Anteater Strong

By Keira De Vita

University of California Irvine (UC Irvine) is a dazzling public four year university. With impeccable floor to ceiling window architecture and their mascot, Peter the anteater, UC Irvine ranks number thirty four out of all United States Universities; acknowledged for their quarter based academic calendar as well as the college’s high graduation rate and overall excellence. Common pros about this school easily outweigh minute cons; the university provides spectacular tuition costs for in and out of state students (at around $12,00 after aid), a high graduation rate of 83 percent, with strong academic courses students can take real interest in. 

Popular and well structured majors the UC Irvine provides include psychology, business management and marketing, engineering, as well as health related knowledge and skill studies (and health professions). The Southern Californian college average accepts twenty nine percent of applicants for graduating class, not only competitive but this creates a well-rounded selection of individuals with a drive to learn. A campus with ready-to-learn individuals is an important environment to foster at college so that the highest amount of education possible is achieved. 

To all the students in the class of 2024, if you are considering applying, here are some important aspects of the application process; UC’s are now all test blind, UC’s follow the application process known as “the UC Application,” and grades no lower than a 3.0 are accepted in the application process. Confused? Let’s break this down! Test blind refers to the part in applying for colleges when you reach the portion to submit your SAT or ACT score, but now all UC’s have become test blind. This means that the college does not consider or look at those test scores. To all of you who are not as strong test takers, like myself, you should be jumping for joy. Next, all UC’s use a process of application known as the “UC Application,” this is a common application where most if not all UC’s require the same “base” information from the applicant during admissions. This makes the process to apply much quicker although essays or specific questions pertaining to specific UC’s come up on applications. And finally, all UC’s obtain a minimum grade standard for application. The applicant should maintain a 3.0 GPA average throughout high school with no grades lower than a C. This ensures a high standard at these competitive schools, and demonstrates the applicant obtains sufficient knowledge from courses taken in high school in preparation for college!

Westmont High School has an amazing staff fit to answer any questions you may have about colleges or the application process, feel free to stop by the college and career center to learn more!