This makes no sense at all

[phattonez]

So about 2 months ago I was admitted to USC and I was offered a chance for a scholarship which covers half of the tuition. Now today I get an email from UC Irvine telling me that they have decided on my admission. I go to the page and they tell me that I was not accepted. So the question is this: how do I get a scholarship to USC but get denied to UCI?

[Beldaran]

The answer is: Who cares? Go to USC. :)

Any number of factors that don't have anything to do with you personally could have made the difference.

For instance, I was accepted to Baylor University (one of the best universities in Texas) but rejected by Texas State (a lower end public school). The reason? There were politics involved. The Texas legislature had passed a law gauranteeing admission into Texas public universities for the top 10% of each graduating high school class. So they were full of in-state kids and barely accepted any out of state transfers at all.

So there could have been any number of political/demographical reasons, or anything otherwise bureaucratic that made you unattractive to UCI and attractive to USC.

Congratulations on your scholarship. USC is a great school. Although, their mascot reminds me of condoms more than anything else, but hey you win some you lose some.

[phattonez]

I know that the UC system has a program similar to that where the top 10% in each class are automatically accepted into the UC system. It doesn't say what college, but no matter what, they're in. I should have been in that, but I took the SAT II's too late, so I guess it really doesn't matter. What will be interesting though is to see what other UC's said.