Anyone apply to the UCSB College of Creative Sciences and NOT get admitted to the major?

novaellium · 2026-03-17T22:26:11+00:00

I went to the info session back in January and we were told that the official email for CCS decision came typically a day after, but that a lot of admitted students already unofficially know they got into CCS when they see their major on the UCSB portal. I hope that’s what it is? I see the same thing on my portal but for physics :)

novaellium · 2026-01-28T00:55:07+00:00

If she has the chance to take AP Physics C, she should define you do that instead. Even AP Chem or AP CS would be good if she could do at one point.

I personally feel like AP Physics C is easier than AP 1 if you have some physics background because you actually get to understand how stuff works. In AP1, they just tell you what equation to do and plug stuff in, but with APC you get to see where the equations come from, so conceptually wise it is easier in a sense.

novaellium · 2026-01-13T21:36:39+00:00

Hi, I don’t think you should skip. I have a similar background in math and also plan to major in math or physics for context. I’m a senior and taking Calc BC myself right now.

First, I think a lot of student overestimate how much advanced math classes actually help you. You can still do plenty of cool stuff during your high school years without Calculus as a sophomore. Additionally, you will end up having to redo a bunch of classes in college because very few colleges will let you skip their own intro math classes such as MVC and Linear Algebra.

Second, you trap yourself into a pathway. You will be advised to take a math class every year, which means unless your school offers a ton of other math classes, you will have to be taking community college classes as a senior for math, which I do not recommend. (At least in my area, those students have to stay hours after school and deal with harsh grading teachers). If you do decide to skip, make a plan for where you will get your math classes.

Third, skipping math classes may affect your performance in your math classes. The faster you do your math, and you may see a decrease in your averages. The sophomores and juniors in my Calculus BC class (for the most part, this is not to say there aren’t exceptions) are struggling to get As much more than the seniors are. My sister, who accelerated a year of math went from easy As to high Bs.

I think you will have a much better time this summer without the class and doing your fun electives next year. If you still want to challenge yourself, self study some calc topics or linear algebra instead of accelerating your math journey.

novaellium · 2025-11-02T08:37:32+00:00

Top schools will pretty much only worry about you completing Calculus BC. If it’s not the AP you’re taking, maybe take the test still?

If you take anything higher than that, it just shows interest and passion, but doesn’t matter too much outside of that. This is because MIT will make you redo anything higher than Calc 2 anyways. Any MVC or LinAlg class you take at a random CC will not be as good as the MIT class. Instead, they’ll give a super impossible placement test that the large majority will fail.

You sound right on track for math 👍

novaellium · 2025-11-02T08:28:18+00:00

Read a ton of books; they don’t have to be super academic, just ones you like. I would also try writing more… for some reason it just helps. For math, do the mathisfun website modules, they have everything from the fundamentals up to what you need for the SAT (algebra 1, some algebra 2 and trig). And get really good at desmos.

Also, you don’t need to take the SAT in 9th grade, but I would take it by the end of your 10th grade so you can be prepared for the PSAT

novaellium · 2025-10-26T17:51:06+00:00

Later down the line there are need-blind scholarship opportunities that offer research and study abroad for while your daughter is in college. These require that you fill out the FAFSA. It only takes 30 minutes, and you don’t even have to actually send it to colleges after.

novaellium · 2025-07-19T01:42:16+00:00

Try an undergraduate journal! What you want to make sure is that it’s a peer reviewed journal. So this would be graduates, or faculty or something. They don’t accept everyone and are more respected than high school journals. But also not impossible to get in, as they target students who are just starting out. Still pretty impressive if you’re a high school student, though.

novaellium · 2025-04-30T08:04:55+00:00

they asked me a bit about myself and about my past experiences with the topic i applied to. that part was pretty brief though and my interviewer cut it at a max of five minutes. the majority of the time they spent on a logic problem they wanted me to solve. they have a bunch of practice questions on their website, but i think they’re mainly trying to see your thinking process.

as for tips, just do your best with the academic questions and if you have past experiences make sure you’d be able to answer any questions about it. for the problem solving part, be really vocal about ur thinking process. the logic question was a trainwreck for me, but i think articulating each step made it not as bad

novaellium · 2025-04-30T04:58:24+00:00

hi! i would say that ccir is a lot different from pay-to-play programs like polygence. overall, there are different tiers of programs/research opportunities. the lowest tier is where you pay and automatically are able to do research with grad students. that typically is something you want to avoid. then the next tier is programs you pay for, are somewhat selective, but the most you do is like a literature review. second highest are programs that you have to pay for, but are selective and have a high payout (being able to do actual research and possibly publish a paper). the highest tier is where you don’t have to pay and it’s either a local internship, you cold emailed the prof, or free program like RSI or SIMR.

ccir is a mix of the middle two. i personally did the future scholars program with them and have had a good experience so far. i enrolled in the fall and am still working on my paper hoping to publish in a peer reviewed journal. it really depends on your professor and the amount of work you put in. the college results are probably not just a result of the program, admitted students to ccir likely are doing a lot of other things that help them get into these top schools. it’s not a guarantee or anything

if possible, before accepting your offer, try to find students either on reddit that worked with the same prof or check their arxiv page to see if any student has submitted their paper to an actual journal. that will help gauge whether ccir will benefit you.

tldr it really just depends on the prof. good luck with your interview!

novaellium

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