more fair and equitable, emphasizing that “hard work, good grades, and a well-rounded background” should be the criteria for admission, not wealth or connections. He argues that if race considerations are banned, as per the U.S. Supreme Court ruling, then wealth or relationships should not be factors either.

Bipartisan support

The bill, AB 1780, has gained significant bipartisan support, passing unanimously in the California Assembly and clearing the Senate with only five Republicans voting against it. While some Republicans, such as Sen. Bill Cassidy, have noted the irony of elite universities keeping legacy admissions while signaling efforts to address inequality, a few prominent GOP figures, including Ted Cruz, Tim Scott, and JD Vance, have expressed openness to supporting a federal version of similar legislation.

Status of the Bill

AB 1780, which bans private colleges in California (notably USC & Stanford) from offering preferential admissions to applicants with ties to alumni, donors, or employees, has passed both the state Assembly and Senate. It is now awaiting approval from Governor Gavin Newsom. If signed into law, California will become the fifth state to ban legacy admissions, following several other states in the movement toward more equitable college admissions.

Other States with Similar Plans

Several other states have enacted or are debating similar legislation regarding legacy admissions. Illinois recently banned the practice at public institutions, joining Colorado and Virginia. Maryland stands out as the only state to have banned legacy admissions at both private and public colleges. Meanwhile, New York, Massachusetts, and Minnesota are actively considering similar measures.

LINK LOUNGE
Key Resources & Scholarships

In the Link Lounge section, you can find links to great resources such as scholarships during the college application process. These links can be really helpful and will be updated every Wednesday, so be sure to check back frequently!

The College Essay Guy Podcast - This podcast by Ethan Sawyer, a seasoned college counselor, provides great insights into the college application process. Currently, he is doing a series where he is recording and sharing his counseling sessions with one of his students, Cassidy.

Scoir - This platform provides great information on almost every single college you can think of. It is a great hub for finding out stats about each school’s academics and admissions.

College Application Notion Template - This great Notion template can help you organize all the work you need to complete for your applications. The author of the template also included a YouTube video explaining how to use the template.

DAILY DEADLINE UPDATES
Important testing dates are coming up!

In the Daily Deadlines section, we will keep you updated on upcoming deadlines in the college admissions world. Remember to not procrastinate and stay ahead of these deadlines!

September ACT: Saturday, September 14
University of Texas/UNC Chapel Hill Early Action Deadline: October 15
Most ED, REA & EA Deadlines: November 1

THE ARCHIVE
Looking for past mailings?

You can view all our previous posts at our website at https://scholarscoops.beehiiv.com

IDEAS COME FROM EVERYWHERE
Have an idea for the newsletter?

Is there a question you’ve been dying to have answered related to college admissions? Or, is there something just nagging you about Scholar Scoops that you want to see fixed soon? We want to hear from you. You can submit feedback at https://forms.gle/7Rj2eBCiauEc5oNV8. Thank you so much!