SAT subject tests: World History and US history dont count?

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Phate89

2
I was on my UC application and when i put in us history and world history for my 2 subject tests it's telling me that i need to pick 2 different subjects? I thought that US history and World history count as 2 subjects for UC's? Its too late to take another subject test for the semester next fall...is there something I can do!??!

Oh yea..and i was freaking out....so i just lied and said i took a random subject test..but then later in the "comments" section i said I didn't that one test and that I only put it there so that the admissions office can see that i took us history/world history

.advice....
 
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It probably wasn't a good idea to lie to get through. Well if they have a problem, they'll let you know and you can bring up the fact that it wouldn't let you pick US and World. By the way, what UC are you trying to get in to?
 
Well, it was the ONLY way that I can tell them I took 2 tests already, you have to have 2 subject tests to get into the UC's and it was either lie and take a chance by straightening it out later, or just give up.

I applied to UCI, Davis, San diego, and Riverside. Im mainly hoping just to get into UCR, but the other ones were " oh what the hell, might as well apply here too "

I'm planning on calling their admissions office tommorow and seeing what I can do, because I seriously hope that this does not fuk up my chances..because i do not want to go to a state university..i did not take honors/ap classes..extracurricular activies just to have it all screwed up because US history and world history wont count as separate subjects..when they were 2 different tests i had to pay for...
 
Yes, that would suck if you had to give up on your goals because of one little mix-up.

I know what you mean about AP classes and all of that. I took a bunch of them. I got a 4.2 and I didn't even want to go to a UC . I'm at a community college right now and I'm hoping to transfer to a state school. But yes, that would be really bad if one little thing like that messed the whole thing up.
 
First of all, that freakin' sucks! I feel for you. Otherwise....

Phate89 said:
I'm planning on calling their admissions office tommorow and seeing what I can do
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That's a good idea. Also, if the school allows you to still submit an application, find out the name of the person you talked to, make sure you document the telephone call in writing and send a copy of the letter to the admissions office to follow up. (and keep a copy for yourself). Totally CYA situation. I went to a UC so I totally understand the bureaucracy and also some ways to make sure that you don't get screwed in the shuffle.

Also, if worse comes to worse and you can't apply for the fall, find out what you can do to apply for spring admission. You may be able to make up the fall semester at an extension school or just wait it out. It's no biggie to start one semester behind your peers!

If absolute worst came to worst, would you rather go to a state school/community college and transfer later or just wait one year reapply next year? I'm not sure if you can transfer into a UC after one year at a state school...

Good luck with this!
 
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Thanks for the responses. i found out that US history and World history will not count as 2 separate subjects, but i still have a chance. I have a chance to take one more subject test on Dec 1'st IF theres enough room for me to take a standby test. Going to talk to my counselor this morning about it..also need to find out how to access my app and edit the SAT's and delete the one "english" one...
 
1. I called UCR ( college i want to go to ) and they said they will accept my application for the fall semester but the last date for the subject test is in January , so thats good news. Still have to call the other college's admissions office's and see what they say, if they say that Dec1st is the last available date, im going to try and take the stand by test.

2. I wont be able to chance my application until i receive my "aknowledgement" letter which isn't until 3-5 weeks later, but thats alright

So yea, seems like i still got a chance.
 
Phate89 said:
because i do not want to go to a state university..i did not take honors/ap classes..extracurricular activies just to have it all screwed up because US history and world history wont count as separate subjects..when they were 2 different tests i had to pay for...
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What's wrong with a state university? You'll get the same quality of an education at a fraction of a price.
 
Theres nothing wrong with a state college, my family just have higher standards for me and I don't want to dissapoint them. And I actually was prepared for this, I thought everything was fine and dandy after my counselor said everything checked out and im ready to apply, she didn't even realize US history/world history would not count as 2 separate subjects.

and im sure that the quality isn't the same, quality is different everywhere.
 
