photo credit: UCLA Undergraduate Admission
Christian Roque
Crimson Chronicle Reporter
UCLA released its long-awaited admissions decisions for the 2022 fall quarter yesterday afternoon. It was a day that had naturally both excited and unnerved many fellow Sheiks for many a month.
From Hollywood High, such seniors as Melissa Garcia, Esther Curiel, and Dinithi Jayakody, all hailing from SAS, were offered admission into the university this year.
The momentous day came a few weeks after it was reported in an article by the UCLA Newsroom that the world-renowned school received “more applications than ever before” for that quarter in question. A statistic of note discussed in the article was that it saw a staggering 32% increase in California applicants that were “projected to be among the top 9% in their high school class.”
Perhaps this statistic provides one explanation as to why several of Hollywood High’s top scholars were shockingly rejected from the school against all expectations.
One of the bigger upsets came with SAS senior Giovanni Maya, who was one of two Sheik recipients of a Questbridge four-year full-ride scholarship, specifically for University of Chicago, a more selective school than UCLA. He applied to the school for computer science, and when he went to check his application status yesterday, he was met with the dreaded rejection letter.
He personally thought the situation was completely fair and recognized that any number of factors could’ve contributed to the rejection of some of these students, with one being that some majors were more highly sought after than others. Maya remained confident that others will find themselves in a similar position to him, that is, getting accepted into more competitive schools despite not being accepted into UCLA.
“I think the people that got in totally deserved to get in and they deserve to receive the credit they get, especially during the time that we’re living in!” Maya said. “A lot of the people who didn’t get in are also rockstars and shouldn’t get discouraged! Always keep your head up high!”
In the middle of a theater rehearsal, PAM senior Alexander Flores found out about Maya’s surprise rejection through a text message Maya sent to a group chat announcing it. “From the moment he said he didn’t get in, I knew I didn’t stand a chance,” he said.
When he went to go check his application status moments before he was set to give his lines, he saw the exact same letter. Though he was on the verge of tears, he pulled himself together and kept his composure during the performance. Yet another surprise rejection considering the myriad of clubs, theater, dance, and music performances he’s been involved in over the years at Hollywood High as well as his fine academic record.
“When I left that rehearsal, I honestly started tearing up[…] I guess people are used to seeing me composed, especially in the theater setting, that when I mixed in my real life, it took people back,” he said.
Thankfully, things weren’t all so bad for Flores. He was able to pull himself together and push against the tears, and his parents took it “oddly well”. On top of that, he remains optimistic that he will be able to get into his dream school, New York University.
It’s been a rollercoaster ride of a day for everyone who applied today, and the Crimson Chronicle hopes any UCLA applicants who were not accepted recognize that there are many other great schools out there to study at and that one rejection does not define your merit. As for those who were, we wish you all the success in the world if you so choose to study there.