Overview

Counselors can provide invaluable help and advice to students in planning and preparing for their University education, particularly with regard to oversubscribed programs and selection of campuses. Students should be encouraged early on to approach their choice of University campuses and undergraduate major as a personal research project, one with long-range consequences.

Choice of Campus

All UC campuses have distinguished faculty, excellent libraries and research facilities, and high academic standards; all attract the most accomplished students in California. Each UC campus has its own distinctive character and atmosphere.

Most prospective students are familiar with only one or two UC campuses, usually those nearest home or mentioned most frequently in the news. They should be encouraged to explore the opportunities offered by all the UC campuses to ensure that they don’t overlook the campus that best suits their individual needs.

One of the best ways to do this is to visit campuses and talk with the students and faculty there. Prospective students can also visit distant campuses via the Web and the General Catalogs, if an actual visit is not possible. The campus Web sites and catalogs provide detailed descriptions of undergraduate programs and individual courses and contain a wealth of information about student life.

Another source of information about any of the University’s campuses is the nearest Relations with Schools Office, which will welcome questions from prospective students. See the Campus Contacts page for contact information.

Choice of Major

Each University campus offers a full range of undergraduate majors in the humanities, sciences, social sciences and professional programs. Students interested in majors from biology to history can pursue their education at any general campus of the University.

Counselors should encourage students to select majors carefully, keeping in mind that admission to programs such as engineering, computer science and business administration is very competitive at some campuses.

The campus General Catalog is one of the best sources of information about majors. Catalogs provide detailed descriptions of lower division prerequisites, the kinds and content of required courses and the emphasis of each major (e.g., preparation for graduate study or for entry into a career or profession).

Students who have not yet decided on a major should be advised that they may apply to particular colleges at all campuses with an undecided, undeclared or exploratory major.

Eligibility and Selection

As a public institution, the University of California seeks to enroll, on each of its campuses, a student body that demonstrates high academic achievement or exceptional personal talent and that encompasses the broad diversity of backgrounds characteristic of California.

UC reviews each application in two steps:

1. Eligibility
   First the University determines if the student has met the minimum requirements to be considered for admission. These requirements, which are different for freshman and transfer students, are designed to ensure that all eligible students are adequately prepared for University-level work.
2. Selection
   When campuses receive applications from more eligible students than they can admit — as is most often the case — they use comprehensive review, factors that go beyond the minimum admission requirements to select students. The University attempts to place all eligible California residents, although not all students can be admitted to a first-choice campus.