“I denied several applications…due to poor writing skills, incoherent thoughts, and/or a generic or overly-pompous attitude,” explains Edward Tom, a law school admissions dean, now retired after over 30 years at UC Berkeley. We discuss his lessons from reading over 200k applications for a 14% admit rate, including the types of personal statements that turned him off, the most memorable candidate, and the reality behind the job of an admissions dean. Plus: does yield protect exist at Berkeley?

“I definitely do look at income and try and make my score make sense,” explains UC Santa Cruz senior admissions evaluator, Ria Jagasia, about how household income plays a role in her review.  In the final installment of our UC insider interview, we discuss the new rubric without test scores, deferrals taking away seats from high school seniors, the order of importance among GPA/SAT/AP scores, and the effects of financial need.

“We’re not supposed to grade word choice and eloquence because there’s a lot of equity issues with writing,” says UC Santa Cruz senior admissions evaluator, Ria Jagasia, about evaluating UC essays. In this week’s interview: how to combat a low GPA, tips on appealing rejections, the differences between a 1 (best score) and a 2 (second-to-best) candidate, the UC tolerance for senioritis, and the real effects of alumni status and demonstrated interest.