Coping with deferrals

After a record number of college applicants, students try to boost chances of admission

In an effort to help students who have been wait-listed, a unique online movement has begun. On March 22, senior Alex Chen created a Facebook event called “Help your fellow classmates” to encourage students to decline acceptances to colleges they did not wish to attend.  The objective of the event was to boost the chances of wait-listed applicants by sending in declinations earlier than the deadline. According to Chen, with potential spaces for more students after those accepted decline, it may be possible for the wait-listed to get in.“Especially this year, a lot more people have been wait-listed from the UC system,” senior Alex Chen said. “One of the most obvious reasons may be because of budget cuts.”In 2011, an enormous amount of applications rolled into through the University of California school system. All ten UC campuses had over a five percent increase in the number of applicants, and UCLA alone received an unprecedented 61,498 applications. Even some private universities across the nation experienced double-digit percentage increases in applications.The sheer number of applicants has left some MVHS students rejected or wait-listed from target and even back-up schools. According to UC admission offices, the primary reason behind the unprecedented increase is not due to a higher population of college-ready high school students but rather, because applicants have increased the number of schools they apply to. Coupled with higher tuition rates and California’s slashed education budget, admission is harder to obtain than ever.Senior Kelvin Wu could relate. Wu, who received acceptances to UC Irvine and UC Santa Cruz, was recently wait-listed at UC Davis, one of the top schools on his list. “I feel a little disappointed that I didn’t get into the school of my choice,” Wu said. “But I know that [my situation] is not the worst, so I am still optimistic about my future.”As of April 10, the event had 84 attendees. However, since its creation, Chen has received some comments that disagree with his theory that early declines will do much to help wait-listed students. Admission offices claim that decisions to admit wait-listed students occur after the deadline for decisions pass and early declines will not necessarily help those on the waiting list. Chen concedes that some of his claims in the event post may not be entirely accurate.“Looking back, [having people decline early] may not alter someone’s chance of getting in to college,” Chen said. “But it is still a show of support for your classmates and a confidence booster for wait-listed students.” The deadline for students to accept or decline acceptances is May 1 for UC campuses.