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Top Dogs Guaranteed Top Education

Geoffrey Fong is looking forward to being an entering freshman at UC Santa Cruz this fall.

Dual admissions in UC schools

By Ji Hyun Lim

Six years after the elimination of affirmative action, the University of California schools have voted to implement a solution to increase campus diversity. The UC Board of Regents have adopted a “dual admissions” program that will allow top-performing California high school students entrance to one of the nine campuses.

California students in the top 4 percent of their graduating class will be guaranteed admissions to a UC school. Students whose ranking falls between the top 4 percent and 12.5 percent will have a secured spot on a UC campus upon completion of two years at a community college.

This plan, authored by UC schools President Richard C. Atkinson, gained endorsement by the Academic Senate and the Board of Regents in a recent 14-3 vote. This plan aims to comply with Gov. Gray Davis’ “Partnership Agreement” program, which will be in effect in fall 2003. Davis’ program sends a message to those in disadvantaged schools that they have a straightforward path to a UC degree by increasing junior college transfers and improving student preparation for the transfer program.

The UC school system, one of the most competitive on the West Coast, is making changes to “level the playing field.” Prior to this program, admission weighed heavily on the strength of the high school curriculum of each student. Often, schools in lower-income areas do not offer as many advanced placement courses. This decreases a student’s chance of admission to a competitive university. With “dual admission,” the top 12.5 percent of all high school graduates will have equal footing upon the completion of community college requirements.

Eric Siu, graduate of Lowell High School, 2001, is off to UC Davis this fall.

Although, this plan may seem like a clear solution for UC administrators — some UC students disagree with it. Eric Siu, an entering freshman at UC Davis, is not happy about the changes. Siu argues that diversity should not be the issue. To him, “dual admissions” would lower the caliber of students entering UC schools.

“Everyone is competing for [spots],” Siu said. “A lot of people that should have gotten into a [good] school didn’t. There were a lot of students with really high GPAs, 3.7 or 3.8, and with high SATs who didn’t get in to certain schools. You look at other schools and the scores are much lower. It should be based on performance, not background.”

Spokesperson for the President’s Office, Brad Hayward pointed out that in many cases, students have demonstrated high levels of achievement. However, their school does not offer the same level of opportunity as other schools.

“[We want to] recognize that these students have excelled in their environment and have the drive and the skills to succeed at the University of California,” Hayward said. “We believe these students are going to be just as successful as students who have been admitted to the school through traditional routes.”

Hayward points out that the existing UC transfer program is going to continue and “dual admission” only adds more routes of eligibility. Community college students who are not in the top 12.5 percent in their high school will still be eligible to transfer to a UC if they meet the minimum standards.

Each UC, however, differs in competitiveness. UCLA admission is one of the most difficult of the nine campuses. The UC Admissions Department reported that UCLA’s average SAT score was 1330 and the average GPA was 4.2. U.C. Santa Cruz is one of the less competitive and smaller campuses with 10,000 undergraduates, and 1,500 graduates. The Admissions Department there reported that the average SAT score was 1145 and the GPA 3.53.

“No college is really bad,” Geoff Fong, a 2001 Lowell High School graduate, said. “It’s better for the school to have a diverse student body. As far as students go, it doesn’t matter who is around you. It’s how you perform for yourself.”

UCLA Royce Hall

Orko Mallik, a sophmore at UC Berkeley, pointed out, “[The changes] should be better because those who have had disadvantages have a better chance of getting in.”

“At the same time, they might not be able to cope as well with the education. They don’t have the academic background yet. It puts people on a level playing field but it’s unfair for students who come from a slightly stronger schools.”