Hey Phate,

That sucks that your counselor didn't know that US History/World History don't count as two different subjects for application purposes. When I look back on it, I don't even know how the hell I got into college at this point! I was just sort of told to do things and it ended up working out. I thought I was on top of my game but really, I had no idea if what I was doing was gonna get me anywhere! haha. My counselor was sh$tty and only showed up 1 day a week or something like that but luckily I took US History and Bio subject tests. Phew...

Anyway, I feel you about state vs UC schools. California state schools are really good and they are much cheaper but if your goal is to go to a UC, then go for it. California state schools an UC schools are not the same in terms of prestige (generally and superficially speaking) and UC's are generally harder to get into. So, depending on what you want to do in the future, it might or might not make a difference. If a UC is your goal, then good for you. But, no matter where you go, you still gotta do well!

Otherwise, glad to hear that this is working itself out! Good luck and I'd say to stay proactive about this! :)
 
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aeonteal said:
Hey Phate,

That sucks that your counselor didn't know that US History/World History don't count as two different subjects for application purposes. When I look back on it, I don't even know how the hell I got into college at this point! I was just sort of told to do things and it ended up working out. I thought I was on top of my game but really, I had no idea if what I was doing was gonna get me anywhere! haha. My counselor was sh$tty and only showed up 1 day a week or something like that but luckily I took US History and Bio subject tests. Phew...

Anyway, I feel you about state vs UC schools. California state schools are really good and they are much cheaper but if your goal is to go to a UC, then go for it. California state schools an UC schools are not the same in terms of prestige (generally and superficially speaking) and UC's are generally harder to get into. So, depending on what you want to do in the future, it might or might not make a difference. If a UC is your goal, then good for you. But, no matter where you go, you still gotta do well!

Otherwise, glad to hear that this is working itself out! Good luck and I'd say to stay proactive about this! :)
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When it comes to UC vs. State schools, the UC's are only better for certain programs. If you want to go into a very specialized or competitive field, then if you can get into a UC, you should go for it. For highly competitive programs like engineering, medicine, law, nursing etc. you should go for the UC. Otherwise, I believe there is very little difference. I looked into some UCs, but they do not have a lot of the programs I'm interested in. Forget anything related to fitness/personal training, also forget about getting a teaching credential. UCs don't have a credential program, state schools do. This is why I want to go to a state school. In the grand scheme of things, no one is going to turn me down for a job because I went to a community college and then a state school versus going to a UC for 4 years.

Oh, and as for quality, quality is different everywhere. The community college I'm at right now has great facilities and wonderful instructors. One thing that people don't realize about professors at big universities is that they are also working on research and other prestigious things while they teach. They have less time to dedicate to their teaching job. Many of the instructors at my community college were former university professors that wanted to focus on teaching alone. This is why you get better quality, more personalized instruction at a community college. Instructors don't have to balance two careers.

You could also find that you're miserable at a UC (this is currently happening to my best friend). You never know. It takes a strong willed, independent learner to handle some of the stuff they'll throw at you. I've heard it's more independent study than anything else. If this learning style works for you, then go for it, but if it doesn't there's nothing wrong with a state school or a community college.
 
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Phate89 said:
Theres nothing wrong with a state college, my family just have higher standards for me and I don't want to dissapoint them. And I actually was prepared for this, I thought everything was fine and dandy after my counselor said everything checked out and im ready to apply, she didn't even realize US history/world history would not count as 2 separate subjects.

and im sure that the quality isn't the same, quality is different everywhere.
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You're right that quality isn't the same every where. I'm just referring to if you get a bachelors from a university, it shows a level of completion despite which university you go to.

Take an example-I graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma. It's a state college; however, it's one of the best teacher colleges in the US. I'm sure that this is due in part to it being a specialty school that was originally just a school to become a teacher.

Good luck.
 
If you have an idea of what you'd like to do, then you might be more particular in terms of your school choices. But, if you are unsure about what you want to do, a state school or UC is a great place explore those options. A UC might be even better as it does have more prestige generally speaking. Might as well open up as many options and make your life as easy as possible now...

One other thing I'd add about state vs UC schools is that while the CA state system is well known and respected in CA and maybe even other places in the West Coast, if you ever plan on moving to the East Coast or another country, potential jobs/graduate schools are more likely to recognize a UC, which might be an advantage.

