Dear David:
After careful review of your application for admission, we regret to inform you that we are not able to offer you admission for Fall Quarter 2018. UCLA continues to receive more applications for admission than we can accommodate in our freshman class, and this year we could only accept 16% of applicants, many of whom occupied their semester taking adderall for their Calc AB tests instead of leading the new gun control movement.
Each application is unique, and each student presents wonderful attributes and potential that we enthusiastically invest in to create the next generation of leaders. Unfortunately, nothing about your 1270 SAT score served as any indication of your skills and capabilities that you now demonstrate as the face of the current fight against gun violence. Perhaps if you had gotten a higher score on Reading Comprehension, or a 5 on your AP Government exam, then we could have realized your phenomenal potential to serve society at large.
Our work is extraordinarily difficult: every application is read at least twice with consideration given to accomplishments both in and outside of the classroom. Ultimately, no single attribute or achievement guarantees admission — there are simply too many well-qualified, accomplished, and capable applicants such as Connor Freeman who proudly wrote three sentences into the personal statement that was drafted and emailed to him by his college counselor, or Antara Douglas, who was committed to providing clean storefront drinking water for local dogs and lead the effort that prioritized the unrecognized needs of her county’s thirsty k-9 population.
If attending UCLA remains your ambition, you should know that there is another opportunity for admission in your academic career: applying as a junior-level transfer student. In between your appointments with elected officials, interviews with news networks, and scheduled protests, we invite you to learn more about the transfer option at www.admision.ucla.edu/transfer.
I understand this is disappointing news. While no language in a decision letter can lessen that disappointment, please know that we understand the emotional investment that you made in this process and take this responsibility very seriously. We wish you all the best in your collegiate experience, and look forward to watching you exemplify our True Bruin values as you lead the youth movement in the fight for gun control, just at another institution.
Sincerely,
Gary A. Clark, Jr.
Director, Undergraduate Admission