But yeah, nothing wrong with state, community colleges or UC's. But, there's also no denying that UC's are generally more prestigious and will provide a lot of options to explore if someone isn't quite sure of what they want to do or wants to keep their options open.

Edit: As I said, I went to UC and I loved it but it was a bit rough in the beginning and takes some time to adjust. The UC's are public schools so there is no hand holding and they will fail your ass in a heartbeat. However, after the first semester or so, things get better and you adjust, just as with anything else. I was close with several professors but I did have to make the effort - it doesn't happen naturally in class. Also, classes get significantly smaller after you get your GE's out of the way.
 
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Derwyddon said:
Phate - why would you ever wnt to live by someone's standards besides your own?
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It has to do alot with culture, and family. I have my own standards but my family influences me very much on my decisions, and I am not just talking about my direct family but cousins, aunts, second cousins, and distant relatives as well( i have a big family ). My mother wants me to go to a UC because it's the hardest to get into, so she can gloat to her sisters and family that her son was accepted into a prestigious school. Community colleges are highly looked down upon, in our families we see those who to go community college those who did poorly in school, not always true, just giving you the general view of my families view's.

I am planning in majoring in Political Science, more specifically foreign policy, global analyst, etc. My goal is to one day work for an intelligence agency, or have a good job in the government. I have a uncle who works for the government as a private consultant, and another cousins working for the central intelligence agency in their Computer Science and optics field ( perks :) ).

If I had to pick a state university, it would most likely be Cal state fullerton, they seem to have a average political science program. But I'd rather get into maybe UCR or UC San diego which are more specifically designed for poli sci majors. If I couldn't make it into there, I really have no problem with going to a state university for 2 years, taking my general ed and then transferring, but its the thought of letting my family down that scares me.

Thanks for all the responses; aeon,evo, der, spicy, stream.
 
My mother and her three sisters all went to UC Berkeley. Now my cousin is going there. I have no desire whatsoever to follow the family tradition.

If your parents really think that community college is for those who didn't do well in high school tell them they're terribly mistaken. I graduated at the top of my class with a 4.2 GPA and I feel I made a very smart decision by going to a community college. Here were the options. $30,000-$40,000 a year for a UC. $20,000-$30,000 a year for a state school, or $500-$1000 a year for the community college. It was a very easy decision for me to make. Plus, say I decide to transfer to Berkeley or Stanford or some prestigious school like that. No one will know the difference. No one. The diploma would be from Stanford. You get the same diploma even if you transfered. Now my parents get to brag about how much money they're saving because I chose to go to community college while the other parents are complaining about the horrendous strain on their checkbook. I was guaranteed a spot in the UC system with my grades, so I could have gotten in. But I don't feel the need to prove anything to anyone else besides myself..
 
Well, from what I've seen. The people I know who went to community college are the ones who slacked in high school, and continue to slack in community college. I'm not denying the fact that there are people who go there that could have gone someplace better, but most of the people from my experience are idiots that go there.

Money is not an issue to my family at all, another cousin just got his PhD from UCLA and has been going there for practically 8-9 years and right out of college is making 200 grand a year as a pharmacist. From what I've seen, the people who end up going to top notch universities end up being more successful.

And the reason you don't care what others care of you is because you were brought up in a western culture that emphasized independence from the family. In my culture, our families are much closer and instead of independence, we make decisions it affects the entire group and its honor.
 
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Um...who cares why anyone else goes to any particular school? Obviously, thousands of people have the choice to go to an Ivy League, UC's, state schools, expensive private schools, community colleges or no college at all. (Btw, if you are a CA resident, UC's are super cheap for the quality of the education you receive.)

Just because you go to a good school doesn't mean anything more than you went a good school. A good GPA only means you had a good GPA. There may be certain benefits to what you've chosen to do and how it will affect your life but I don't really see how intelligence has anything to do with this. There a ton of idiots no matter where you go to school and there are tons of idiots with 4.0 GPA's.
 
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